Caron One Pound vs Lion Brand Heartland

Technical verdict: Caron One Pound vs Lion Brand Heartland

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Caron One Pound and Lion Brand Heartland 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 One Pound gives 164 m per 100 g and Lion Brand Heartland gives 162 m per 100 g. A project that uses 1,000 m of yarn weighs about 611 g in the first and 617 g in the second, so the finished piece will feel equally heavy.

Per ball, Caron One Pound holds 742 m in 453 g and Lion Brand Heartland holds 230 m in 142 g. Five balls of Caron One Pound (3,710 m) are replaced by 17 balls of Lion Brand Heartland, and five balls of Lion Brand Heartland (1,150 m) by 2 balls of Caron One Pound. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

Both yarns share the same fibre family: Caron One Pound is 100 % acrylic and Lion Brand Heartland 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 One Pound and Lion Brand Heartland 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 One Pound (Plied) versus Lion Brand Heartland (Smooth). 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

The ball bands recommend 5 mm for Caron One Pound and 6 mm for Lion Brand Heartland, with no hook size in common. Substituting one for the other will change the fabric, so swatch with each yarn's own hook and recalculate your stitch counts.

Both labels give the same reference gauge of 16 stitches in 10 cm, a strong sign that a pattern will come out the same size with either yarn.

Verdict: can you swap them?

Lion Brand Heartland is a strong substitute for Caron One Pound, with a Match Score of 81 %. Convert by length with the calculator above, work a quick swatch, and most patterns will need no other changes.

Caron One Pound 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 One Pound data sheet → Full Lion Brand Heartland data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →