Caron One Pound vs Red Heart Soft

Technical verdict: Caron One Pound vs Red Heart Soft

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Caron One Pound and Red Heart Soft 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 Red Heart Soft gives 166 m per 100 g. A project that uses 1,000 m of yarn weighs about 611 g in the first and 603 g in the second, so the finished piece will feel equally heavy.

Per ball, Caron One Pound holds 742 m in 453 g and Red Heart Soft holds 234 m in 141 g. Five balls of Caron One Pound (3,710 m) are replaced by 16 balls of Red Heart Soft, and five balls of Red Heart Soft (1,170 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 Red Heart Soft 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 Red Heart Soft 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

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 Soft is a strong substitute for Caron One Pound, with a Match Score of 98 %. 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 Red Heart Soft data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →