Our Favorite Yarn for Knitting Sweaters

There is no perfect yarn for sweaters.

Too much depends on the climate you live in, how sensitive you are to animal fibers, or even how soft you want it to be.

I’ll dive into all of the considerations you need to make during the Sweater Knitting Weekend on Thursday (get your FREE ticket here).

But I’m also going to give you a preview of what I think the best kind of yarn is for knitting sweaters.

It may not be perfect, but in my opinion it’s close.

Blending fibers with a drum carder (via SweetGeorgia)

Blending things together

A lot of great yarns borrow properties from multiple fibers to create something with unique characteristic.

Most sock yarns include some nylon for added stretch and durability. Those are important features for a fiber that needs to fit a foot and stand up to wear and tear.

Yarns like Wool-ease are mostly acrylic, making them affordable, but it includes a small percentage of wool to provide additional softness and warmth. That small bit of wool goes a long way.

One of my favorite yarns to work with is a cotton acrylic blend, which ends up being silky smooth with amazing drape and incredible stitch definition. These qualities make it ideal for knitted toys or crocheted amigurumi.

But is there a fiber blend that is ideal for sweaters?

Axial by Margaret Weinert-Lishner (using Zephyr DK)

The Perfect Sweater Yarn

Years ago we did a crowdfunding campaign to create what we thought was the ideal yarn for sweaters.

It utilized the warmth of wool and it’s elastic nature to give the yarn the coziness every sweater should have.

That was combined with the coolness of cotton’s moisture management and lasting durability.

These fibers were lightly spun using a woolen method, giving the yarn a lofty, rustic feel.

And the two different fiber types absorbed dyes differently, creating a muted color palette with a heathered appearance.

We called the yarn Zephyr, and sadly we don’t currently have any available.

Luckily there are some similar yarns that share some or all of Zephyr’s characteristics.

Wool/Cotton Yarns We Love

Here’s some of our favorite wool & cotton blend yarns you might want to check out:

Wool + Cotton by Madelintosh

DK weight (CYC 3) | 50% Superwash Merino / 50% Pima Cotton (219yds / 100g)

This is probably the nicest yarn on the list. Not only does the superwash Merino make this super soft, it comes in a ton of gorgeous hand dyed colorways.
Get it here
Remix Wool by Berroco

Aran weight (CYC 4) | 38% Wool, 28% Polyamide, 22% Cotton, 7% Acrylic, 5% Other Fibers (216yds / 100g)

This yarn is closest in look and feel to Zephyr, but it has some synthetic fibers as well. All the fibers in this yarn are recyled which makes it eco friendly as well!
Get it here
Woolen Cotton by Knit Picks

DK weight (CYC 3) | 50% Merino Wool, 50% Pima Cotton (218yds / 100g)

This yarn is similar to one of our favorite sweater yarns which is harder to find. Here you'll get luscious, soft merino and pima blended together perfectly.
Get it here
Aurelia by Berroco

DK weight (CYC 3) | 70% Tanguis Cotton / 30% Linen (123yds / 50g)

While this is technically a wool cotton yarn, it's also cheating a bit. The chainette construction gives the yarn a light, airy feel. And the fiber core make it soft and fluffy.
Get it here
Cotton Merino by DROPS

DK weight (CYC 3) | 50% Wool, 50% Cotton (120yds / 50g)

This is the most affordable option on the list, but it's also cheating a little. Rather than blending the fibers together, they are plied around each other. The result is a solid smooth yarn with a light barber pole look.
Get it at Amazon