DROPS Belle vs Rico Design Ricorumi DK

Technical verdict: DROPS Belle vs Rico Design Ricorumi DK

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

DROPS Belle and Rico Design Ricorumi DK are both Light (CYC 3) 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.

DROPS Belle is the longer yarn per gram, with 240 m per 100 g against 232 m per 100 g for Rico Design Ricorumi DK, a difference of 3 %. For the same 1,000 m of yarn, the project weighs about 417 g in DROPS Belle and 431 g in Rico Design Ricorumi DK. 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, DROPS Belle holds 120 m in 50 g and Rico Design Ricorumi DK holds 58 m in 25 g. Five balls of DROPS Belle (600 m) are replaced by 11 balls of Rico Design Ricorumi DK, and five balls of Rico Design Ricorumi DK (290 m) by 3 balls of DROPS Belle. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

Both yarns share the same fibre family: DROPS Belle is 53 % cotton, 33 % viscose, 14 % linen and Rico Design Ricorumi DK 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, DROPS Belle and Rico Design Ricorumi DK 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 4 mm for DROPS Belle and 3–3.5 mm for Rico Design Ricorumi DK, 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.

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?

Rico Design Ricorumi DK can replace DROPS Belle with some adjustments (Match Score 75 %). Expect small differences in gauge or drape: swatch first and be ready to change the hook by half a size.

DROPS Belle 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 DROPS Belle data sheet → Full Rico Design Ricorumi DK data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →