REVIEW: My Favorite Lion Brand Worsted and Aran #4 Weight Yarns for Knitting
Lion Brand Yarn offers a large selection of yarns for knitting and crochet.
For several years I’ve been a big fan of Lion Brand Heartland and Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling #4 weight Aran yarns. I’ve used both of these yarns for blanket knitting projects with wonderful results. Read more about these yarns below!
Lion Brand also offers a lot of other worsted and Aran #4 weight yarn options in various fiber content including cotton, acrylic, polyester and wool.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve done some test knitting with several of Lion Brand’s medium #4 weight yarns that I have not used previously. And, I discovered some great yarns!
In this blog post you’ll find my favorite Lion Brand worsted and Aran #4 weight yarns for knitting.
On the Lion Brand Yarn website, you can find their full selection of yarns and all the beautiful colorways available.
Over the last few weeks I’ve been knitting samples using several beautiful Lion Brand worsted and Aran #4 weight yarns. The yarns shown in the photo are Lion Brand Color Theory (top), Local Grown Wool (green), Lazy Days (yellowish & blue), and Local Grown Cotton (aqua). Keep reading for details on these yarns!
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LION BRAND #4 WEIGHT YARNS FOR KNITTING
Here’s my list of favorite Lion Brand #4 weight yarns. These yarns will work well with many types of knitting (and crochet) projects.
1. LION BRAND LOCAL GROWN COTTON
Lion Brand Local Grown Cotton (100% USA Cotton) is such a lovely cotton yarn!
I knit up a swatch in the ‘Aqua’ colorway using a combination of garter stitch and stockinette stitch.
My gauge in stockinette stitch on US 7 knitting needles is about 18 stitches = 4 inches.
Lion Brand Local Grown Cotton is a 100% cotton, worsted #4 yarn that is simply lovely. I knit up a swatch in the ‘Aqua’ colorway using a combination of garter stitch and stockinette stitch… similar to my Summer Sidewalk blanket pattern. I’m impressed by the nice texture and beautiful appearance of the stitches.
Lion Brand Local Grown Cotton creates very attractive stitches with a nice texture.
This yarn would work perfectly with my Summer Sidewalk blanket pattern… for a cute little baby blanket or lightweight throw. Or, it can also be used with any of my blanket patterns for worsted #4 weight yarn.
Available in classic colorways such as ‘Apple Pie’ (red), ‘Pumpkin’ (orange), ‘Thunder’ (gray) and ‘Evergreen’ (green).
Each skein has 184 yards.
Manufacturer recommends hand wash and lay flat to dry.
SHOP FOR LION BRAND LOCAL GROWN COTTON: LionBrand.com
2. LION BRAND MADE WITH LOVE ‘THE COTTONY ONE’
Lion Brand Made With Love ‘The Cottony One’ (60% Cotton, 40% Acrylic) is a reasonably priced, worsted #4 weight cotton yarn that’s machine washable.
The blend of cotton and acrylic fibers creates nice, even stitches and a “springy” fabric that can stretch a bit but bounce back to its original shape.
I knit up a swatch of garter stitch and stockinette stitch using the medium gray ‘Over the Moon’ colorway. The results are very nice! I used US 8 knitting needles and my gauge in stockinette stitch is about 16.5 stitches = 4 inches. (If I were knitting a project with this yarn, I would knit a swatch with US 7 knitting needles to compare the appearance of the stitches.)
I knit up a swatch similar to my On the Porch blanket using Lion Brand Made With Love ‘The Cottony One’ in the medium gray ‘Over the Moon’ colorway. Very nice results!
This yarn would work beautifully using my On the Porch blanket and On the Bright Side blanket knitting patterns, as well as most of my blanket patterns for worsted #4 weight yarn.
Each skein has 185 yards.
Machine washable. Tumble dry on low.
SHOP FOR LION BRAND MADE WITH LOVE ‘THE COTTONY ONE’: LionBrand.com
3. LION BRAND BASIC STITCH ANTI-PILLING
Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling (100% Acrylic) is very soft to the touch… not scratchy or ‘sticky’. This is not your grandmother’s 1970’s acrylic yarn!
I used Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling for my Light in the Window Blanket design. The stitch definition is fabulous. This yarn knit up beautifully and makes a cozy hand knit blanket.
For my Light in the Window blanket knitting pattern design I used Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling in five (5) colorways: ‘Silver Heather’, ‘Turquoise Heather’, ‘Charcoal Heather’, ‘Steel Blue’ and ‘Mustard’. Great stitch definition! Shop the full selection of colorways on the Lion Brand website.
When I knit two large blankets with Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling, I used US 8 knitting needles. My gauge in garter stitch was approximately 16 stitches & 34 rows (17 garter ridges) = 4 inches.
Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling yarn is available in a beautiful selection of colorways. The colorways shown here are ‘Beige Heather’, ‘Pine Heather’, ‘Silver Heather’, ‘Charcoal Heather’ and ‘Blush Heather’. Shop the full selection of colorways on LionBrand.com.
Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling is available in more than 30 attractive colorways.
Ravelry knitters rate this yarn 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Machine washable and dryable.
SHOP FOR LION BRAND BASIC STITCH ANTI-PILLING: LionBrand.com
4. LION BRAND HEARTLAND
Lion Brand Heartland (100% Acrylic) is very soft with great stitch definition.
Heartland is one of Lion Brand’s best selling #4 weight yarns.
The collection of attractive heathered and tweedy colorways are named for American landmarks including U.S. National Parks.
Lion Brand Heartland acrylic yarn in ‘Grand Canyon’ (taupe and grey blend) and ‘Congaree’ (dusty soft teal). Shop the full selection of colorways on the Lion Brand website.
This reasonably priced Aran / heavy worsted yarn would work nicely with my On the Porch blanket knitting pattern, my Northern Trail blanket pattern, as well as most of my blanket patterns for worsted #4 weight yarn.
This easy care yarn is a great choice for knitting baby blankets, cozy throws and afghans.
Machine wash gentle cycle.
SHOP FOR LION BRAND HEARTLAND: LionBrand.com
5. LION BRAND LAZY DAYS
Lion Brand Lazy Days (100% Polyester) is a modern “chainette” tube-style yarn with a soft filler. This smooth yarn has a subtle sheen. It knits up into a bouncy, springy and substantial fabric.
I did some test knitting with Lion Brand Lazy Days worsted yarn using US 7 and US 8 knitting needles. I’m very impressed with the fantastic stitch definition.
My gauge in stockinette stitch with US 8 needles is approximately 19 stitches = 4 inches.
Since the yarn is machine washable, it is a great option for baby or toddler blanket knitting projects. And, it would be a great choice for knitting a throw or afghan that will get heavy use!
Lion Brand Yarn Lazy Days worsted #4 weight yarn in ‘Bluebell’, ‘Lichen’ and ‘Wind Chime’. I knit up samples on US 7 and US 8 knitting needles and I’m very impressed with the results. The ‘Bluebell’ (blue) colorway is shown in the reversible triangle stitch pattern featured in my These Days Blanket pattern. The ‘Lichen’ colorway is shown in a combination of garter stitch and stockinette stitch similar to my On the Porch blanket knitting pattern. Shop the full selection of pretty colorways from Lion Brand Yarn.
This reasonably priced yarn would work very well with my On the Porch blanket knitting pattern, These Days Blanket pattern, and many of my blanket patterns for worsted or Aran #4 weight yarn.
Each pull style skein has 179 yards.
Lion Brand Lazy Days is offered in a very attractive selection of colorways.
Machine washable and dryable.
SHOP FOR LION BRAND LAZY DAYS YARN: LionBrand.com
6. LION BRAND WOOL-EASE
Lion Brand Wool-Ease (80% Acrylic / 20% Wool) is one of Lion Brand’s long standing and best-selling yarns.
Customers appreciate that this acrylic and wool blend yarn is easy care… machine washable and dryable.
In fact, it’s such a classic, reliable yarn that it was selected for the Lion Brand Traveling Knit Afghan project in 2020. Click here to see my design for Square #16 for the Traveling Knit Afghan project!
With more than 110,000 knit and crochet projects shared on Ravelry, Lion Brand Wool-Ease worsted is one of the most popular yarns used by Ravelry makers.
Lion Brand Wool-Ease is available in more than 30 attractive colorways.
Lion Brand Wool-Ease worsted #4 weight yarn is one of Lion Brand’s long standing, best-selling yarns. It’s available in more than 30 attractive colorways including ‘Natural Heather’ (top), ‘Stillwater’ (center) and ‘Denim’ (bottom). Shop the full selection on the Lion Brand website.
Each solid color skein has 197 yards. Note that some multi-color or glitter colorways have 162 yards per skein.
Machine washable and dryable.
SHOP FOR LION BRAND WOOL-EASE YARN: Lion Brand.com
7. LION BRAND LOCAL GROWN WOOL
Lion Brand Local Grown Wool (100% USA Wool) is a U.S. sourced wool yarn that has fantastic stitch definition.
I knit a swatch using the pretty ‘Sagebrush’ colorway and US 9 knitting needles. I love the appearance of both the garter stitch and stockinette stitch…. especially after blocking.
My gauge after blocking in stockinette stitch is 16 stitches = 4 inches.
This Aran / heavy worsted #4 weight yarn is available in 15 classic colorways.
I knit a swatch using Lion Brand Local Grown Wool in the pretty ‘Sagebrush’ colorway and US 9 knitting needles. The stitches look fantastic!
Local Grown Wool is a great choice for knitting an heirloom throw using my On the Porch blanket knitting pattern or the Look for Happiness blanket pattern, as well as any of my other blanket patterns for worsted #4 weight yarn.
Ravelry knitters rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Each skein has 186 yards.
Since this is 100% untreated wool it will shrink and felt if put in the washing machine. Hand wash and lay flat to dry.
SHOP FOR LION BRAND LOCAL GROWN WOOL: LionBrand.com
LOOK FOR THE #4 YARN SYMBOL
When shopping for worsted or Aran weight yarn look for the #4 symbol on the yarn label.
The #4 yarn symbol on the yarn label indicates “medium”, “worsted” or “Aran” weight yarn. Yarn shown above is Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling acrylic yarn in the ‘Silver Heather’ colorway (left) and ‘Mustard’ (right). Read more about this yarn below or shop the full selection of colorways on the Lion Brand website.
Click here to see my collection of knitting patterns! All of my knitting patterns are also available on Ravelry.
Thanks so much for reading! I hope you discover the perfect yarn for your next knitting project.
Happy knitting!
