Yarn cakes not only sound delicious, but they're also fantastic to knit and crochet with! Here we explain what a yarn cake is and round-up the best ones to suit your project and preference.
What is a yarn cake?
The only difference between a regular ball of yarn and a yarn cake is simply in the way the yarn is wound. A yarn cake looks just how it sounds... like a cake, with a circular circumference and flat top and bottom.
If you've ever wound yarn from a skein using a wool winder, then you will already be familiar with the shape of yarn cakes.
Best yarn cakes
Lion Brand Mandala Yarn Cakes
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The Mandala yarn cakes from Lion Brand Yarns are a great option for your first foray into yarn cakes. It's a 100% acrylic yarn that is available in a wide range of colour combinations, from bright tones, monochromes, pretty pastels and warm or neutral shades.
A single cake contains 540 metres of DK yarn – more than enough for a scarf, small shawl or other knit or crochet accessory projects.
The various colours generally have strong definitive changes from one to the other, making it great for projects that you want to have clear stripes. Some people will even split the cake into sections to obtain the neatest stripes.
It's also an incredibly easy-to-care-for yarn, being machine washable, fine in a tumble dryer and can even be dry cleaned. But as it's acrylic don't try and iron it!
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King Cole Harvest DK yarn cakes
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If you're after a yarn cake that has more natural and calming tones at its heart, then we think you'll love the King Cole Harvest yarn cakes.
It's another DK yarn cake that is great for creating stripes, but it's interesting dye effect means you'll get slight variations rather than completely solid shades. This will help to soften your colours and give them a more relaxed feeling.
It's another acrylic yarn, but this one boasts an extra 10% of alpaca fibres, helping to give you that extra added level of softness and a natural fibre halo.
These 150g yarn cakes come with 535 metres on each cake which gives you plenty of yarn to play with. All that you have to do is decide which of the eight lovely colour combinations you like best!
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McIntosh Calm DK Yarn Cakes
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Not all yarn cakes are about the crazy colours – sometimes it's just a more convenient format for a really special yarn.
These cute little 50g yarn cake from McIntosh is a special blend of 80% Extra Fine Merino spun together with 20% pure Cashmere, giving you 150m/164yds in each cake.
As well as being spun with Z and S twists for more stitch definition, these semi-solid colour-ways are all hand-dyed to order!
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Cotton Kings Sultan Deluxe Yarn Cakes
Available from Hobbii
If you're thinking of making a lacy shawl or pair of summer socks that really show off a fabulous colour gradient, then you should definitely try the Cotton Kings Sultan Deluxe yarn cakes.
This 100% cotton 4ply yarn features lovely long colour changes running through the length of these whopping 1000m ombre yarn cakes. They're also available in 33 stunning colour combos.
Its also OEKO-TEX certified so you know no nasty chemicals have been used in its production. And if you fancy trying one, but don't know what to make with it, there are 35 free patterns that use this specific yarn on the Hobbii website.
Buy the Cotton Kings Sultan Deluxe yarn cakes from Hobbii
Lion Brand Ferris Wheel Yarn Cakes
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Here's a yarn that is great for if you want a funky colourful yarn cake but are on a tight budget.
The Lion Brand Ferris Wheel yarn cakes are made up of 100% acrylic. But you're in for a surprise as this is a roving-style yarn, meaning the fibres are almost felted together and only have a very minimal twist.
The result is a soft and lightweight yarn with a fluffy felted feel that is really quite impressive for a 100% acrylic yarn. The colours are also fabulous, producing stripes with a lovely ombre feel to them and interesting blends in colour that create an interesting finished fabric.
An 85g yarn cake of this aran yarn gives you a generous 247m. And with 12 shades to choose from, we think this could easily become one of your favourite ombre yarn cakes.
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Scheepjes Whirl Yarn Cakes
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We couldn't possibly write an article about the best yarn cakes without including one of our all-time favourites. The Scheepjes Whirl yarn cakes!
These epic 1000m ombre yarn cakes are one of our go-to yarns for lacy crochet shawls. The combination of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic keeps them both lightweight and breathable.
It's a 4ply yarn with long beautiful colour changes and a generous consistent twist which makes it easy to work. It's the colours that are the real star of the show though. There are some incredible gradients to be found in the huge 54 colour combinations available.
It can also be combined with their Scheepjes Whirlette yarn. This comes as 100g cakes of solid colour yarns that will perfectly match with the inner or outer colours of the Whirl cakes.
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Lang Yarns Paradise sport yarn cakes
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Most of the yarns we've looked at so far are all pretty bright and colourful. But if you're after something a little bit gentler then we think you'll love the Paradise Sport yarn cake from Lang Yarns.
This super-soft yarn is a blend of 78% Cotton and 22% Viscose, and with an interesting chainette structure it'll give your summer projects a lovely relaxed drape as well as staying nice and cool thanks to the fibre compostion.
This sport weight yarn comes in 13 stonewashed style colour variegations, all with a stylish combination of shades that are prefect for items such as summer shawls or tops.
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Unique Yarns Plastic Yarn Cakes
Available from Etsy
While the majority of yarn cakes enable users to see the range of colours, they're not exclusively for multi-coloured yarn.
So if we're going to show you a solid colour yarn cake, we wanted to make it something special. This brings us to Unique Yarns.
They're one of our favourite brands for pushing the boundaries and developing new and innovative yarns. And their Plastic yarn cake is no exception!
Made from 100% recycled plastic bottles it's eco-friendly. And, as well as being hand-dyed, the nature of the plastic content means it also has a slightly translucent effect.
It's great for projects that you want to be strong and sturdy (such as handmade bags). Although maybe it's a bit too rough for a garment that will be worn against your skin.
These 50g cakes come with 178m on each cake and are available in five colours. And if plastic isn't your thing, check out their other interesting yarns such as their colour-changing or glow-in-the-dark yarns.
Buy the Unique Yarns Plastic Yarn cakes from Etsy
Why are yarn cakes so popular?
Yarn cakes have become increasingly popular in recent years for a variety of reasons. Firstly, one of the benefits of a yarn cake over a yarn ball is that a cake is able to contain more yarn. This is especially the case with finer yarns. So rather than having to buy two or three balls of yarn for a project, you may only need to buy one cake.
You can now find many designs for projects such as shawls that have been specifically designed to be made with just a single yarn cake. This does mean yarn cakes will often be slightly more expensive than single balls. But you're almost always getting more value for money when you add it up.
Secondly, many knitters and crocheters find them fun to work with. The shape of them means they won't roll all over the place when you're knitting or crocheting. They're also nice and compact and easy to just throw in a bag if you're knitting or crocheting on the go.
Most also come with what is called a 'centre pull'. This is where you can easily access the end of the yarn in the centre of the ball. It's often labelled to make things even easier. This not only helps to stop the cake rolling around as you work, but also, with cakes containing stripes or gradients, it means you have the option of deciding in which direction you want your colours to go.
While you can get yarn cakes in solid colours, one of the most valued features of yarn cakes is that you can see all of the colours that are contained within the whole cake. You can also see how long or short the colour transitions are. This is something you can't see if it's wound in a ball.
Most yarn producers use the yarn cake format for self-striping or gradient yarns. And these are the main sorts of yarn cakes we'll be focusing on in this article.
Have fun choosing your favourites from the best yarn cakes around
Yarn cakes can be a great investment as they're super-easy to work with. They don't roll around like regular balls of yarn and often come in ombre shades. These make for a really dazzling shawl or scarf project.
Our selection goes into detail of the merits of each type so you can be confident you've chosen well.
Treat yourself to some new knitting needles
Now you've got the yarn cake and chosen your next knitting or crochet project, how about upgrading your knitting needles? We've picked 10 of the best knitting needles to have you knitting like a pro in no time! From circular to interchangeable models, see which ones made the grade!
