A blanket can swallow fifteen balls of yarn. At the wrong price per ball, a handmade gift ends up costing more than a bought one, and a small crochet business ends up with no profit at all.
So people ask us for budget yarn every day, and it is one of the most typed words in our website search. The good news is that cheap does not have to mean scratchy or thin. You only need to know which yarns give real value, and how to work out what a project will actually cost.
Nine good yarns under KES 500
| Yarn | Price a ball | What it is | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ken-Knit Seagull | From KES 80 | Fine acrylic, 50 g | Baby clothes, fine crochet |
| Ken-Knit Winterking | KES 100 | Double knit acrylic, 50 g | School jumpers, hats, cardigans |
| Spin-Knit Hooked | KES 100 | Acrylic | Everyday crochet |
| Spin-Knit Robin Chunky | KES 200 | Chunky acrylic | Learning, scarves, blankets |
| Seal Chunky | KES 200 | Chunky acrylic, 100 g | Warm jumpers and throws |
| In Stitches Milk Cotton | KES 300 | Soft DK acrylic, 100 g | Scarves, baby wear, blankets |
| Ganga Blankie | KES 400 | Plush chenille, 100 g | Baby blankets, teddies |
| Ganga Hobby India | KES 400 | All-round acrylic | Garments and blankets |
| DMC 100% Baby Cotton | KES 500 | Pure cotton DK, 50 g | Babywear, summer knits |
The first five are made in Kenya. You can read more about them in our guide to Made in Kenya yarn.
The price on the ball is not the real price
Here is the secret that saves the most money. Two balls can weigh the same and cost the same, yet one has three times as much yarn on it. What your project uses is length, so the fair way to compare is the cost of 100 metres.
| Yarn | Price a ball | Metres a ball | Cost of 100 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| YarnArt Angora Active | KES 750 | 500 m | KES 150 |
| Alize Cotton Gold | KES 750 | 330 m | About KES 227 |
| DMC Knitty 4 | KES 650 | 280 m | About KES 232 |
| DMC Brio | KES 800 | 345 m | About KES 232 |
| In Stitches Milk Cotton | KES 300 | 112 m | About KES 268 |
| Ganga Blankie | KES 400 | 50 m | KES 800 |
Look at what that shows. A KES 750 ball of mohair blend is the cheapest yarn on the list by length, and a premium DMC acrylic works out cheaper per metre than our KES 300 budget ball. Thick yarns like Blankie cost more per metre, but you need far fewer metres, and you finish in a fraction of the time.
Best value for a big project
DMC Knitty 4
KES 650 a ball
If you are making a full-size blanket or a jumper, this is where the smart money goes. Each 100 g ball holds 280 metres of smooth, even DK acrylic that washes easily and does not split, in 86 shades. You buy fewer balls, sew in fewer ends, and get a finish that looks far more expensive than it was.
100% acrylic · DK · 100 g, 280 m · 4 mm · 86 shades
See DMC Knitty 4Six ways to spend less on yarn
Work out the metres your pattern needs, then compare yarns by cost per 100 metres.
Learn on a low-cost yarn. We teach with Robin for exactly this reason: pulling out a row costs you nothing.
Buy the whole project at once. Running short and finding the dye lot has changed means buying again.
Choose a thicker yarn for blankets when your time matters more than the yarn bill.
Keep your leftovers. Small balls become stripes, granny squares and toy details.
If you sell what you make, cost the yarn per item before you set your price. This applies whether you knit, crochet or, as many of our customers type it, crotchet.
Making to sell?
Tell us what you make and roughly how many a month. We will help you find the yarn that gives the best finish for your budget.
Tell us your budget
Come to our shop on the 1st floor of Sarit Centre with your pattern and a number in mind, and we will show you what fits.
Shop all yarnsOr call us on +254 798 316860
Prices correct at the time of writing.
