Yarn cakes are a ball of yarn that has been wound into a cylinder shape. They come in all different yarn weights, fibre types and combinations of colours, but what are yarn cakes, what makes them so popular and what can you crochet with these yarny delights?

What Are Yarn Cakes?

Yarn cakes are simply balls of yarn that have been wound into a cake like cylinder. They are flat on the top and bottom and you pull the yarn from from the centre when crocheting. The centre pull is usually marked with a label so it’s super easy to find and get started.

Unlike traditional balls or skeins of yarn, cakes don’t roll around when you are using them. But if they loose their outer label they can start falling apart very quickly and they can collapse in on themselves when you get to the end of the cake as they become hollow in the middle. So yarn cakes keeping their shape is not a certainty, but they tend to hold it better than other forms of yarn.

On the whole though, yarn cakes are easier to work with as they don’t roll around and they don’t tangle as easily as other types of yarn and they deal with the issue of choosing colour combinations that compliment each other.

This article contains affiliate links, I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Colour Picking Solved

The colour matching is one of the greatest benefits of using yarn cakes. The majority of yarn cakes contain several different colours that are picked to compliment each other. So if you are someone who can never decide if the colours you picked will go together and worry it will look like you made your colour selection in the dark, then yarn cakes are the perfect solution.

Each range of yarn cakes that you find tends to have a large selection of colour combinations available. Independent yarn shops even give you the option to choose your own cake colour combos if you’re feeling adventurous. But with the wide range of different colour options that are made available you are sure to find a colour match that suits you and your crochet, no matter which type of yarn cake you choose to use.

There are 2 main types of yarn cakes when it comes to colours. Striped cakes where the colours change suddenly, and Ombre cakes where the colours are made to slowly mixed together to form a more blended look.

Sudden Colour Changes

Yarn cakes which have sudden colour changes tend to come in thicker yarn weights than ombre cakes. This is because they have the luxury of using thicker yarns that don’t need to come in thin strands. Both of the brands I mention below are Aran / Worsted weight that recommend a 5mm hook or larger.

What is popularly known as the original yarn cake – Caron Cakes are striped cakes that contain 4 or 5 different complimentary colours in Worsted / Aran weight yarn. The colours change very suddenly, and each colour generally has a different yarn length, so your stripes will not be even. But there is a wide range of Caron Cakes to choose from with many colour combinations included. So you are sure to find a colour combo to suit your tastes.

Whether you choose to use the cake in one continuous length and go with the colour changes, or cut the yarn so that you can control where the colour changes occur is up to you.

With this C2C baby blanket I made with a single Caron cake, I chose to cut the yarn and have my colours separated. But I made sure none of that beautiful yarn went to waste by using the left overs to add a border and make the 3 applique stars that I used to add that finishing touch.

However, with this hat and cowl pattern that used just one cake of Lion Brand Mandala, I chose to use it as a continuous length except for when I had to cut off to make the second item. I think leaving the colours to just switch from one to the other wherever they fell created a playful almost childlike look that suited this colour combination really well.

Ombre Yarn Cakes

Ombre yarn cakes change colour by slowly blending the new colour into the current colour. This typically happens by changing one strand of yarn for the new colour, then after a length adding a 2nd strand and so on until the colour change is complete. Because of this need for strands, you typically only get ombre cakes in 3 or 4 ply yarns and in fibres that form thin but strong fibres. Cotton, Merino and Wool are the most common fibres used for these types of cakes.

My favourite ombre cakes are 100% Merino cakes from Yarn Shop By Stay Alive (USE CODE FROG5 FOR A DISCOUNT) – a wonderfully independent yarn shop based here in the UK, but they also ship around the world if you go through their Etsy shop. The cakes are super high quality, and the best part is that they give you the option to create your own colour combinations. An option I took full advantage for to create a Froggity Frog themed cake for my upcoming design The Cherry Blossom Wrap.

When purchasing from Yarn Shop By Stay Alive , make sure you use the discount code FROG5 for money off your purchase.

The most famous brand of ombre whirl is of course Scheepjes Whirls. These are 1000 meters of 3 ply yarn that come in a huge range of colour combinations. They are a cotton blend yarn, although you can also get Woolly Whirls which are wool based.

Sultan Deluxe is a rival to Scheepjes Whirls and is the same fibre weight, fibre type and has the same method of gradual colour change as the famous Whirl.

I used a whole cake of Sultan Deluxe to make the String Of Pearls Triangular Scarf (pictured below). I love the gradual colour changes, and the colours each mix well together. I didn’t have any trouble with the yarn splitting, although it did slip off my hook from time to time.

The majority of yarn cakes fall into either the Striped or Ombre category but a few brands have cakes that are a single colour or are the same mixed colour along their whole length, it’s just that they are wound into cakes instead of balls.

Yarn cakes are popular simply because they are convenient. They solve your colour choosing problem and are easy to use because they pull from the centre. Whether you pick a stripy or an ombre cake, your crochet creation is sure to turn out stunning with beautiful colours that match beautifully.

I would love to hear what your favourite yarn cake is and what you have made with them. come and join our Facebook group – Froggity Frog’s Ribbit And Stitch and show us. Our super friendly community where you can ask all of your crochet questions, share your latest make and make new crochet friends. Come join us now right here and join in the conversation.