Based on listings checked on October 25, 2026, Caron Simply Soft is the best all-round blanket yarn: a soft 100% acrylic medium (4) worsted, 315 yards per 6 oz skein, machine washable and dryable. Choose Bernat Blanket for a plush super bulky chenille, Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick for wool-blend warmth and Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo for value.
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Comparison
| Product | Fiber | Weight | Yardage | Hook | Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caron Simply Soft Solids Yarn | 100% acrylic | Medium (4), worsted | 315 yd / 170 g | H-8, 5 mm | machine wash and dry |
| Bernat Blanket Yarn | 100% polyester chenille | Super Bulky (6) | 220 yd / 300 g | L-11, 8 mm (label) | machine wash and dry |
| Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn, 3 Pack | 80% acrylic, 20% wool | Super Bulky (6) | 106 yd / 6 oz per skein (solids), 3 skeins | N-13, 9 mm (label gauge) | machine wash and dry |
| Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo Yarn, 2-Pack | 100% acrylic | Medium (4), worsted | 744 yd / 396 g per jumbo skein (solids), 2 skeins | I-9, 5.5 mm | machine washable |
Our picks
Caron Simply Soft Solids Yarn
A soft, drapey worsted acrylic with 315 yards per skein that machine washes and dries, sold by Amazon.com.
Bernat Blanket Yarn
A thick polyester chenille that makes a very soft blanket quickly, 220 yards per 300 g skein, machine washable and dryable.
Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn, 3 Pack
An 80% acrylic, 20% wool super bulky that adds warmth while staying machine washable and dryable, in a three-skein pack.
Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo Yarn, 2-Pack
Jumbo 14 oz skeins of the classic worsted acrylic, 744 yards each, so a throw needs only a few skeins and few joins.
A blanket uses more yarn than any other beginner project, so the choice matters: it decides how soft the result is, how long it takes, how it washes and how much it costs. The four yarns below cover the main choices, a soft worsted, a plush chenille, a warm wool blend and a value jumbo skein. They are compared on their labels and listings; we did not crochet with them ourselves.
At a glance
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight (CYC) | Yardage per skein | Label hook | Care | Suits | Less suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caron Simply Soft | 100% acrylic | Medium (4) | 315 yd / 170 g | H-8, 5 mm | machine wash and dry | soft throws and baby blankets in double crochet (UK treble) | very fast projects |
| Bernat Blanket | 100% polyester chenille | Super Bulky (6) | 220 yd / 300 g | L-11, 8 mm | machine wash and dry | plush blankets in simple stitches | detailed stitch patterns, counting stitches |
| Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick | 80% acrylic, 20% wool | Super Bulky (6) | 106 yd per 6 oz skein (solids) | N-13, 9 mm | machine wash and dry | warm, quick blankets | anyone avoiding wool |
| Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo | 100% acrylic | Medium (4) | 744 yd / 396 g | I-9, 5.5 mm | machine washable | large blankets with few joins | very soft baby items |
Lion Brand’s 2026 guide puts a standard adult throw at about 1,500 to 2,000 yards in worsted, or 500 to 800 yards in super bulky; use these orders of magnitude to count skeins.
What to look for in blanket yarn
- Washability. Blankets get washed often. All four picks are machine washable.
- Weight and speed. Lion Brand notes that a worsted throw takes two to three times longer than the same pattern in super bulky. Super bulky yarn is faster but heavier and less drapey.
- Fiber. Lion Brand’s guide describes acrylic as washable, widely available and affordable; wool blends as adding warmth; cotton as breathable but heavier.
- Softness and drape. Soft acrylics and chenille drape well; firm yarns make a stiffer blanket.
- Skein size. Larger skeins mean fewer joins and fewer ends to weave in.
- Dye lots. Buy all the yarn for one blanket at once when the yarn has dye lots.
Our guide to crochet blanket sizes helps you estimate how much you need.
Caron Simply Soft: best all-round blanket yarn
Who it suits: most blanket makers, especially for throws and baby blankets.
A 100% acrylic medium (4) worsted, 315 yards per 6 oz (170 g) skein, machine washable and dryable, with a label gauge of 13 single crochet and 14 rows on a 5 mm (H-8) hook. As its name says, it is sold as a soft yarn, and its drape suits blankets in double crochet or granny squares. Sold by Amazon.com.
Keep in mind: soft acrylics can split with a sharp-headed hook; a rounder head helps.
Bernat Blanket: best plush super bulky
Who it suits: someone who wants a very soft blanket quickly, in simple stitches.
A 100% polyester chenille in the Super Bulky (6) category, 220 yards per 10.5 oz (300 g) skein, machine washable and dryable. Its label gauge is 7 single crochet and 8 rows on an 8 mm (L-11) hook, below the Craft Yarn Council’s general 9 to 15 mm range for super bulky yarn; follow the label for this yarn. Sold by Amazon.com.
Keep in mind: chenille is slippery and its stitches are hard to see, so it suits simple stitches rather than detailed patterns, and frogging can be difficult.
Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick: best wool-blend warmth
Who it suits: makers who want a warm blanket with some wool, still machine washable.
A super bulky (6) blend of 80% acrylic and 20% wool, 106 yards per 6 oz skein in solid colors, machine washable and dryable, sold here as a three-skein pack by Lion Brand’s own seller account. Sarah Maker’s free chunky striped throw uses this yarn, so a tested pattern exists for it.
Keep in mind: it contains wool, so check for sensitivities before gifting; the listing’s material field and composition differ slightly in wording.
Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo: best value jumbo skein
Who it suits: budget-minded makers planning a large blanket.
The classic 100% acrylic medium (4) worsted in jumbo 14 oz (396 g) skeins of 744 yards each in solid colors, machine washable, with a 5.5 mm (I-9) hook. Sold here as a two-pack by Amazon.com. Fewer, larger skeins mean fewer joins.
Keep in mind: it is firmer than Caron Simply Soft; the listing title does not say whether its yardage is per skein or per pack, while Red Heart gives it per skein.
Caring for a crochet blanket
Follow the label of the yarn you used: all four picks here are machine washable, and three are also listed as dryable. Large blankets are heavy when wet, so wash them on a gentle cycle in a large machine, and dry them flat or on low heat if the label allows, to avoid stretching. Store blankets folded rather than hung, which can pull the stitches out of shape over time. When gifting a blanket, include a yarn label so the recipient knows how to wash it.
Skeins for an adult throw, by pick
Using Lion Brand’s 2026 orders of magnitude, about 1,500 to 2,000 yards of worsted or 500 to 800 yards of super bulky for an adult throw:
| Yarn | Yards per skein | Skeins for a throw (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| Caron Simply Soft | 315 | about 5 to 7 |
| Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo | 744 | about 2 to 3 |
| Bernat Blanket | 220 | about 3 to 4 |
| Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick | 106 | about 5 to 8 |
These are estimates; the pattern’s own yardage always takes priority.
Mixing yarns in one blanket
Combining colors from the same yarn line is easy, because weight, fiber and gauge match. Mixing different yarns, even within one weight category, is riskier: one may be thicker, stretch more or wash differently, so the blanket can pucker or shrink unevenly. If you want to mix, crochet a swatch with both yarns, wash it, and check that the stitches still match.
Yarns we did not include
We left out a worsted acrylic whose listing gives two different weights and a hook size that disagrees with its maker, a cotton whose weight category differs between title and description, and a chunky acrylic whose care instructions contradict each other. Lion Brand Pound of Love and Red Heart Super Saver in standard skeins appear in our beginner yarn comparison.
Which yarn for which blanket
- First blanket, practice friendly: Caron Simply Soft or Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo in a light solid color, so stitches are easy to count.
- Fast gift blanket: Bernat Blanket or Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, in simple stitches.
- Baby blanket: a soft, machine-washable acrylic such as Caron Simply Soft; avoid fuzzy yarns that shed.
- Granny square blanket: a medium (4) worsted in several colors, so every square matches in size.
Then follow our guide to crocheting a blanket, and see our crochet gift ideas for smaller projects with leftover yarn.
Key facts
- Lion Brand's 2026 blanket yarn guide estimates about 1,500 to 2,000 yards of worsted yarn, or about 500 to 800 yards of super bulky yarn, for a standard adult throw, and says a worsted throw takes two to three times longer than the same pattern in super bulky.Lion Brand, Crochet Blanket Yarn Recommendations for Cozy Results, 2026
- The same 2026 guide describes acrylic as machine washable, widely available and affordable, wool blends as adding warmth with machine washability, and cotton as breathable but heavier and less stretchy.Lion Brand, Crochet Blanket Yarn Recommendations for Cozy Results, 2026
- The Craft Yarn Council's 2018 Standards & Guidelines recommend a 5.5 to 6.5 mm (I-9 to K-10½) crochet hook for Medium (4) yarn and a 9 to 15 mm (M-13 to Q) hook for Super Bulky (6) yarn, as guidelines only.Craft Yarn Council, Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting, 2018
- In the Craft Yarn Council's 2014 study, 51% of knitters and crocheters named specialty craft chains as their main source of yarn, ahead of local yarn shops and mass merchandisers at 14% each and the Internet at 10%.Craft Yarn Council, research one-sheet, 2014
How we selected
We reviewed about ten blanket yarns sold on Amazon.com on October 25, 2026, reading each listing's fiber, weight category, yardage, care and recommended hook, and comparing them with the makers' published specifications where available. We excluded listings whose weight, yardage or hook contradict each other or the maker, and yarns already picked in our beginner yarn comparison. We kept one yarn per type and favored machine-washable yarns sold new by Amazon.com or the brand. We did not crochet with these yarns ourselves.
FAQ
What is the best yarn for a crochet blanket?
For most blankets, a soft medium (4) acrylic such as Caron Simply Soft: machine washable, widely available and easy to work. For a fast, plush blanket, a super bulky chenille such as Bernat Blanket; for warmth, a wool blend such as Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.
Is acrylic or cotton better for a blanket?
Acrylic is lighter, warmer, stretchier and easier to wash, which makes it the usual choice. Cotton is breathable and suits summer or baby blankets, but it is heavier and has no stretch, so a large cotton blanket can feel weighty.
How many skeins do I need for a crochet blanket?
Divide the yardage your pattern requires by the yards per skein. For an adult throw, Lion Brand estimates about 1,500 to 2,000 yards of worsted, which is about five to seven skeins of a 315-yard yarn, or 500 to 800 yards of super bulky.
What hook size should I use for blanket yarn?
Follow the label. Medium (4) worsted usually takes 5 to 6.5 mm (H-8 to K-10½); super bulky yarns take larger hooks, though some chenille blanket yarns list 8 mm (L-11) on their label, below the Craft Yarn Council's general 9 to 15 mm range for that weight.