Acrylic yarn is one of the most sought after yarns on the market. It is often cheap, usually comes in large skeins, and typically has a huge color collection to choose from.

If you are looking for a well-known, accessible yarn that has a massive collection of color choices, Red Heart Super Saver is one of the best brands out there. It has over a hundred different colorways to choose from, ranging from solid to variegated, along with a few flecked skeins.

Red Heart Super Saver is a worsted (4) weight acrylic yarn with skeins priced at $4.99 each. While it’s not the softest or highest quality yarn, it is one of the most popular, durable, cost-effective, and beginner-friendly yarns out there.

Red Heart Super Saver Breakdown

Price	$4.99
Yardage	364 yds (solids) 236 yds (variegated) 260 yds (flecks)
Price/yard	$0.01 (solids) $0.02 (variegated & flecks)
Number of Colorways	106 (63 solid; 41 variegated; 2 flecked)
Weight	Worsted (4)
Fiber Content	100% acrylic (solids & variegated) 96% acrylic, 4% other (flecks)
Care	Machine wash and dry
How does it feel?	Like your typical rough acrylic

Red Heart Super Saver is a great yarn for beginners. It is not too pricey, it comes in an array of colors to choose from, and the skeins are large enough to allow mistakes to happen without worrying about how much yarn will be left over.

While some acrylic yarns fall apart over time, Red Heart Super Saver is incredibly durable. I have some skeins that are over ten years old and while they may not be at their best, they are still holding up and are usable to this day.

This yarn is one of those yarns that many experienced fiber artists say they can tell by touch. Taken straight from the shelf of a store or out of a box, it is not a soft yarn.

Some people may be turned off by its initial scratchiness, which was exactly what happened to me. However, once it is washed (with or without fabric softener), the scratchiness of it lessens considerably.

It is fairly popular and found in every single craft store that I have been in. It is easily found on nearly every single online craft store.

My experience using this yarn!

I avoided Red Heart Super Saver for quite a while when I started my crochet journey. I didn’t like the rough feel of it and wanted something softer and squishier like velvet or blanket yarn.

Since the prices of yarn are on the rise (my favorite blanket yarn has gone up nearly $4 since I have started using it!), I’ve started looking into cheaper yarns to scratch that crochet itch when I don’t really have much of a plan and simply want to crochet.

I ended up inheriting my great-grandma’s stash of yarn and much of it was Red Heart Super Saver. I avoided it for a while, since it did not feel as good as my pricey, squishy yarns, plus I didn’t want to bother with a scratchy yarn.

One day, I was wanting to draft something for a pattern. I did not want to use my expensive yarn, as I figured I would be frogging most of it, and the end result wouldn’t exactly be… worth using up my more expensive yarns.

I pulled out some of that Super Saver I’ve been avoiding and I got to work. Surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be once I started working with it.

Since I was used to working only with fluffy yarn, I started to enjoy seeing my stitches without them disappearing underneath fluff. As I frogged my design over and over, and the yarn did not fall apart in my hands like frogged velvet yarn does, I realized I should have given Super Saver more credit.

Granted, it was still a scratchy yarn, and the roughness of it started to irritate my fingers after a while as I was using it. But, despite all my earlier grumblings and how long I avoided it, it really did work well for creating a draft. It doesn’t split easily either.

I don’t use Super Saver for anything I plan to personally enjoy or gift to anyone else. I would rather not use it for wearables, unless they were something that was just for a one-time thing or specifically for design purposely only.

I personally think it’s great for drafting things, or practicing, since it can withstand constant use. I also think it’s great for items where you need very specific colors, since it has over 100 different colors to choose from.

What should you use this yarn for?

As Red Heart Super Saver is an acrylic yarn, machine washable and dryable, has over a hundred colors to choose from, skeins with over 300 yards, and is durable, it can be used for just about everything!

It’s a big hit in the amigurumi community and is often used for blankets, baskets, and more. I personally wouldn’t recommend it for wearables, but many people do use it for cardigans, sweaters, crop tops, shorts, pants, and more.

Whatever you can dream up, this yarn can offer you a solution to bring it to life. If the yarn is too scratchy, you can always soften it with fabric softener or hair conditioner.

Don’t use acrylic yarn for potholders!

Use cotton yarn for any item that will come in contact with heat!

When crocheting a potholder or hot pad, make sure to use a thick stitch like the thermal stitch.

It may be tempting to whip up a super easy square potholder with thick acrylic yarn. Since it’s thick, it should be able to protect you from the heat, right? Not quite!

Synthetic fibers like acrylic, polyester, and nylon will melt when exposed to heat. They won’t combust immediately if they accidentally brush up against something hot, but they will melt if exposed to high heat for long periods of time.

If you are looking to make a potholder (or placemat, hot pad, or coaster), cotton yarn is the best. Organic cotton yarn is even better. It’s heat resistant, easy to clean, inelastic (keeps its shape), and absorbent.

Wool is another option for potholders. It’s heat resistant and self-extinguishing, but it is not as easy to clean as cotton.

What yarns can I substitute for Red Heart Super Saver?

If you’re looking for a cheaper acrylic yarn, Premier Basix Worsted has its solids priced at $3.99 for 359-yard skeins. Multis, Marls, and Tweeds are the same price but have smaller skeins; Multis and Marls are 245 yards, and Tweeds are 260 yards.

From Solids, Multis, Marls, and Tweed, it has 89 colors to choose from. It has the same recommended hook of 5.5mm, the same worsted (4) weight, and is machine washable and dryable.

If you’re looking for a softer yarn while still having a decent collection of color choices, Loops & Threads Soft & Shiny is a great alternative. It only has ~36 solid colors to choose from, unlike Super Saver’s 100+ choices, but it is a yarn I would recommend over Super Saver.

While it is the same $4.99 price, skeins are smaller at 311 yards. It is a worsted (4) weight yarn, but I have found it a tad thinner than Super Saver, so you’ll want to create a swatch if gauge is important.

It does split rather easily, unlike Super Saver, so just keep that in mind.

3 Easy Patterns

Refillable Cat Nip Toy

This little project is perfect for anyone who wants a little mouse toy for themselves or their cat. It’s perfect for practicing nearly all the basic stitches with.

If this toy is for a cat or a child, make sure you sew any buttons and small pieces on securely. It’s best to supervise playtime with this. 

Monochromatic Men’s Scarf

I know I have mentioned multiple times how I don’t recommend Super Saver for wearables, but it doesn’t mean that you have to avoid making wearables with it. It does get softer with each wash (especially when using fabric softener), and it is truly up to you to choose what you’d like to use it with.

This scarf pattern is easy (despite being labeled as intermediate) and is great for practicing slip stitches as well as single, half double, and double crochets. While it is advertised as a men’s scarf, the colors can be changed up to fit anyone’s personality.

Mushroom Check Bag

This bag is great for stash busting and using up any extra Super Saver skeins you may have laying around. The mushroom is sewn on, so you could just make the bag and keep it plain or add your own appliqué onto it.

Commonly Asked Questions

What is the recommended hook for Red Heart Super Saver?

The recommended hook for Super Saver is a 5.5mm (US: I-9). Regardless of the project, I prefer a size to 5mm (H-8), which works better for general crochet projects. If I am working on an amigurumi, I will often go down to a 4mm (G-6).

Does Red Heart Super Saver have dye lots?

When yarn is dyed, it is dyed in batches. Not every batch of the same color will be exactly the same shade.

A dye lot is a numerical identifier on each skein label that helps match batches to make sure you end up with the exact same color that you need. Red Heart Super Saver’s solids, however, do not have a dye lot.

That does not mean they will all be the same color from skein to skein. ‘No dye lots’ is misleading; these types of yarns are either hand-dyed or dyed before it is spun into skeins, hanks, or balls.

It’s recommended to at least one more skein than you think you need, especially for a large project. While Red Heart’s skein batches are huge, and you’ll most likely get the same color, it’s always a good idea to grab more than you think you need.

Is Red Heart Super Saver yarn good for cardigans?

While Red Heart Super Saver is a budget-friendly yarn, it’s not ideal for wearables, especially ones that are sold or gifted to other people.

It’s not a bad yarn per se, and people do use it for cardigans and other clothing, but its quality and softness isn’t the absolute best.

I have found that Loops & Threads Soft & Shiny, Caron Simply Soft, and Paintbox Simply DK are 100% acrylic yarns that are softer and have a higher quality than Red Heart Super Saver.

However, Simply Soft is a bit pricer, Soft & Shiny has a smaller yardage, and I have only found Simply DK online.

Is Red Heart Super Saver good for baby blankets?

Super Saver is a durable and machine washable option for a baby blanket, and also comes in a large color palette. However, if your priority is softness over durability and washability, then Super Saver is not the yarn for you.

Its roughness does lessen over time, since each wash softens it (especially if you are using fabric softener), but it has that initial coarse feel that may not be best for sensitive skin.

In my Lily Sugar’n Cream yarn review, I have listed three different ways on how to soften cotton yarn. I would not recommend the third option of steaming the yarn in a pot when working with acrylic due to its tendency to melt when exposed to high heat.