Alize Cotton Gold vs Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4

Technical verdict: Alize Cotton Gold vs Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Alize Cotton Gold and Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 are both Fine (CYC 2) yarns, so on paper they are interchangeable in the same patterns. The weight class only tells half the story, though: the ball band data below shows how much they really differ in thickness, yardage and behaviour once they are on the hook.

Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 is the longer yarn per gram, with 340 m per 100 g against 330 m per 100 g for Alize Cotton Gold, a difference of 3 %. For the same 1,000 m of yarn, the project weighs about 303 g in Alize Cotton Gold and 294 g in Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4. A lower m/100 g figure means a thicker or denser strand, so the heavier yarn will also make a slightly thicker, warmer fabric.

Per ball, Alize Cotton Gold holds 330 m in 100 g and Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 holds 170 m in 50 g. Five balls of Alize Cotton Gold (1,650 m) are replaced by 10 balls of Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4, and five balls of Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 (850 m) by 3 balls of Alize Cotton Gold. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

Both yarns share the same fibre family: Alize Cotton Gold is 55 % cotton, 45 % acrylic and Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 is 100 % cotton, so they wash, block and wear in a similar way. Cotton is inelastic and absorbent: stitches look crisp and defined, the fabric holds its shape in amigurumi, bags and dishcloths, but garments can feel heavy and stretch downwards when wet.

With such similar density, Alize Cotton Gold and Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 will give fabrics of comparable weight and drape at the same gauge; any difference in hand will come mainly from the fibre.

They also share the same construction (Plied), so stitch definition and the way the yarn behaves on the hook should feel familiar when you switch.

Hook size and gauge

The ball bands recommend 3–4 mm for Alize Cotton Gold and 2.5–3 mm for Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4. The ranges overlap at 3 mm, which is the safest hook to start a test swatch for either yarn.

At least one manufacturer does not publish a reference gauge, so work a 12 × 12 cm swatch with your usual hook before comparing sizes.

Verdict: can you swap them?

Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 can replace Alize Cotton Gold with some adjustments (Match Score 78 %). Expect small differences in gauge or drape: swatch first and be ready to change the hook by half a size.

Alize Cotton Gold gives more meters per ball, so you will usually buy fewer balls.

Whichever you choose, buy all the balls for a project from the same dye lot and keep the ball band for its care instructions.

Full Alize Cotton Gold data sheet → Full Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →