$1 vs $100 Yarn: Is Expensive Yarn Actually Better?
I tested the cheapest and most expensive yarns from five popular yarn companies, ranging from just $1.03 to a jaw-dropping $102.99. From texture and stitch definition to overall quality, I’m putting them head-to-head to see is expensive yarn actually better?
Have you ever wondered what the real difference is between a $1 skein of yarn and one that costs over $100?
I haven’t either…until now!
I bought the cheapest and most expensive yarns I could find from five major yarn retailers: Premier Yarns, Yarnspirations, Hobbii, Lion Brand and LoveCrafts. The cheapest skein was just $1.03 and the most expensive? A whopping $102.99!
So today I’m putting all ten yarns to the test. I’ll compare the softness, stitch definition, color richness, & froggability. We will also talk about which projects each of these yarns would work best for. And finally we will rate them all and declare an overall winner!
So whether you’re looking for budget yarns or you’re on the hunt to splurge on something special, we are going to see what your money really buys when it comes to yarn.
Pin for Later!
$1 vs $100 Yarn: Is Expensive Yarn Actually Better?
I’m a curious person by nature and the idea of comparing expensive yarns to budget yarns fascinates me. There’s no denying that some expensive yarns are worth every single penny, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of some super budget friendly yarns.
Check Out Is Dollar Tree Yarn Worth the Hype Here
Yarnspirations
The first yarn retailer that we are going to compare is Yarnspirations. Yarnspirations is a major online retailer that most of us in the US are familiar with.
They carry well known yarn brands like:
The two yarns I purchased were Bernat Handicrafter Scents and Caron Colorama Halo.
This post contains affiliates links and at no cost to you I may earn a teeny tiny commission if you choose to purchase them. Please know that I only recommend products I use and love! Thank you for supporting Elise Rose Crochet! You can read my full (and slightly boring) full disclosure here.
Bernat Handicrafter Scents
This next yarn is truly unique (and I’m not sure it’s a good thing). Bernat Handicrafter Scents is a #4 worsted weight, 100% cotton yarn. It gently releases a subtle fragrance as you work with it.
This is a 1.5 oz skein and contains 71 yards and I have the color Fleur de Lavandre, which is French and according to Google translate means lavender flower. And I’m guessing that’s the fragrance that I’m smelling. It also comes in the color Lavender and I paid $2.49 for it.
This yarn seems to be best for projects like dishcloths and kitchen or bathroom accessories. There are also two discontinued shades/scents: Vanilla Bouquet and Chamomile.
The recommended crochet hook size is 5 mm, so let’s put it to the test!
CONCLUSION
I honestly expected that I would dislike this yarn very much. But to my surprise I didn’t hate it. Most budget friendly cottons feel a bit coarse and that is true for this yarn as well.
But the colors really are pretty and if you’re using it for the intended purpose of making dishcloths or kitchen/bath accessories I can see it working well.
The big negative for me is the scent. Thankfully it isn’t overpowering, but I don’t want a chemical fragrance on my yarns and for that reason I will not be using this yarn in the future.
Find Bernat Handicrafter Scents Here
Caron Colorama Halo
Caron Colorama Halo is a #5 bulky weight yarn known for it’s softness and gradual color gradient. It’s 71% acrylic, 18% nylon and 11% polyester. This is the color Pink Panther, which is the perfect name for it.
This is a huge skein weighing 17.6 oz or 500 grams. It also has 1059 yards or 968 meters.
I paid $24.49 and the recommended crochet hook size is 6 mm so let’s put it to the test!
CONCLUSION
Yarnspirations chose the perfect name for this yarn, because it is so incredibly soft and has a lovely halo.
If I was making a project with this yarn, I would use a simple stitch. Because of that halo, you are unlikely to see the details of the stitches. It wouldn’t be worth the effort to make a detailed/complicated stitch because you would never see it.
But, if you love super soft yarns and love that fuzzy look, this could be the yarn for you.
Hobbii
The next two yarns that we are going to test are from one of my favorite yarn retailers and that’s Hobbii.
Hobbii is based in Denmark and they create some of the most beloved yarn brands like Rainbow and Friends.
And although they are based in Europe they ship worldwide and are a popular brand here in the US.
The two yarns that I will be testing are We Love Yarn Recycled Cotton and Twister Glitter.
We Love Yarn Recycled Cotton
The next Hobbii yarn we are going to test is We Love Yarn Recycled Cotton. This is the color Rose and I paid $1.95 for this 50 gram/1.75 oz skein.
It’s a DK weight yarn and is 100% post consumer recycled cotton. The website describes the yarn has a “rustic feel” and I think what they mean is that it’s a little coarser than other 100% cotton yarns.
CONCLUSION
We Love Yarn is a great budget friendly 100% recycled yarn. It definitely has that rustic feel, meaning that it is more coarse than a higher quality cotton.
But if you are looking for a yarn to make projects like dishcloths and kitchen/bathroom accessories, this might be a good option.
Find We Love Yarn Recycled Cotton Here
Twister Glitter
I am so excited to try Twister Glitter in the color Yellow Snapdragon. I paid $38 for this yarn cake and it’s 53% cotton and 43% acrylic and 4% polyester
It’s a #2 sport weight yarn and is 250 grams/8.8 oz, with 1000 meters/1093 yards. This is a big cake of yarn.
The Glitter version was made to be a sparkly companion to their solid colors.
It also features one of my favorite design elements, the Easy Start Tab.
The recommended crochet hook size is 4 mm so let’s test it out!
CONCLUSION
Wow. What a gorgeous yarn.
I did feel that it was a light #2 weight yarn, but it is quite soft and has great stitch definition. The cake is quite large and the addition of the metallic fiber spun into the yarn is a lovely addition.
The color is what I absolutely love about this yarn. It is so vibrant and the gradient features the most gorgeous yellows, subtly changing from one shade to the next.
Twister Glitter also has my favorite Easy Start tab making finding the center pull so simple (no more yarn barf!).
Premier Yarns
The next two yarns we are going to test are from a local yarn company, Premier Yarns. Their headquarters is literally fifteen minutes from my house!
They manufacture some very popular yarns and I happen to be a big fan. But these two yarns are ones that I have never tried before.
The first is Premier Home Cotton and the second is Fibra Natura Cobblestone.
Premier Home Cotton
The next yarn we are going to test is Premier Home Cotton, which is 85% recycled cotton and 15 % polyester.
The polyester adds softness, durability and color fastness to the yarn. I paid $1.99 for a 1.94 oz/55 gram skein. It has 96 yards/88 meters. This is the colorway Rainbow Stripe. It comes in 66 colors with solids and multis.
It’s a #4 worsted weight yarn and the recommended crochet hook size is 5.5 mm. So let’s test it out!
CONCLUSION
I’m a big fan of cotton blend yarns and I was impressed by this budget friendly yarn. The addition of the polyester make this yarn more soft, less stiff and bright colors.
As someone who is sensitive to 100% cotton yarns, I was impressed by this yarn. I like that it has the crisp stitch definition that you expect from cotton, but just the right amount of stretch to make it comfortable to work with.
Fibra Natura Cobblestone
The first yarn is one that I am really excited to try. It’s the Fibra Natura Cobblestone, which is under the Universal Yarn label, which is a sister company to Premier yarns (if I’m understanding it correctly). I purchased this yarn on the Premier website for $21.99.
It’s a #2 fine weight, 2 ply yarn. It’s 100% superwash merino wool.
A two ply yarn is created by twisted two individual strands together. And you can really see that with this yarn. The first ply is variegated and the second one is a solid color, which gives it a hand-spun look.
This is 7 oz/200 grams and 612 yards/560 meters. I bought the color Precious Jewels. It comes in a total of 16 different gorgeous color combinations.
The recommended corchet hook size range is 3.75 mm – 4.5 mm so let’s get started.
CONCLUSION
What a gorgeous yarn. The two ply strand makes working with the yarn visually interesting. As a superwash merino it is a soft wool that felt so nice in my hands.
Another nice feature is that it is easily froggable (easy to rip back).
Find Fibra Natura Cobblestone Here
LoveCrafts
LoveCrafts is a very popular online retailer for crocheters and knitters alike. They carry affordable basics to luxurious indie and natural fiber yarns.
Paintbox is their in-house brand and it’s one of my favorites. I especially love Paintbox Cotton DK and Paintbox Wool Mix Aran.
They are based in the UK, but they ship worldwide.
The two yarns that I am testing today are Scheepjes Cahlista and Noro Ito.
Scheepjes Cahlista
Scheepjes Cahlista is the next yarn that we are going to test. I purchased it on LoveCrafts just a few weeks ago and low and behold it is no longer available there.
I paid $2.29 for a 50 gram skein with approximately 85 meters. It’s a 100% matte finish cotton.
I also discovered something new while learning more about this yarn. It has been double gassed, which is a process where the yarn is passed over a naked flame, twice, to remove stray fibers. This technique gives the yarn a super smooth finish
This is the color Snow White, but you’ll find the yarn comes in 109 colors in total.
The recommended crochet hook size range is 4.5 mm – 5 mm so let’s test it out!
CONCLUSION
This was the softest 100% cotton yarn. The double gassing technique creates a buttery soft cotton. It still doesn’t have much stretch, but it is much softer than the other comparable yarns.
I also love the matte finish and the availability of so many different colors.
Noro Ito
The first yarn we are going to look at is Noro Ito. This is the second most expensive ball of yarn that I purchased. I paid $51 even for this 7 oz (200 gram) skein with 437 yards/400 meters.
Noro Ito is a worsted weight yarn made with 100% hand selected wool. It’s a stunning, self striping yarn that comes in many different colorways, but LoveCrafts only carries 7 different colors. This one is the color Koasi, which is stunning.
While doing a little research on this yarn, I learned a new descriptive phrase for yarn: “slubby texture”. I had never heard of that before and had to look up what it is.
Slubby texture refers to yarn that has intentional thick and thin sections along its length. Instead of being perfectly even, the yarn has little lumps (“slubs”) or variations in thickness, giving it a handspun, organic look.
The recommended crochet hook range is 5.5 mm – 6.5 mm.
CONCLUSION
What a gorgeous yarn. The camera cannot do the colors justice. I also really liked the variation in the thickness of the sections. I love the natural, less processed look.
One thing to note, is that this is a minimally processed yarn. It is not a superwash wool, so it feels like…. wool. It is not soft in the way a synthetic fiber is.
Lion Brand
The next yarn brand we are going to look at is Lion Brand.
Lion Brand is one of the oldest and most well known yarn companies in the US. It was founded in 1878 and is still family owned. It’s been beloved by generations of crocheters and knitters for it’s commitment to quality.
The two Lion Brand yarns we are testing are DIYarn and Yooge.
DIYarn
DIYarn is a #4 worsted weight, 100% acrylic yarn. It’s a small skein at only 1.05 oz/30 grams and only 65 yards/60 meters.
This is a budget friendly yarn at only $1.03 on sale. Full price it’s $1.29. It comes in 12 different basic colors.
The small size of the skeins makes it possible to use lots of different colors in a project without having a lot of leftover yarn. It’s also great for small projects or even teaching crochet, without breaking the bank.
The recommended crochet hook size is 6 mm so let’s test it out.
CONCLUSION
This is a typical budget acrylic yarn. It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done. The pink color is quite bright and fun.
I like that the yarn comes in smaller skeins so that you can use more colors in one project or for teaching kids how to crochet or knit.
Yooge
I’ve saved the most expensive yarn for last. I’ve never spent this much on one skein of yarn in my life. I paid $102.99. It’s Yooge, and I mean that literally!
Yooge is a #7 jumbo weight yarn from Lion Brand that is meant to be used without traditional crochet hooks or knitting needles.
It’s 65% nylon and 35 % cotton with 109 yards/100 meters and it weighs a whopping 81 oz/2300 grams. That is over 5 pounds in one skein of yarn.
It comes in five different colors and I’ve got Rose Cloud.
There is no recommended crochet hook size, but thankfully I found a tutorial for how to use this yarn from Mama In a Stitch. So let’s try it out.
CONCLUSION
Welp, I have never used anything like Yooge before and I doubt I ever will again.
I literally felt like I was trying to craft with a water hose from my yard. It felt more like a workout than a crafting project as it was so heavy and bulky.
Some crafters might enjoy the challenge and novelty of using this yarn. It would also make a great weighted blanket or thick rug.
Find LB Collection Yooge Yarn Here
$1 vs $100 Yarn: Is Expensive Yarn Actually Better?
So… is expensive yarn actually better?
Well, pricier yarns often do come with higher quality fibers, more complex dyeing techniques, and a luxurious feel, but that doesn’t automatically make them the “best” choice for every project. The most important thing when choosing a yarn isn’t the price—it’s the purpose.
You wouldn’t make a dishcloth with Noro Ito, and you probably wouldn’t grab We Love Yarn Recycled Cotton for a drapey, elegant sweater. Each yarn has its place, and there are great options at every price point.
Whether you’re working with a $1 skein or a $100 one, the right yarn is the one that suits your project, your style, and your budget.
Pin for Later!
