Blanket yarn

Acrylic, cotton or wool for a crochet blanket? UK data

If you want the lightest, cheapest blanket that goes in the tumble dryer, the figures point to acrylic DK: about 1.5kg and £27 to £54 for a single bed, and all five acrylics we checked allow a low tumble dry. Cotton DK makes the same blanket about 2kg, and none of the four pure cottons may be tumble dried. Wool lands near 2kg too and costs the most, from £101. We worked this out from the labels and listed prices of 23 UK DK yarns, checked on 1 October 2026.

HazelLoop planning guide · Reviewed 1 October 2026 · Figures from cited sources

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The short answer, by fibre

For each yarn we took the same blanket: a single-bed size of 120 × 175cm, which is 2.1 square metres. Our blanket guide found that published DK blanket patterns use 1,780 to 2,530 metres per square metre. We used 2,050, the figure for Attic24’s Cosy Stripe, a stripe blanket of plain treble rows and treble-cluster rows in Stylecraft Special DK. That gives 4,305 metres of yarn, or 15 balls of Special DK.

Why one figure and not the whole range? Here the question is how fibres compare, so every yarn gets the same length. Across the full range, 3,738 to 5,313 metres, every weight below rises or falls in the same proportion, so the comparison holds. For your own blanket, the range matters more: Special DK alone could need 13 to 19 balls, depending on the stitch, as our blanket guide explains.

Then we divided 4,305m by each yarn’s metres per gram to get the weight of yarn in the finished blanket, and rounded up to whole balls to get the cost. The table below sums up each fibre group. Weights are for the yarn only, before any border.

Single-bed crochet blanket (120 × 175cm, 4,305m of DK) by fibre group: 23 UK DK yarns, prices checked 1 October 2026
Fibre	Yarns checked	Metres per 100g	Blanket weight (kg)	Median weight (kg)	Cost at listed prices	Allow tumble dry
Acrylic	5	276–300	1.44–1.56	1.48	£26.85–£54.00	5 of 5
Cotton	4	200–250	1.72–2.15	2.03	£62.65–£130.29	0 of 4
Cotton blends	5	200–280	1.54–2.15	1.72	£50.60–£122.15	2 of 5
Wool	6	200–225	1.91–2.15	2.00	£101.20–£292.11	0 of 6
Wool blends	3	200–298	1.44–2.15	1.72	£55.35–£125.65	1 of 3

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Every yarn we checked

These are 23 DK yarns sold by Wool Warehouse, LoveCrafts or the maker’s own shop. Metres per ball, fibre, price and care symbols are copied from those listings. The one exception is Rico Essentials Merino DK: Wool Warehouse lists 120m per ball, but Rico’s own page gives 110m, so we used Rico’s figure. Where a shop showed a sale price, we used it and marked it, because that is what you would have paid on 1 October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you order.

The blanket figures are our arithmetic, not anyone’s tested blanket. HazelLoop has not made these blankets. The yarn-per-square-metre figure comes from designers’ published patterns, all worked in acrylic DK.

23 DK yarns for a 120 × 175cm blanket (4,305m at 2,050m per m²): weight of yarn, balls and cost at listed prices, checked 1 October 2026
Yarn	Fibre	Ball	Metres per 100g	Blanket weight (kg)	Balls	Price per ball	Blanket cost	Wash	Tumble dry
Stylecraft Special DK	100% acrylic	295m / 100g	295	1.46	15	£2.35	£35.25	30°C	Low heat
Scheepjes Colour Crafter	100% acrylic	300m / 100g	300	1.44	15	£3.60	£54.00	40°C	Low heat
Yarnsmiths Create DK	100% acrylic	290m / 100g	290	1.48	15	£1.79 (sale)	£26.85	30°C	Low heat
Hayfield Bonus DK	100% acrylic	280m / 100g	280	1.54	16	£2.49	£39.84	40°C	Low heat
Paintbox Yarns Simply DK	100% acrylic	276m / 100g	276	1.56	16	£1.69 (sale)	£27.04	30°C	Low heat
Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK	100% cotton	125m / 50g	250	1.72	35	£1.79 (sale)	£62.65	40°C	No
Cygnet 100% Cotton	100% cotton	200m / 100g	200	2.15	22	£3.79	£83.38	40°C	No
King Cole Cottonsoft DK	100% cotton	210m / 100g	210	2.05	21	£4.59	£96.39	30°C	No
Sirdar Happy Cotton	100% cotton	43m / 20g	215	2.00	101	£1.29	£130.29	40°C	No
King Cole Cotton Top DK	78% acrylic, 22% cotton	260m / 100g	260	1.66	17	£3.79	£64.43	30°C	Low heat
Scheepjes Softfun	60% cotton, 40% acrylic	140m / 50g	280	1.54	31	£3.25	£100.75	30°C	No
Rico Baby Cotton Soft DK	50% cotton, 50% acrylic	125m / 50g	250	1.72	35	£3.49	£122.15	30°C	No
DROPS Cotton Light	50% cotton, 50% polyester	100m / 50g	200	2.15	44	£1.15	£50.60	40°C	No
Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo + Cotton	60% bamboo, 40% cotton	250m / 100g	250	1.72	18	£4.99	£89.82	30°C	Low heat
DROPS Merino Extra Fine	100% wool	105m / 50g	210	2.05	41	£3.50	£143.50	40°C	No
DROPS Karisma	100% wool	100m / 50g	200	2.15	44	£2.30	£101.20	40°C	No
King Cole Merino Blend DK	100% wool	104m / 50g	208	2.07	42	£3.99	£167.58	30°C	No
Rico Essentials Merino DK	100% wool	110m / 50g	220	1.96	40	£5.99	£239.60	30°C	No
WYS ColourLab DK	100% British wool	225m / 100g	225	1.91	20	£7.95	£159.00	40°C	No
WYS Pure DK	100% wool	112m / 50g	224	1.92	39	£7.49	£292.11	Hand wash	No
Stylecraft Life DK	75% acrylic, 25% wool	298m / 100g	298	1.44	15	£3.69	£55.35	30°C	Low heat
Sirdar Country Classic DK	50% wool, 50% acrylic	125m / 50g	250	1.72	35	£3.59	£125.65	30°C	No
DROPS Lima	65% wool, 35% alpaca	100m / 50g	200	2.15	44	£1.70 (sale)	£74.80	Hand wash	No

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Why a cotton blanket is heavier

It comes down to metres per 100g. The five acrylic DKs we checked hold 276 to 300 metres in 100g. The four pure cottons hold 200 to 250. So the same 4,305 metres of cotton weighs more: about 2.0kg at the middle of the cotton group, against about 1.5kg for acrylic. That is about 36% more weight on the bed.

The wool group sits close to cotton, at 200 to 225 metres per 100g and 1.9 to 2.2kg for the blanket. Stylecraft Life DK, which is 75% acrylic and 25% wool, behaves like an acrylic: 298 metres per 100g and 1.44kg.

One caveat. Our metres-per-square-metre figure comes from acrylic patterns. A denser cotton or wool DK may cover slightly more area per metre, so the real weight gap could be a little smaller. A weighed swatch in your own yarn settles it.

What it costs at listed prices

Acrylic is cheapest by a wide margin. At listed prices on 1 October 2026, the five acrylics came to £26.85 to £54.00 for the blanket. Paintbox Yarns Simply DK was on sale at £1.69 a ball, so 16 balls cost £27.04. At its full price of £2.60 it would be £41.60.

Pure cotton ran from £62.65 to £130.29. The low end is Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK at a sale price of £1.79 per 50g; at its full £2.75 the 35 balls would cost £96.25. Sirdar Happy Cotton comes in 20g balls of 43m, so a blanket needs 101 of them.

Wool was the most expensive group, from £101.20 for DROPS Karisma to £292.11 for West Yorkshire Spinners Pure DK. Ball size matters here as well. Many wool and cotton DKs come in 50g balls, so you buy and join more of them.

Washing and tumble drying

Every acrylic on the list allows machine washing at 30°C or 40°C and a low-heat tumble dry. None of the four pure cottons allows tumble drying, though all of them can be machine washed at 30°C or 40°C. A 2kg cotton blanket drying flat takes space, so plan for that.

Among the cotton blends, King Cole Cotton Top DK (78% acrylic, 22% cotton) and Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo + Cotton allow a low tumble dry. Scheepjes Softfun, Rico Baby Cotton Soft DK and DROPS Cotton Light say do not tumble dry. Of the wool blends, only Stylecraft Life DK allows it.

No 100% wool yarn we checked allows tumble drying. Five of the six are machine washable at 30°C or 40°C. West Yorkshire Spinners Pure DK is hand wash only, as is DROPS Lima, a wool and alpaca blend. The Woolmark Company, the wool industry body, says wool fibres are covered in scales that are important in felting, and advises tumble drying only when the care label says you can.

What the fibres do, from fibre sources

We have kept to claims from the fibre’s own trade body. Woolmark describes merino as a breathable fibre with natural stretch and recovery. It also says wool blankets do not need washing often, and that some guidelines suggest about once every three months.

For softness, drape and how a yarn feels to work with, we have no figures, so we have left those out. Those are worth judging from a single ball before you buy 20.

Choosing for baby, beginner and washable blankets

For a blanket that will be washed a lot, the label is the deciding fact. In our list, only the five acrylics, Stylecraft Life DK, King Cole Cotton Top DK and Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo + Cotton allowed both a machine wash and a tumble dry. The one baby yarn in the list, Rico Baby Cotton Soft DK, washes at 30°C but says do not tumble dry.

If cost is what matters most for a first blanket, start with the acrylic rows of the table. A smaller blanket also cuts the bill. The baby blanket guide has quantities for pram and cot sizes, and the cost comparison tool lets you price any of these yarns side by side.

Check before you move on

Metres per 100g read from the actual label of the yarn you’ll buy
Blanket weight worked out: metres needed ÷ metres per gram
Whole balls priced, not just the price per 100g
Wash temperature and tumble-dry symbol checked on the label
Sale prices noted, and the full price checked in case the sale ends
A swatch weighed if your yarn is cotton or wool, since our figures come from acrylic patterns

Ready to buy?

For an acrylic DK blanket

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Our pick

Four of the nine blankets in our blanket guide use Stylecraft Special DK, so our tables convert straight to its 295m balls.

Stylecraft Special DK, Charcoal (1128)

One 100g / 295m ball, 100% acrylic, sold by The Great British Yarn Company.

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Stylecraft Special DK pack of five, Burgundy (1035)

Five 100g balls of one shade, 295m per ball, sold by The Great British Yarn Company. Enter it as a pack of 5 in the comparison.

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Paid links: we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Nothing you type into our tools is added to these links. Check price, seller and delivery at Amazon. Colour swatches are approximate.

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Compare two shop offers for the same yarns, including pack rounding and postage.

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Common questions

Is acrylic or cotton better for a crochet blanket?

On the figures we checked, acrylic DK makes a lighter, cheaper blanket that can be tumble dried: about 1.5kg and £27 to £54 for a single bed. Pure cotton DK made the same blanket about 2kg and £63 to £130, and none of the four cottons allowed tumble drying.

How heavy is a cotton crochet blanket?

For a 120 × 175cm blanket using 4,305m of DK, the pure cottons we checked come to 1.72 to 2.15kg of yarn. The acrylics come to 1.44 to 1.56kg. A granny stripe blanket uses more yarn per square metre, so it would be heavier again.

Can you tumble dry a crochet blanket?

Only if the yarn label allows it. All five acrylic DKs we checked say low-heat tumble dry. None of the pure cottons or 100% wools did. Check the symbol on your own ball band.

What is the cheapest yarn for a crochet blanket in the UK?

In our list, Yarnsmiths Create DK on sale at £1.79 per 100g came to £26.85 for a single-bed blanket, and Paintbox Yarns Simply DK on sale at £1.69 came to £27.04. Both prices were checked on 1 October 2026 and were sale prices.

Sources and scope

Sources checked 1 October 2026. Label facts come from the linked references; worked purchase examples and arithmetic are our own illustrations.

Keep planning

These are planning methods, not physically tested crochet patterns. Read our method and editorial approach.