The best chunky yarns — Abbie Knits

Chunky knits are my favourite - they’re cosy, comfy and you can walk around basically wearing a hug. Currently all my garment patterns are made with chunky yarn and they knit up quickly and are great if you’re looking for a TV knit. Chunky yarn is generally more expensive and yarn choice is generally more limited than other yarn weights and because your project is generally more of an investment, picking which yarn you want can be tricky.

Below are my favourite chunky yarns (plus a few I would love to try) with pictures of projects where I’ve used them. Hope this helps ❤

Wool and the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool - £16.99 per 200 g (80 m) available here

This yarn is the ultimate luxury yarn - it’s suuuuper chunky, soft and the colour range is amazing. It’s easy to knit with, good for beginners as you can really easily see your stitches and you can knit a beanie with it in about an hour. The only downside? The price. It’s expensive and definitely an investment if you want to knit something bigger than a beanie with it. Below I’m wearing the Hero Cardigan in pink lemonade which is the perfect shade of pink and one which I haven’t found anywhere else. I thought about getting this kit for a long time and get excited to wear it which is how we should feel about our clothes. I love it but its not budget friendly.

Lauren Aston Designs - Super Chunky Merino £13 for 200 g (130 m) available here

Hands down my favourite yarn. Ever. It’s so so soft (I have very sensitive skin and this doesn’t cause me irritation at all), the colours are amazing and it’s very reasonably priced for a luxury chunky yarn. You can get four hanks for £46 which is only a little more than a wool sweater from Zara and yours can be perfectly made for you and it’s much better for the environment. Not only do they have an excellent range, their customer service is on point. I’m a total fan girl and her Button (Kn)it Up cardigan is how my knitted cardigan obsession began and it’s my go to yarn. Can’t fault it.

Stitch and Story The Chunky Wool £9.99 for 100g (65 m) - available here

I really enjoy Stitch and Story. Everything is so cute and soft and I think they’re more beginner friendly than other yarn companies. The colours available are mostly soft pastels and the yarn is easy to work with and generally they are well stocked of all their colours. I’ve used it alongside The Wool and Crazy Sexy Wool in chunky cardi projects and it’s worked out fine so if you need a little more chunky yarn to finish a project, this is a good shout. PS. Their amigurumi is really cute too.

Stitch and Story chunky yarn and Lucy and Yak dungarees

We Are Knitters The Wool - £15 for 200g (80m) - available here

This is basically Crazy Sexy Wool’s sister. Same yarnage, same texture just in different colours. WAK have a slighter better deal on price but if you’re in the UK this is shipped from overseas so there is that to consider. Everything I said about WATG applies to this too - pricey but lovely.

Chunky yarns I own but are in my pile of WIPs

Sidar Adventure - £8.79 for 100 g (106 m) - available here

This is the first yarn I’ll knit something with once I’m done with Christmas projects. It’s much more affordable that other options due to it’s yarnage and it’s really soft. It isn’t 100% natural fibre but this does make it easier to care for and by the feel of it you wouldn’t really know. The colours available are more more limited than other options but this is a good choice if you love a neutral palette (I went for the red obviously!!) and it’s lighter than other chunky yarns.

Knitcraft Cosy On Up - £8 for 200g (80 m) - available here

Available exclusively from Hobbycraft, this yarn is 70% acrylic, 30% wool. It’s soft, fluffy and heavier weight - a perfect alternative to WATG and WAK. The fibre does pull apart easier than other chunky yarns and colours are again limited but it’s a nice option if you don’t want to invest in pricier options.

Drops Polaris - £4.50 for 100g (36 m) - available here

This yarn works out at roughly the same price as the Sidar Adventure but is 100 % wool. It has a limited colour range (again a very neutral palette) but is ideal for details such as duplicate stitch or cuffs. It’s similar to WATG and WAK but without the colour range but there are a lot of free patterns available on the Drops Design webpage so if you wanted chunky pattern inspiration to use with this yarn, it’s the perfect place to start.

As I’m based in the UK, these are all yarns I’ve either used or have in my WIP pile but there’ll be plenty more available in different parts of the world (I wish Lion Brand was easier to get over here!) If you have any other suggestions, please message me and I’ll include a list below for other options.

Hope this helps!

Abbie xoxo