Caron Cakes vs Red Heart With Love

Technical verdict: Caron Cakes vs Red Heart With Love

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Caron Cakes and Red Heart With Love are both Medium (CYC 4) 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.

Their linear density is practically identical: Caron Cakes gives 175 m per 100 g and Red Heart With Love gives 171 m per 100 g. A project that uses 1,000 m of yarn weighs about 571 g in the first and 586 g in the second, so the finished piece will feel equally heavy.

Per ball, Caron Cakes holds 350 m in 200 g and Red Heart With Love holds 338 m in 198 g. Five balls of Caron Cakes (1,750 m) are replaced by 6 balls of Red Heart With Love, and five balls of Red Heart With Love (1,690 m) by 5 balls of Caron Cakes. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

Both yarns share the same fibre family: Caron Cakes is 80 % acrylic, 20 % wool and Red Heart With Love is 100 % acrylic, so they wash, block and wear in a similar way. Acrylic is light, affordable and machine-washable; it hides small tension changes and suits blankets and everyday pieces, but heat relaxes it permanently, so it should not be ironed.

With such similar density, Caron Cakes and Red Heart With Love will give fabrics of comparable weight and drape at the same gauge; any difference in hand will come mainly from the fibre.

Their construction differs: Caron Cakes (Cake (gradient)) versus Red Heart With Love (Plied). This changes stitch definition and how easy it is to see your stitches, so expect a different look even at the same gauge.

Hook size and gauge

Both ball bands recommend the same hook, 5 mm, so you can start your swatch with the hook size the pattern already calls for.

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?

Red Heart With Love is a strong substitute for Caron Cakes, with a Match Score of 89 %. Convert by length with the calculator above, work a quick swatch, and most patterns will need no other changes.

Caron Cakes 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 Caron Cakes data sheet → Full Red Heart With Love data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →