Lion Brand Pound of Love vs Red Heart Unforgettable

Technical verdict: Lion Brand Pound of Love vs Red Heart Unforgettable

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Lion Brand Pound of Love and Red Heart Unforgettable 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.

Red Heart Unforgettable is the longer yarn per gram, with 247 m per 100 g against 205 m per 100 g for Lion Brand Pound of Love, a difference of 20 %. For the same 1,000 m of yarn, the project weighs about 487 g in Lion Brand Pound of Love and 405 g in Red Heart Unforgettable. 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 Pound of Love holds 932 m in 454 g and Red Heart Unforgettable holds 247 m in 100 g. Five balls of Lion Brand Pound of Love (4,660 m) are replaced by 19 balls of Red Heart Unforgettable, and five balls of Red Heart Unforgettable (1,235 m) by 2 balls of Lion Brand Pound of Love. 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 Pound of Love is 100 % acrylic and Red Heart Unforgettable 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.

Within the same weight class, Red Heart Unforgettable has noticeably more meters per gram, so its fabric will be lighter and drape more softly, while Lion Brand Pound of Love will feel denser and more structured. Choose the lighter one for shawls, tops and baby items, and the denser one for bags, amigurumi and pieces that must hold their shape.

Their construction differs: Lion Brand Pound of Love (Plied) versus Red Heart Unforgettable (Roving). 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 5–6 mm for Lion Brand Pound of Love and 6 mm for Red Heart Unforgettable. The ranges overlap at 6 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 Pound of Love and Red Heart Unforgettable are not direct substitutes for each other. They can still work in forgiving projects such as blankets or scarves, but for garments and amigurumi choose a yarn with a closer Match Score.

Lion Brand Pound of Love gives more meters per ball, so you will usually buy fewer balls. Red Heart Unforgettable makes the lighter fabric; Lion Brand Pound of Love makes the denser one.

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 Pound of Love data sheet → Full Red Heart Unforgettable data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →