The picks
Best Acrylic Yarn
The gap between the best and worst acrylic is bigger than the gap between acrylic and wool.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 9, 2026
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The short answer
Buy Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling if the thing will be washed often, Heartland if you want it to look like wool, Simply Soft if it needs to drape, and Super Saver if you need quantity or a huge color range. All four are worsted weight acrylic and they behave noticeably differently.
| # | Product | Best for | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photoLion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-PillingSpun specifically against the one failure everybody complains about. | Anything that will be washed a lot | Worsted (4) | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 2 | No photoLion Brand HeartlandHeathered so convincingly that most people will not ask what it is. | Garments you want to read as wool | Worsted (4) | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 3 | No photoCaron Simply SoftA light twist and a slight sheen give it drape that is genuinely unusual at this price. | Blankets, shawls and anything that should hang | Worsted (4) | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 4 | No photoRed Heart Super SaverThe most yards per ball here, in more shades than anything else, sold without dye lots. | Blankets, charity knitting, anything in quantity | Worsted (4) | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
| 5 | No photoBernat BlanketTechnically polyester rather than acrylic, and it hides every stitch you make. | Fast plain throws, and nothing else | Super bulky (6) | Check price on Amazon#ad disclosure |
Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling
Lion Brand · Best for anything that will be washed a lot
An acrylic worsted sold specifically on its pilling behavior, which is the one complaint that ends most acrylic garments.
- Fiber
- 100% acrylic
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Skein
- 3.5oz / 100g, 185yd
- Gauge
- 18 sts x 26 rows on US 8 (5mm)
- Hook
- H-8 (5mm), 16 sc x 18 rows
- Care
- Machine wash, machine dry
Who it suits
Anyone whose last acrylic project looked tired after a season.
Why it is here
100% acrylic, worsted weight, 185yd per 100g, 18 stitches by 26 rows on 5mm, machine wash and machine dry. Ordinary acrylic pills because short fibers migrate to the surface under friction, and this is constructed to resist that. The difference does not show for twenty washes - which is exactly when it matters.
What you give up
The color range is smaller than the big budget lines, and it costs more per yard than Super Saver. It is also still acrylic: it does not breathe and it goes cold when wet.
Specifications from Lion Brand product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Lion Brand Heartland
Lion Brand · Best for garments you want to read as wool
A soft all-acrylic worsted in a 5oz skein - a lot of yardage per skein, which matters when a blanket needs eight of them.
- Fiber
- 100% acrylic (solids); 94% acrylic, 6% rayon (tweeds)
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Skein
- 5oz / 142g, 251yd / 230m (solids)
- Gauge
- 16 sts x 22 rows on US 9 (5.5mm)
- Hook
- J-10 (6mm), 12 sc x 15 rows
- Care
- Machine wash gentle, tumble dry low, no bleach
Who it suits
Anyone avoiding animal fiber who still wants a garment that looks like a wool one.
Why it is here
100% acrylic in the solids, worsted weight, 251yd per 142g, 16 stitches by 22 rows on 5.5mm, machine wash gentle and tumble dry low. The heathered spin breaks up the flat plastic sheen that gives cheap acrylic away, which is most of why acrylic garments look synthetic.
What you give up
The tweed shades are 94% acrylic and 6% rayon rather than pure acrylic, so the fiber content varies by colorway. It pills more than the anti-pilling line.
Specifications from Lion Brand product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Caron Simply Soft
Caron · Best for blankets, shawls and anything that should hang
A softer, shinier acrylic worsted with noticeable drape - which is exactly why it is a poor choice for anything that needs to hold a shape.
- Fiber
- 100% acrylic
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Skein
- 6oz / 170g, 315yd / 288m
- Gauge
- 18 sts x 24 rows on 5mm (US 8)
- Hook
- 5mm (US H/8), 13 sc x 14 rows
- Care
- Machine wash cool, dry flat, no bleach
Who it suits
Anyone making something that has to fall in folds rather than stand up.
Why it is here
100% acrylic, worsted weight, 315yd per 170g, 18 stitches by 24 rows on 5mm, machine wash cool and dry flat. Most worsted acrylic is spun firmly and behaves like string; this one is spun loosely enough to drape.
What you give up
The loose twist that makes it soft also makes it split under a hook and pill in use. It is a comfort-first yarn, not a hard-wearing one.
Specifications from Yarnspirations product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Red Heart Super Saver
Red Heart · Best for blankets, charity knitting, anything in quantity
The 7oz workhorse acrylic. Coarser than the softer acrylics here, and the cheapest yardage on the shelf by a distance.
- Fiber
- 100% acrylic
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Skein
- 7oz / 198g, 364yd / 333m (no-dye-lot solids)
- Gauge
- 17 sts x 23 rows on 5mm (US 8)
- Hook
- 5.5mm (US I/9), 12 sc x 15 rows
- Care
- Machine wash warm gentle, tumble dry low, no bleach
Who it suits
Anyone making something large, or something in twelve colors.
Why it is here
100% acrylic, worsted weight, 364yd per 198g, machine wash warm and tumble dry low. The solids are sold as no-dye-lot, which means a replacement ball bought six months later still matches - genuinely valuable on a long project.
What you give up
It is stiff and slightly scratchy off the ball. It softens noticeably after two or three washes, which is worth knowing before you judge it, and it is not a next-to-skin yarn.
Specifications from Yarnspirations product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Bernat Blanket
Bernat · Best for fast plain throws, and nothing else
Polyester chenille at 108 yards to a 150g ball. Fast, warm, machine washable, and it will shed and worm if the tension is loose.
- Fiber
- 100% polyester (chenille)
- Weight
- 6 Super Bulky
- Ball
- 5.3oz / 150g, 108yd / 98m
- Gauge
- 8 sts x 13 rows on 8mm (US 11)
- Hook
- 8mm (US L/11), 7 sc x 8 rows
- Care
- Machine wash delicate, tumble dry gentle
Who it suits
Not people shopping for acrylic. It gets recommended in the same breath and it is a different material doing a different job.
Why it is here
100% polyester chenille, super bulky, 108yd per 150g, 7 single crochet by 8 rows on 8mm. Soft, fast and cheap.
What you give up
It is a pile construction, so it sheds, it worms, and stitch patterns disappear into it entirely. See [chenille yarn explained](/fiber-guide/chenille-yarn-explained).
Specifications from Yarnspirations product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Acrylic is not one material
This is the point the category gets wrong. People talk about acrylic as though every ball is the same plastic, and then judge the whole fiber by whichever cheap skein they met first.
In practice the spread inside acrylic is enormous. A softly spun acrylic drapes better than a lot of wool; a hard-spun one is closer to string. What varies is construction - twist, ply, fiber length and finishing - rather than the polymer, which is why yarn ply and twist explained predicts an acrylic's behavior better than its price does.
The four properties that separate them
| Anti-Pilling | Heartland | Simply Soft | Super Saver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Softness | Good | Good | Best | Firmest |
| Drape | Moderate | Moderate | Best | Least |
| Pilling resistance | Best | Moderate | Least | Moderate |
| Stitch definition | Good | Good | Softer | Crispest |
| Yards per 100g | 185 | 177 | 185 | 184 |
| Ball size | 100g | 142g | 170g | 198g |
| Dye lots | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, on solids |
| Dryer safe | Yes | Low heat | Dry flat | Low heat |
Yards per 100g are close across all four, which is worth knowing - the big difference is ball size, not density. A Super Saver ball is nearly twice the weight of an Anti-Pilling ball, so it goes twice as far per ball and not per gram.
What acrylic is genuinely good at
- Blankets. Light, warm enough, machine washable, and cheap at the scale a blanket needs - see best yarn for a blanket.
- Children's clothes. They get washed constantly and outgrown quickly.
- Color. Acrylic takes dye in ranges no natural fiber line matches, which is why granny square blankets are almost always acrylic.
- Allergy-safe gifts. No animal fiber, and very low allergy risk - see acrylic yarn allergies and sensitivity.
- Learning. Cheap enough to unravel and restart without flinching.
What it cannot do
Two limits, and no acrylic gets around either of them.
It does not breathe. Acrylic is hydrophobic, so perspiration stays on your skin. That is why an acrylic hat feels clammy indoors and why a summer top in it is uncomfortable however nice the drape is.
It goes cold when wet. Water sits on the surface and conducts heat away. For anything worn outdoors in wet weather - mittens especially - wool is the fiber that solves the problem and acrylic is the one that creates it.
It also will not block. A wet block on wool is permanent; on acrylic the fabric springs straight back. Steam blocking works and is irreversible - see how to block your knitting.
Reducing pilling
- Buy an anti-pilling spin if the item will see friction. It is the only labeled claim on a ball band that maps to construction rather than fiber.
- Work a little tighter. A dense fabric holds its fibers in place; a loose one lets them migrate.
- Wash inside out, on gentle. Most pilling happens in the machine, not in use.
- De-pill with a fabric shaver, not by pulling. Pulling drags more fiber to the surface. See caring for hand knits.
The honest comparison against wool
We would rather set this out plainly than pretend acrylic is a compromise or that wool is precious.
Wool is warmer per gram, insulates when damp, blocks permanently, and lasts longer. Acrylic is cheaper, lighter, machine washable, available in more colors, and does not felt. For a blanket that gets washed weekly, acrylic is the better engineering choice and wool is the worse one. For a winter hat, the reverse. Acrylic vs wool works through the whole trade.
What we would buy
- Washed constantly: Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling.
- A garment that should not look synthetic: Heartland.
- Drape - blankets, shawls, wraps: Caron Simply Soft.
- Quantity and color range: Red Heart Super Saver.
- Warmth as well: an 80/20 blend rather than pure acrylic.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best acrylic yarn?
It depends on the property you need. Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling for durability, Heartland to look like wool, Caron Simply Soft for drape, and Red Heart Super Saver for quantity and color range. All four are worsted weight and behave noticeably differently.
Why does acrylic yarn pill?
Short fibers migrate to the surface under friction and tangle. It is a construction property rather than a property of acrylic as such, which is why an anti-pilling spin genuinely resists it while an ordinary acrylic does not.
Is expensive acrylic yarn better?
Not reliably. The cheapest yarn on this page has the most yardage and the widest color range, and the most expensive is not the softest. Buy for the property the project needs.
Can you block acrylic yarn?
Not with water - it springs back to the shape you knitted. Steam blocking works and is permanent, and too much heat leaves the fabric limp forever, so test on a swatch first.
Is acrylic yarn warm?
Warm enough indoors and poor outdoors in wet weather, because it does not absorb moisture and goes cold when wet. For anything worn in the cold and damp, wool or a wool blend is the better choice.