5 Affordable, High-Quality Cotton Yarns for Crocheters + Patterns!

Alright, crocheters, listen up!

You’ve come to the right place if you’re searching for budget-friendly yet top-notch cotton yarn to elevate your crocheting game.

Cotton yarn is a staple for many projects, offering the perfect blend of softness, durability, and breathability. But who says quality has to cost a fortune?

We’ve curated a list of five well-known cotton yarns that are affordable and packed with unique features that will inspire your next crochet masterpiece.

Today, we’ll explore each of these fantastic yarns, highlighting their standout qualities and why they’ve earned a spot in the hearts (and yarn stashes) of crocheters worldwide.

From vibrant color selections to luxurious textures and innovative blends, these cotton yarns have something special to offer every crocheter, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting your yarn journey.

Let’s get started.

Discover the Best Cotton Yarns That Won’t Break the Bank: A Crocheter’s Guide

1. Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn is a popular type of yarn that’s known for its quality and versatility. It’s like that trusty buddy everyone loves to have around. It works for just about every project and will last forever. Here’s a description of its key features:

Material: As the name suggests, this yarn is made from 100% cotton fibers. This makes it suitable for projects where breathability and durability are important, such as spring and summer clothing. The material is easy to work with and can be washed without fading or falling apart.

Weight: Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn is categorized as a medium-weight yarn (or worsted weight). This weight makes it suitable for various projects, including clothing, accessories, home decor, and more.

Texture: This yarn has a smooth texture, which lends itself well to stitch definition. It’s not overly bulky or fuzzy, so your stitches will look nice and defined without getting tangled up. It doesn’t split, and despite being made from cotton, it has a great drape.

Color Range: This yarn offers a diverse range of 37 colors for their 24/7 Cotton Yarn line, from vibrant hues to subtle neutrals. Some of the most popular shades include Goldenrod (a mustard yellow), Cafe Au Lait (a dark brown), and Ecru (off-white).

Machine Washable and Dryable: One clear advantage of using cotton yarn is its ease of care. 24/7 Cotton Yarn is 100% cotton, and the bright color lasts multiple wash cycles. This yarn can be used to make everyday and practical items that need frequent washing, such as garments and kitchen accessories.

Versatility: This yarn is suitable for various projects due to its medium weight and cotton composition. It can be used for everything from garments like sweaters and tops to home decor items like blankets, dishcloths, and even amigurumi!

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn is prized for its quality, versatility, and ease of care, making it a popular choice for a wide range of crocheting projects. It’s always there, as reliable as your favorite pair of jeans!

This yarn is available on Lion Brand here and Amazon here.

Our Crochet Patterns That Use 24/7 Cotton Yarn

We’ve have quite a few free crochet patterns that use 24/7 Cotton Yarn. Here you go!

Tunisian Crochet Rectangle Placemat Pattern

Get the free pattern here.

Quick Crochet Dishcloth Pattern

Get the free pattern here.

Waffle Stitch Crochet Dishcloth Pattern (One of Our Most Popular Patterns!)

Get the free crochet dishcloth pattern here.

2. Premier Afternoon Cotton

Premier Afternoon Cotton Yarn is another popular cotton yarn choice due to its reliability, versatility, and unique composition. It’s made from 100% Egyptian Giza cotton, with many unique benefits, including strength and softness.

Here’s an overview of its features:

Material: Like Lion Brand 24/7, Premier Afternoon Cotton Yarn is made from 100% cotton fibers, but Premier has something slightly different. Its cotton is Egyptian Giza, a stronger cotton that offers breathability, softness and durability, and strength.

Weight: Premier Afternoon Cotton Yarn is classified as a lightweight yarn, or weight 3. This is slightly lighter than a worsted-weight yarn, making it ideal for summer garments like tops and shawls.

Texture: This yarn’s smooth, comfortable feel and excellent stitch definition are enhanced by mercerization, an alkaline bath process that creates a smooth, strong, and bright look and feel.

Color Selection: Premier Yarns offers a wide range of colors for their Afternoon Cotton Yarn line. Crafters can choose from 34 vibrant hues, pastel shades, and neutral tones. The color is also unlikely to fade due to the mercerized fibers. So cool.

Strength: Thanks to the mercerized 100% Egyptian Giza cotton, this yarn is ultra strong and won’t lose its shape or shrink. No more worrying about hanging that new top in your closet only to watch it stretch down and down until it’s more like a dress.

Price: Best of all, Afternoon Cotton runs about $4 a skein, making it one of the most affordable yet quality yarns available!

Premier Afternoon Cotton Yarn is pretty much everything you can ask for: quality, versatility, and ease of care. With its smooth texture, vibrant color selection, and ultra-strength, it’s a popular choice for crocheters everywhere.

This yarn is available on Premier here or Amazon here.

3. Lion Brand Pima Cotton

Lion Brand Pima Cotton Yarn is a premium yarn option known for its exceptional softness and luxurious feel. Here’s an overview of its features:

Material: Pima cotton is a type of cotton known for its superior quality, long staple fibers, and exceptional softness. It makes up about 93% of cotton worldwide, and is primarily grown in Peru and SW United States. The Pima cotton’s extra-long fibers give it a soft, silky texture and a high-quality finish.

Weight: This yarn is a weight 4 (worsted weight) yarn, so it’s perfect for garments and amigurumi.

Texture: Lion Brand Pima Cotton Yarn has a smooth and silky texture, thanks to the fine and extra-long fibers of Pima cotton. It feels luxurious to the touch and drapes beautifully while also being super sturdy.

Versatility: Despite its luxurious feel, Lion Brand Pima Cotton Yarn is durable and suitable for various projects. It can be used to create lightweight garments like tops, shawls, and wraps and accessories like scarves, cowls, and hats. Additionally, it’s great for home decor items such as throws, cushions, and table linens.

Colors: This line only has a 12-color range, but the colors are so unique and interesting. They range from a bright and fun purple to a gorgeous blend of teal, sage green, and tan. My favorite is the Seaglass because of its speckled pattern with bright colors that make it look like seaglass!

Care Instructions: Pima cotton yarn is easy to care for and can be machine-washed and dried.

Overall, Lion Brand Pima Cotton Yarn is prized for its exceptional softness, luxurious feel, and versatility, as well as its unique composition and extra strong fibers.

This yarn is available on Lion Brand here or Amazon here.

4. Yarnspirations Cotton Cakes

Yarnspirations Cotton Cakes are ombre yarn cakes with fun and unique color combos that I always aim for. The burst of colors and patterns never gets old and makes for a garment to remember. Here’s an overview of Cotton Cakes’ features:

Material: Cotton Cakes Yarn is made of 60% cotton fibers and 40% acrylic. Cotton is famous for its breathability, softness, and suitability for various types of projects. This is especially great for warm-weather garments.

Weight: Cotton Cakes Yarn falls into the weight 4/worsted weight yarn category.

Texture: Cotton Cakes’ texture is smooth and soft, thanks to the combination of acrylic and cotton, making them easy to work with.

Color Variations: One of the key features of Cotton Cakes Yarn is its unique color variations. Each skein typically contains multiple colors that transition gradually from one shade to another, creating a beautiful gradient effect in the finished project. This makes it ideal for projects like scarves, shawls, and blankets where color changes add visual interest.

Yardage and Skein Size: Cotton Cakes Yarn comes in large cakes with generous yardage, allowing crafters to complete larger projects with fewer interruptions for yarn changes. One cake of Cotton Cakes is 530 yards!

Ease: My favorite thing about them is how easy it is to pull the starting end of the yarn out. It makes the skeins easy to travel and crochet with. No yarn barf here, folks.

Care Instructions: Since Cotton Cakes Yarn contains cotton fibers, it’s machine washable and can be tumble-dried on low heat. 

Cotton Cakes Yarn is famous for its softness, beautiful color variations, and ample yardage one cake comes with. Thanks to the cake design, it’s also super easy to work with.

If you’re looking for another type of yarn, Yarnspirations has several other cakes made from different materials and in different colors. With these guys, the sky’s the limit.  

This yarn is available at Yarnspirations here or Amazon here.

5. Hobbii Cotton Kings Sultan

Hobbii Cotton Kings Sultan Yarn is a premium yarn offered by Hobbii, an online yarn store with a huge selection of yarns of all kinds. This Cotton Kings yarn is 100% cotton and comes in THE most gorgeous colorways.

This falls under the “high-quality” category and not the affordable one at $21 a cake if you buy one. The more you buy, the cheaper the price.

Here’s an overview of its features:

Material: Sultan Yarn is composed of 100% high-quality cotton fibers. The yarn itself is made from 4 thin, unbraided cotton threads, so the colors will be perfectly ombre.

Weight: Sultan Yarn is a sport weight yarn, or weight 2. This weight is perfect for warm-weather garments like tops, shawls, and socks. 

Texture: Sultan Yarn’s texture is generally smooth and soft, making it pleasant to work with and wear. This smooth texture allows for excellent stitch definition, making it suitable for projects with intricate patterns or textures.

Color Range: Hobbii offers Sultan Yarn in a wide range of stunning ombre shades, usually going from dark to light or vice versa. This yarn line is famous for the gorgeous way the colors blend together, resulting in a beautiful piece.

Yardage and Skein Size: Sultan Yarn comes in cakes of 875 yards. The yarn is quite thin so that you can get a lot out of one cake. One cake can be used to make a shawl or scarf.

Special Features: One notable feature of Sultan Yarn is its gradient color effect. Each skein transitions gradually from one color to another, creating a beautiful ombré or gradient effect in the finished project. This makes it ideal for projects like scarves, shawls, and blankets, where color changes add visual interest.

Care Instructions: Sultan Yarn contains cotton fibers so that it can be machine-washed on low heat. However, this yarn cannot be machine-dried, so be sure to lay it out after it’s been washed. This is because of the unbraided cotton fibers and how easily they could come undone if dried aggressively. 

Hobbii Cotton Kings Sultan Yarn is prized by crafters for its softness, beautiful gradient color effect, and versatility. It is a popular choice for a wide range of knitting and crocheting projects.

This yarn is available on Hobbii here.

Today, we’ve uncovered a treasure trove of budget-friendly yet high-quality cotton yarns that every crocheter should add to their collection.

From Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton’s versatility and smooth texture to Premier Afternoon Cotton’s vibrant color selection, and from the luxurious feel of Lion Brand Pima Cotton to the gradient beauty of Yarnspirations Cotton Cakes, and finally to the softness and stunning gradient effects of Hobbii Cotton Kings Sultan, these yarns offer endless possibilities for your crochet projects.

Whether you’re creating cozy blankets, stylish garments, or intricate accessories, these cotton yarns have the unique features and affordability to make your creations shine.

So, don’t overlook these gems next time you browse the yarn aisle or online stores. Which one was your favorite?