11 Best Yarns for Crochet: Katie’s Favorite Yarns to Buy at Michael’s!

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My Top 11 Favorite Yarns for Crochet

Every crocheter has two hobbies. The first is, obviously, crocheting. The second hobby is collecting the best crochet yarn (and patterns!) to work with!

Here are 10 of my absolute favorite, best yarns for crochet. I have at least a skein or two of all these lovely yarns in my stash, and up to 12 or 15 skeins each of a few standbys!

To help you find just the right yarn choice for your next crochet project, I’ve arranged this post by yarn fiber content, and included helpful links to some of my favorite crochet patterns for the yarns. You can click on any of the photos to be directed to that specific pattern, and you’ll find a scavenger hunt of fun patterns, pattern collections, and articles throughout the descriptions, as well as shopping links to the exact yarn. Be sure to check out the latest Michael’s coupons before you shop!

The Best Crochet Yarn Available at Michael’s Stores:

Best Crochet Yarn – Acrylics

Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable

Unforgettable tops my personal list of the best yarns for crochet. I have quite a few skeins of Boutique Unforgettable in my stash! The sheen and softness of this yarn make absolutely stunning finished projects. Just looking at the smooth, rich colorways with their dreamy names fuels my crochet (and photography!) inspiration.

Roving style yarn can be hard to frog when you make a mistake. But, if you are careful and pull up and away from your work, you can still make it work. Besides, the stunning color palettes and lush depth of color makes the extra time and attention totally worth it!

This is listed as a worsted weight yarn, since it has a bit of a halo, but I’ve had success using it in sport weight patterns with a smaller hook as well. At 279 yards, you’ll want to be sure you buy two or three in the colorway you like best to ensure you have enough to finish the project you settle on.

Lion Brand Pound of Love

If you’ve been following me since last fall, you’ve probably heard that I’m a big supporter of Little Hats Big Hearts. I made 40 hats total this past year, and I hope to make at least 50 for next year’s donations! You can find a few of my free newborn crochet hat patterns here, as well as a collection of my favorite patterns from around the web here. I also wrote an article to help raise awareness for Little Hats Big Hearts that was featured on Ooombawka! But back to the yarn review…

I think that Pound of Love makes the best yarn for crocheting charity hats like this! Most newborn charities require you to crochet with acrylic yarn (or cotton) so that the hats can be machine washed and sterilized for the little babies. This yarn falls on the lighter side of the worsted weight category, which makes it even softer on baby skin. Even better, there are 1020 yards in one ball, which means you can make at least 10 baby hats from one ball, and possibly more depending on the pattern and size you’re making! Just be sure you have a great ergonomic crochet hook if you plan to crochet that many hats! Of course, this yarn would also make a great choice for a sweater, a baby blanket, or any number of crochet projects.

Bernat Softee Chunky

I love working with chunky yarn! The feeling of accomplishment when I finish a crochet project really lifts my spirits- and I finish so much faster when I use thick yarn like this. This yarn comes in 100g skeins, which is about 108 yards of 100% acrylic yarn. I’ve found that this yarn wears really well- I used it to make Mermaid Tail and Shark Tail Blankets for my kids, and they’re still looking great over 18 months later! There’s no pilling or fading, and you can wash and dry them in a machine.

I often find really great online sales and coupons at Michaels for this yarn- so check back periodically if you like using Bernat Softee Chunky yarn, too!

Red Heart Soft

This yarn comprises a large portion of my stash, too! I think every crocheter needs a few skeins of Red Heart Soft as a standby for last minute handmade gifts. It would also make an excellent choice for baby hats! 

I have a super adorable fringed clutch purse that I’ve made in Red Heart Soft coming soon, and I happened to snap a photo of the yarn during the tutorial. It has lovely stitch definition, and it’s so soft and nice to work with. They have a fantastic color selection, too! I wanted this bag to imitate the look of leather suede fringe purses, and it came out just right.

Caron One Pound

I really like using Caron One Pound yarn! They have such awesome colors, and it really holds up well to machine washing and wearing. That’s why I chose it for my daughter’s Dandelion Tunic Dress!

Look at how clean and crisp this little sweater dress is! I love the excellent stitch definition this yarn gives my sweaters and blankets, and it holds up so well! There are 812 yards in each skein, so this absolutely makes one of the best yarns for crocheting sweaters, tunics, baby blankets, or other large projects.

Loops and Threads Charisma

Another of my favorite yarns to buy at Michael’s is Loops and Threads Charisma. Since I usually want to crochet a blanket with this yarn, I try to get Loops and Threads Charisma Big, which comes in a giant ball that holds about 3 times as much yarn as one skein of Bernat Softee Chunky or the regular Charisma yarn, which comes in 35 amazing colors and prints! But depending on what you’re making, you might like the colors of Charisma Sorbet better.

I have made a really luxurious scarf for my son with this yarn. You can find the tutorial for the special stitch I made with it here. If you want to make the scarf, you can either visit my guest post on Andrea’s blog, Crochet Therapy, or if you hop on my email list, I’ll send you a free PDF copy of the tutorial and pattern.

The regular sizes have 109 yards, and are a Bulky (5) weight yarn that calls for about an 8mm (L) crochet hook. If you find the Big ball in stock in your color (jackpot!) you’ll have 328 yards to play with.

Best Cotton Crochet Yarn

Premier Cotton Fair Yarn

I absolutely love working with Premier Cotton Fair! As a Florida girl, this yarn makes up an essential part of my yarn stash! Cotton makes the best light, airy garment for warmer weather, and the thinner weight makes the yarn feel even softer. If you haven’t treated yourself to some of this yarn, do it! The lighter weight initially turned me off of it, since I love to crochet quick and chunky projects, but as soon as I felt how squishably soft and stretchy this was, I was hooked! (Pun intended!)

You can see how well it drapes in a nice lace in my Clamshell Lace Vest. I wear this one as often as I can- date nights, beach trips, or even with my Sunday best. I also used Premier Cotton Fair yarn in my Clamshell Lace Corset Belt.

This yarn is 52% cotton, and 48% acrylic. There are a generous 318 yards in a 100g ball, which could make a lovely hat  or light scarf. I used three whole balls, and just a smidgen of the fourth ball for my Clamshell Lace Vest, but I know I’ll come up with a use for the remainder of that ball- I’m addicted to this yarn! I’ve used so much of this yarn that lately that I’ve decided to save up for a Furls Candy Shop Hook in a G size. Maybe for my birthday!

Lily Sugar ‘n Cream Yarn

Another of my favorite cotton yarns for crochet is Lily Sugar ‘n Cream. They have about the best variety of colors for cotton that I’ve found! I especially love their red color for a little beach hat. Their bright red color really suits my daughter!

I also love using Lily Sugar ‘n Cream yarn for making dishcloths and kitchen accessories. I used it for my Grocery Bag Sleeve, and I’m planning to make some dishtowel holders (does anyone else constantly lose their kitchen towels?) and also a handle cover for our new cast iron skillet. (My husband is a diehard charcoal fan, but he agrees steak just tastes better from a cast iron skillet!)

This isn’t the softest yarn on the market, but sometimes it’s better to use yarn that holds its shape! I prefer cotton for learning to knit, as it doesn’t split like some of my acrylic standbys, and it’s ideal for learning new crochet stitches. I love making swatches (that can later be used as washcloths!) to try out a new stitch pattern.

Best Wool Blend Yarns for Crochet

Lion Brand Scarfie Yarn

This yarn is absolutely amazing! The colors are so beautiful, and the size is just right for a gift set. I used one last year for a last minute gift for my sister in law, Ann. This yarn holds a special place in my stash, because it’s one of the best yarns for crocheting simple, relaxing stitch patterns. The self-striping pattern does most of the heavy lifting!

You’ll need to take a bit of extra care for this yarn, as it’s a 22% wool blend, but it’s well worth it for the soft, snuggly warmth of the wool! Even better? You can use my absolute FAVORITE hook, the K / 6.5mm! Scarves go so quickly in a 5 weight yarn, and at 312 yards, you have enough for a whole scarf right in one ball.

Caron Cakes Yarn 

I’m absolutely in love with Caron Cakes! These yarns are such a fun way to add some color to your projects. You can have gorgeous stripes with only two ends to weave in! That means more time crocheting and less time sewing. These do contain wool, so they need a bit of extra care, but washing your crochet items really isn’t too hard! I’ve even put together a handy guide to help you through the process.

These cakes are 383 yards, so you can make a full scarf, a hat and cowl, or even a lacy shawlette, depending on the pattern you choose. As an added bonus, Caron has also released Caron Big Cakes, which have the same gauge and amazing self-striping color, but hold 603 yards (about double a regular cake) and are 100% acrylic!

Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick

One of my most popular patterns, my Chunky Cabled Heart Hat (free in toddler size!), uses Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. It’s so deliciously soft and warm! My daughter wore it the entire time we were in Illinois right after New Year’s 2018. There was a brutal cold snap, but it kept her warm for several days of snow play when the temperatures ranged from -16 to just 10 degrees. Brr! I’m shivering right now just remembering that trip!

The temperature when I snapped this photo was -6 farenheit, but the hat kept her warm! She played outside like this for about half an hour (though I did MAKE her put a real coat on after grabbing this photo!) As a bonus, you can see just how well this hat has held up over the course of a year! I’m really impressed at how little pilling and snagging I’ve seen on this hat, considering how hard my rough and tumble little girl treats her clothes.