Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling vs Lion Brand Heartland

Technical verdict: Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling vs Lion Brand Heartland

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling 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.

Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling is the longer yarn per gram, with 170 m per 100 g against 162 m per 100 g for Lion Brand Heartland, a difference of 5 %. For the same 1,000 m of yarn, the project weighs about 588 g in Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling and 617 g in Lion Brand Heartland. 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, Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling holds 170 m in 100 g and Lion Brand Heartland holds 230 m in 142 g. Five balls of Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling (850 m) are replaced by 4 balls of Lion Brand Heartland, and five balls of Lion Brand Heartland (1,150 m) by 7 balls of Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

Both yarns share the same fibre family: Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling 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, Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling 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.

They also share the same construction (Smooth), 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 mm for Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling 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.

Their reference gauges differ: Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling gives 18 stitches and Lion Brand Heartland gives 16 stitches in 10 cm. Over 100 stitches that is about 55.6 cm versus 62.5 cm, so check your gauge and adjust the hook before starting a fitted piece.

Verdict: can you swap them?

Lion Brand Heartland is a strong substitute for Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling, with a Match Score of 82 %. Convert by length with the calculator above, work a quick swatch, and most patterns will need no other changes.

Lion Brand Heartland 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 Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling data sheet → Full Lion Brand Heartland data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →