Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK vs Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli

Technical verdict: Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK vs Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli

Weight category, yardage and value per ball

Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK and Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli 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.

Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli is the longer yarn per gram, with 260 m per 100 g against 250 m per 100 g for Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK, a difference of 4 %. For the same 1,000 m of yarn, the project weighs about 400 g in Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK and 385 g in Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli. 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, Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK holds 250 m in 100 g and Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli holds 65 m in 25 g. Five balls of Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK (1,250 m) are replaced by 20 balls of Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli, and five balls of Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli (325 m) by 2 balls of Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK. Always convert by length, never by weight or by number of balls.

Drape, fibre and texture

Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK is 100 % acrylic. 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.

Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli, on the other hand, is 100 % polyester. Polyester is light, strong and machine-washable; it keeps its colour and shape but does not breathe like natural fibres and must not be ironed.

With such similar density, Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK and Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli will give fabrics of comparable weight and drape at the same gauge; any difference in hand will come mainly from the fibre.

Their construction differs: Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK (Plied) versus Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli (Smooth). 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 4 mm for Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK and 3 mm for Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli, 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: Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK gives 22 stitches and Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli gives 19 stitches in 10 cm. Over 100 stitches that is about 45.5 cm versus 52.6 cm, so check your gauge and adjust the hook before starting a fitted piece.

Verdict: can you swap them?

Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli can replace Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK with some adjustments (Match Score 70 %). Expect small differences in gauge or drape: swatch first and be ready to change the hook by half a size.

Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK 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 Premier Yarns Anti-Pilling Everyday DK data sheet → Full Rico Design Ricorumi Nilli Nilli data sheet → Calculate yarn for a whole project →