How to Choose The Best Yarn

Need help choosing the right yarn for your next project?? With the huge selection of yarns available, it’s hard to know which will work best for a crochet garment. There are tons of different brands of yarn and fiber types. You can get a very different look and feel depending on whether you work with an acrylic, cotton, linen, bamboo, superwash wool or non-superwash wool yarn.

This post will give you some general information about many of the different types of yarns, and help steer you towards the right decision for your project. I’ve tried to make this a comprehensive list that includes as many different fibers as I can. That said, this list does not include every single type of yarn out there. Over time, I plan to add to this list as I experiment with and learn about new yarns.

TYPES OF YARN

Choosing the best yarn for your crochet garment ultimately comes down to your own preferences, and budget. Use what works best for you. Below, I’ll break down some of the different fiber types that I’ve had experience with, the pros and cons for each, and sprinkle in a few examples of my favorite brands.

ACRYLIC

Pros:

Machine washable (great for kids)
Durable
Doesn’t usually grow (or change gauge) with wearing, blocking, or washing
Great for beginners
Inexpensive
Easy to find at big box stores (Jo-Ann Fabrics, Michaels)

Cons:

Not breathable—not a good choice if you get overheat easily
Can be stiff— doesn’t have good drape
Hard to block and shape the way you want it… unable to completely block out ripples from increase rounds in circular yoke sweaters
Not good for the environment (not biodegradable, releases microplastic into the water when washed)
Melts with heat (acrylic yarn is manufactured plastic)
Flammable

*All that to say, that many people choose acrylic because of it’s accessibility and ease of use.

My Favorite Acrylic Yarns

Red Heart Super Saver- (great for amigurmi, not bad for garments…I made my first ever crochet sweater in this yarn, and it’s held up to lots of wear and machine washing. It’s gotten so much softer after washing too)

Caron Simply Soft- (great color selection, beautiful sheen, decent drape for acrylic)

Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball– (very lightweight and has excellent drape for acrylic… it seems to defy the laws of nature! But technically… it’s because it’s a cotton/acrylic blend: 58% Cotton, 39% Acrylic, 3% Other) The cotton really helps!

*When I test more cotton/acrylic blends, I’ll add in a section here.

COTTON

Pros:

Light and cool to wear—perfect if you live in a hot climate or tend to get too hot
Much better drape than acrylic (especially pima cotton after blocking)
Inexpensive
Available at big box stores
Great structure—good for texture, cables, and lace. Shows stitches well.
Brands like Lily Sugar and Cream are great for washcloths, potholders, and home decor
100% cotton holds shape and structure when wet
Machine washable (though I prefer to block for best shape and longevity of my makes)
Organic Cotton is eco-friendly

Cons:

Variation in your tension tends to show more on cotton yarn. (sometimes our tension can change slightly working on a project from one day to the next)
Can be too stiff for a garment if not using Pima Cotton
Heavy when wet and can stretch out considerably if your not careful

Favorite Cotton Yarns

WeCrochet Comfy Worsted- (ideal for garments- 75% Pima Cotton, 25% Acrylic
Worsted)

Lily Sugar and Cream- (for potholders, dishcloths, etc)

Paintbox Yarns, Cotton DK

LINEN

Pros:

Perfect if you live in a hot climate/tend to get too hot—light and cool to wear
Great drape, lovely for sleek garments
Gets much softer after washing/blocking
Eco-friendly

Cons:

Can lose structure with blocking (in my experience it doesn’t hold up well for textured garments)
Can stretch out quite a bit from wearing
Stiff and slightly tricky to work with…uneven tension can really show
Can be expensive and hard to find—usually you need to order online

My Favorite Linen Yarns

WeCrochet Lindy Chain– (linen and pima cotton blend)

Shibui Knits Reed- (very silky and soft, though pricey)

BAMBOO

Pros:

Great for warm weather—great breathability, sweat resistant
Also good for cool weather—keeps you warm
Incredible drape
Hypoallergenic
UV resistant
Eco-friendly
Incredibly soft

Cons:

Looses strength when wet, take care when blocking
Hand-wash only
Tends to split when your working with it
May not hold shape well for textured garments

My Favorite Bamboo Yarns

Lion Brand Truboo– (100% bamboo)

Lion Brand Coboo– (50% Rayon from Bamboo, 50% cotton)

SUPERWASH MERINO WOOL

Pros:

Blocks out to the shape you’d like beautifully
Excellent drape—best for sleek, lightweight garments
Very soft and smooth
Beautiful color selections
Not too warm… wears well in warm or cool weather
Technically machine-washable (though I recommend wet blocking)

Cons:

Can grow significantly with washing/blocking, can change your gauge significantly (this is why I always recommend to block your swatch!!)
Expensive
Harder to find in big box stores (but tons of availability online)
Not as good for structured or textured garments (the process of making wool superwash takes a way the texture in the fiber so the shape doesn’t hold well)
Non-biodegradable, not great for the environment

My Favorite SW Wool Yarns

Cascade 220 Superwash (100% SW Merino)

WeCrochet Swish DK– (100% SW Merino)

WeCrochet Stroll Tonal– (75% SW Merino, 25% nylon)

WeCrochet Gloss DK– (70% SW Merino, 30% silk)

NON SUPERWASH WOOL

Pros:

Perfect for colorwork- stitches become nice and plump with blocking, and they hold together well.
Great structure, good for texture, maintains the shape of your piece
Blocks out beautifully without growing excessively
Warm and cozy
Resilient Fiber—dirt and static proof, fire retardent

Cons:

Can be expensive (although some great budget wools do exist… see my list of favorites)
Has an “animal smell” which can bother some people (others like it)
Some wools can be scratchy and uncomfortable next to skin
Some people have a wool allergy
Not machine washable
Pills (little balls of fuzz)
Wool felts easily with agitation when moist or wet. It can be effected by extreme changes in temperature. Special care must be taken when washing/blocking to always use cool water and never wring or twist.
Can shrink if washed in warm or hot water
Attracts moths

My Favorite Non SW Wool Yarns

WeCrochet Capra (85% wool, 15% cashmere)

WeCrochet Wool of the Andes (100% Peruvian Highland Wool)

Note: I recommend to block all natural fibers because it helps preserve them and maintain their shape. (blocking is how I wash all my handmades.) Here’s a link to an article all about how to block.

ACRYLIC/WOOL BLENDS

(the best of both worlds)

Pros:

washable
better drape than acrylic-only
can be gently shaped with blocking
more breathable than acrylic-only
warm

Cons:

not eco-friendly
not as soft as 100% natural fibers
can be too warm to wear
somewhat stiff

My Favorite Acrylic/Wool Blends

Lion Brand Scarfie– (78% Acrylic, 22% Wool)

Lion Brand Wool Ease

how to choose yarn for a crochet project

Choosing Yarn Wrap Up

I hope that this post was helpful to you in choosing which yarn to use for your next crochet garment. There’s so many considerations as you make your decision. Really there’s no right or wrong… just what works best for you!

This list is far from all-inclusive to all the different types of fiber on the market. I plan to add to this list over time. Let me know about your experience with fiber types in the comments. And don’t be shy if there’s anything I’ve missed that you’d like me to add in here!