Looking to knit or crochet a chunky blanket? Here you will discover the best yarn for chunky blankets (yarn weights 5 and up) as well as recommendations and tips for the best blankets ever.
When making a blanket, you are going to invest a lot of time and money into it (usually), so it’s super important that the yarn you choose works well with the finished idea you have in mind. There’s a lot that goes into picking out that perfect yarn for a chunky blanket, so let’s dive into these factors.
Wait, What is “Chunky” Yarn Anyway?
Chunky is another way of saying “bulky”, which in the Craft Yarn Council’s Standard Yarn Weight System is a weight category #5. This is what is typically thought of when someone mentions “chunky” yarn.
These larger yarns are great for larger hooks so they work up quickly, and some people use them for finger knitting or finger crochet. With a category 5 yarn and up you can make a throw blanket in a weekend easily.
But what if you want to go even bigger? Sometimes people just mean any heavy weight yarn, which could fall into that bulky range or they could also be thinking of the “super bulky” yarn weight, which is a category #6. This can also be called super chunky yarn.
There is one size even bigger than the super bulky yarn (jumbo #7), and there is an entire separate post related to oversized yarn used for an arm knit blanket, so if you are interested you can check out the best yarns for arm knitting here (and this post about arm knitting yarn is also good if you are using a HUGE crochet hook or knitting needles!). We’re talking some giant yarn here!
What to Consider when Choosing the Best Yarn for Chunky Blankets
So now let’s dive into these things that you should consider when choosing a yarn for your next (or first!) chunky blanket project.
1. How Easy is it to Care For?
For me, when I’m making a blanket, this is a huge consideration. A yarn that is hard to care for immediately gets a big “no” for me when choosing blanket yarn (especially since I have four kids!).
Some yarns are absolutely gorgeous, but if you need to hand wash it or handle it with care, it’s not the best choice for a blanket unless that blanket’s sole purpose is decorative. Are you willing to hand wash a blanket if it gets dirty? Eventually you will need to wash it if it’s used at all.
There are many great yarns out there that are machine washable. You can find premium acrylics, cotton yarn, and even superwash merino wool yarn that can easily be tossed in the washer and dryer without destroying all your hard work.
2. What is the Fiber Content?
This really piggybacks on the first question, because the fiber content of the yarn will, in large part, determine how easy it is to care for. When knitting or crocheting a blanket, you want a yarn that is soft and squishy, doesn’t hurt your hands when making it and really fits the end use of the blanket.
For example, if you are making a lightweight summer blanket for warmer weather, you wouldn’t want a super bulky wool yarn. It would be too hot! You’d opt instead for a nice cotton yarn.
On the other hand, you wouldn’t make a winter blanket out of that lightweight cotton.
It really depends upon what you intend to do with the blanket when it is complete. Decorative blanket? Any yarn will probably do that looks good. Baby blanket? That yarn had better be super soft, made for babies and machine washable.
3. How Much Does it Cost?
All blankets can eat up a lot of yarn, especially if you are making one larger than a baby blanket. Even a toddler blanket can use up an impressive amount! Luckily with chunky yarns you don’t need as many yards, but on the flip side, the skeins also don’t have as much yardage as lighter weights of yarn, so it kind of evens out.
Unless you’re rich you probably don’t have a fortune to spend on yarn, so going with one that’s $20 a skein for a large blanket would cost a fortune, so cost is going to be a factor.
How many skeins you need will depend on several things, including the stitch you are using, whether you knit or crochet it (crochet uses more yarn, unfortunately!),
Luckily, there are plenty of chunky yarns out there that not only look nice, but are also affordable. We are going to look at some beautiful yarns now that won’t break the bank, even if you are planning a large blanket.
4. Where Can I Find it?
Sometimes I really just want to feel the yarn before I choose it? Can you relate? I like to squish the skeins and see how the fibers feel.
So as much as I love online shopping, there is just something about being able to handle the yarn that appeals to me. I tend to use yarn that is available nearby, although there are times that I really love ordering online, from places such as We Crochet.
So while I am providing links to the yarns below, many of these are also available at your local store (think JoAnn or Michael’s, and sometimes even WalMart!) and a lot of times you can use a coupon at the big craft stores or they run sales on yarn! (I love the 20% off total purchase coupons when they run them and sometimes they will have 25% off a certain brand, so be on the lookout for deals!)
Best Yarns for Blankets
There are many different yarns on the market that make amazing blankets, and it would be impossible for me to list them all here, but these are some of my favorite ones that I have used and loved. **AND they are all machine washable!
1. Bernat Blanket Yarn
This blanket yarn is well known for its ability to create a warm, cozy blanket in record time. This Bernat yarn is a very soft yarn that works up so fast because it is a heavy yarn weight. While it’s not quite jumbo yarn, I’ve seen people use it for arm knitting by holding two or three strands together since it is such a thick yarn.
You can also find Bernat Baby Blanket yarn, too!
Fiber Content: 100% polyester
Yarn Weight: Super Bulky (#6)
Yardage/Weight: 220 yards/10.5 oz
Care: Machine wash and dry
Check out Bernat Blanket here!
2. Swish Bulky
If you are looking for a chunky wool yarn, this is it!! This yarn is a superwash merino wool so you can machine wash it!! Since it does have the wool content, be careful that the person you’re making for doesn’t have any allergies to it. Most people will do fine with wool.
Fiber Content: 100% superwash merino wool
Yarn Weight: Chunky (#5)
Yardage/Weight: 100g, 137 yards
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
Click here to check out Swish Bulky!
3. Red Heart Hygge
Oh, my, how I love this yarn!! This glides through your fingers like a dream while you’re working it up (both crochet or knit) and then the finished item is amazingly squishy, soft and warm!! I’ve made mittens, hats, blankets and even a shawl out of this yarn.
Fiber Content: 70% acrylic, 30% nylon
Yarn Weight: Bulky (#5)
Yardage/Weight: 141 g/5 oz, 121 meters/132 yards
Care: Machine wash and dry
Click here to check out Red Heart Hygge!
4. Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick
Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick is a best yarn for blankets because it is so soft and easy to care for. This yarn is available in a huge variety of colors and can be found in craft stores and online. I have found this yarn at my local JoAnn’s and Michaels stores. The Wool Ease does have a wool component, so make sure if this is a gift the recipient isn’t allergic to wool.
Fiber Content: 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool
Yarn Weight: Super Bulky (#6)
Yardage/Weight: 6 oz, 106 yards
Care: Machine wash and dry
Click here to check out Wool Ease Thick & Quick!
5. Biggo Yarn from We Crochet
This is really one of my favorite bulky yarns of all time! Biggo yarn comes in a range of colors, is soft and billowy, and is wonderful to work with. I made a wonderful blanket this with yarn you can check out here!
Fiber Content: 50% superwash merino wool, 50% nylon
Yarn Weight: Bulky weight yarn (#5)
Yardage/Weight: 110 yards/100g
Care: Machine wash, tumble dry low
Click here to check out Biggo yarn!
6. Lion Brand Mandala Thick & Quick
This amazing acrylic yarn has the most beautiful color changes! It’s the super bulky version of Lion Brand’s super popular Mandala yarn. I love the way it works up and you can’t beat a nice color changing yarn!
Fiber Content: 100% acrylic
Yardage/Weight: 87 yards/150g
Care: Machine wash and dry
Click here to check out Mandala Thick & Quick!
7. Red Heart Soft Essentials
This yarn is great if you are watching your budget as it’s one of the most affordable on the list. It’s nice and soft, comes in a wide variety of colors, and looks great.
Fiber Content: 100% acrylic
Yarn Weight: Bulky (#5)
Yardage/Weight: 141 g/5 oz, 120 meters/131 yards
Care: Machine wash and dry
Click here to check out Red Heart Soft Essentials!
Common Chunky Blanket Questions
This really depends upon how big you want your blanket to be. The best way to find out how many skeins of yarn you need for a blanket is to get a skein of the yarn you want to use and make a swatch, preferably square around 4-5″.
After you swatch, weigh the swatch on a scale. I prefer to do this in grams. Let’s say your 4×4″ swatch was 15 grams. The area of your swatch is 16 square inches (4 times 4). Divide 15 by 16 to see how many grams per inch. In this case, it’s 0.94 grams per inch.
So, if I wanted a throw blanket that was 50×60″ I would have 3000 square inches. So I take that number and multiply it by grams per inch (3000×0.94=2820 grams). That’s a lot of yarn!
So if you were using one of the yarns above (let’s go with one that’s 150g), you would divide 2820 by 150 to get 18.8, so you’d be good with 19 or 20 skeins.
Now, that was a good size blanket in our example, but it does give you an idea of how to find the right number of skeins for your chunky knit blanket (or crochet!).
These both fall into the Craft Yarn Council’s Standard Yarn Weight system in the category 5, so yes, the term is interchangeable for the two. In America, the term bulky will be used more often to describe the yarn weight and the “chunky” is usually part of the name of the yarn (such as Bernat Softee Chunky).
This size yarn is heavier than worsted weight yarn and lighter than super bulky. It falls in the “bulky” yarn category, which is a weight category number 5 from the Craft Yarn Council.
The recommended knitting needle size for chunky yarn is a US 9-11, which is 5.50-8.00mm.
The recommended crochet hook size for chunky yarn is a US K-M, which is 6.50-9.00mm.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on best yarn for chunky blankets! Which of these yarns are your favorites? Do you have a chunky yarn you love that isn’t on this list! Leave a comment below!
Happy Knitting and Crocheting!
Amanda
