Hobbii Amigo XL vs Lion Brand Wool-Ease

Technical verdict: Hobbii Amigo XL vs Lion Brand Wool-Ease

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Hobbii Amigo XL and Lion Brand Wool-Ease 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.

Lion Brand Wool-Ease is the longer yarn per gram, with 212 m per 100 g against 200 m per 100 g for Hobbii Amigo XL, a difference of 6 %. For the same 1,000 m of yarn, the project weighs about 500 g in Hobbii Amigo XL and 472 g in Lion Brand Wool-Ease. 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, Hobbii Amigo XL holds 100 m in 50 g and Lion Brand Wool-Ease holds 180 m in 85 g. Five balls of Hobbii Amigo XL (500 m) are replaced by 3 balls of Lion Brand Wool-Ease, and five balls of Lion Brand Wool-Ease (900 m) by 9 balls of Hobbii Amigo XL. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

Both yarns share the same fibre family: Hobbii Amigo XL is 100 % acrylic and Lion Brand Wool-Ease is 80 % acrylic, 20 % wool, 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, Hobbii Amigo XL and Lion Brand Wool-Ease 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 5–5.5 mm for Hobbii Amigo XL and 5.5 mm for Lion Brand Wool-Ease. The ranges overlap at 5.5 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?

Lion Brand Wool-Ease can replace Hobbii Amigo XL with some adjustments (Match Score 76 %). Expect small differences in gauge or drape: swatch first and be ready to change the hook by half a size.

Lion Brand Wool-Ease 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 Hobbii Amigo XL data sheet → Full Lion Brand Wool-Ease data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →