Soft Yarn

Some yarn you wear. Some yarn you keep. Soft yarn you never want to put down, and the finished pieces you make with it never want to leave your skin.

At Paradise Fibers, we’ve spent decades obsessing over fiber quality, micron counts, and the exact point where a yarn stops feeling like yarn and starts feeling like comfort. This collection is the result: a curated selection of the softest yarns we carry, spanning every weight, fiber type, and project from baby blankets to cozy winter sweaters.

What Makes a Yarn Truly Soft?

Softness in yarn comes down to fiber diameter, measured in microns. The lower the count, the finer and softer the fiber. We go deep on this topic in our guide to Bradford counts and micron measurements. Superfine merino wool (under 18.5 microns) is among the softest of all wools, rivaling cashmere in its next-to-skin comfort. Pair that merino with baby alpaca, cashmere, silk, or bamboo, and you get blends that are genuinely extraordinary. That’s why so many of our most beloved yarns, like Malabrigo Caprino, Malabrigo Rios, and our Paradise Fibers exclusive blends, feature these premium soft fibers front and center.

Soft Yarn Types We Love

  • Soft Merino Wool Yarn: The gold standard for soft yarn knitting projects and crochet patterns alike. Machine washable superwash options like Malabrigo Rios make it perfect for baby clothes, everyday wear, and machine-washable afghans.
  • Soft Merino/Cashmere Blends: The ultimate luxury soft yarn. Malabrigo’s Caprino is the softest of all Malabrigo yarns. Cashmere elevates the merino to an entirely different level of indulgence.
  • Soft Alpaca Yarn: Baby alpaca is naturally hypoallergenic and exceptionally gentle, making it a favorite soft yarn for sensitive skin. Alpaca/merino blends like Malabrigo Dos Tierras combine warmth with cloud-like softness.
  • Soft Silk Yarn: Mulberry silk adds a luminous sheen and incredible drape. Whether pure silk (Malabrigo Mora) or blended with merino (Cascade Heritage Silk), silk elevates every project.
  • Soft Cotton/Merino Blends: Pima cotton blended with merino, like Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, gives you soft, breathable yarn ideal for spring and summer projects, baby garments, and lightweight scarves. Browse our full cotton yarn collection for more options.
  • Soft Chunky Yarn: Malabrigo Rasta, Mecha, and Chunky knit up fast and feel incredible, perfect for blankets, afghans, and quick-stitch accessories.

Best Soft Yarn Projects

Wondering what to make with soft yarn? Here’s where our customers find the most joy:

  • Soft yarn for blankets & afghans: Chunky and bulky weights (Malabrigo Rasta, Caracol, Mecha) make the coziest, quickest throws. Worsted weights like Malabrigo Rios work beautifully for classic knit and crochet blanket patterns. Browse our Kits & Patterns collection for blanket patterns ready to pair with your favorite soft yarn.
  • Soft yarn for baby clothes: Always choose superwash merino, alpaca blends, or fine cotton/merino for babies. Machine washable soft yarn is a must. Malabrigo Rios and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece are perennial favorites. For project inspiration, see our guide to heirloom knitting for newborns.
  • Soft yarn for scarves: Fingering and DK weights drape beautifully in silk or merino blends. Malabrigo Sock, Mechita, and Arroyo create scarves so soft people won’t believe you made them.
  • Soft yarn for knitting sweaters: Sport and worsted weights strike the ideal balance of stitch definition and wearability. Malabrigo Rios (machine washable), Caprino Sport, and Arroyo are our top picks for next-to-skin sweater knitting.

Affordable Soft Yarn & Luxury Soft Yarn

We believe softness shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for the few. Our collection ranges from affordable soft yarn starting around $9/skein (Malabrigo Lace, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece) to luxury soft yarn featuring cashmere and silk blends that belong in heirloom pieces. For our most extraordinary fibers, explore our Specialty and Rare Fibers collection. Whatever your budget, you’ll find a soft yarn here that feels like a splurge.

Soft Yarn for Sensitive Skin

If wool has scratched you in the past, don’t give up on natural fibers. You may simply need a finer grade. Superwash merino under 19 microns, baby alpaca, and silk blends are commonly described as itch-free even by those with wool sensitivity. Look for anything labeled extrafine, superfine, or superwash merino in this collection. Still unsure? Our team at Paradise Fibers is happy to help you find your perfect match.

Care Instructions for Soft Yarn

Most of the machine washable soft yarns in this collection, particularly superwash merino options like Malabrigo Rios, Mecha, and Caracol, can be machine washed on a gentle/wool cycle in cold water and laid flat to dry. Non-superwash merino, alpaca, and silk blends should be hand washed in cool water with a gentle wool wash and laid flat to dry. Always check the individual ball band, and when in doubt, hand wash to protect your beautiful handmade pieces.

Soft Yarns for Every Kind of Project

Softness matters most in projects that will be worn directly against the skin, and that covers a surprisingly wide range of makes. Sweaters and cardigans in fine merino or alpaca feel completely different from those worked in rougher fibers, and that difference shows up every single time you put the garment on. Baby items in soft superwash wool are a gift to both the baby and the parents doing the washing. Shawls and wraps in cashmere or qiviut are the kind of heirloom project worth saving a special skein for. Even accessories like hats and cowls feel like a genuine luxury when the fiber against your neck and ears is something truly soft yarn worthy.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Paradise Fibers carries hundreds of yarn options. Browse our full yarn collection or reach out to our team. We love helping crafters find their perfect fiber.

Frequently Asked Questions

Superfine or extrafine merino wool (under 19 microns), baby alpaca, and cashmere blends are ideal for sensitive skin. Look for labels like 'superfine,' 'extrafine,' or 'superwash merino'. Malabrigo Caprino (merino/cashmere) and Malabrigo Rios are top picks. Baby alpaca is naturally hypoallergenic and very rarely causes irritation.

For cozy blankets and afghans, chunky and bulky merino yarns like Malabrigo Rasta, Malabrigo Mecha, and Malabrigo Chunky are our top recommendations. They knit up quickly and feel incredibly plush. For a lighter worsted weight blanket, Malabrigo Rios is machine washable and comes in gorgeous hand-dyed colors.

Many yarns in this collection are machine washable, especially those labeled 'superwash merino', including Malabrigo Rios, Mecha, Caracol, and Mechita. Machine wash on a gentle/wool cycle in cold water and lay flat to dry. Silk blends, cashmere, and non-superwash merino should be hand washed. Always check the individual yarn label for care instructions.

Softness is largely determined by fiber diameter (measured in microns). Regular wool can feel scratchy because of coarser fiber grades. Soft yarns use fine-grade materials like superfine merino (under 19 microns), baby alpaca, cashmere, or silk, which feel genuinely smooth and luxurious against the skin. At Paradise Fibers, our soft yarn collection focuses on premium fibers you'll never want to stop touching.

For baby garments, choose machine washable superwash merino or fine cotton/merino blends. Malabrigo Rios and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece are beloved choices, soft enough for delicate baby skin and easy to care for. Always prioritize machine washable yarns for baby items since they'll need frequent laundering.

Soak the yarn in lukewarm water with a small amount of hair conditioner for 20-30 minutes, then gently squeeze (never wring) and lay flat to dry. This works well for natural fibers like wool. For future projects, choosing yarns with lower micron counts, like those in this collection, means you won't need to soften them at all.

Malabrigo is one of the world's most beloved soft yarn brands, renowned for ultra-fine merino and stunning hand-dyed colorways. Brown Sheep and Cascade offer soft, high-quality yarns at accessible price points. Paradise Fibers' own exclusive blends, featuring superfine merino, cashmere, alpaca, and silk, are among the softest fibers we've ever worked with.

Yes! This collection spans a wide range of weights (lace through super bulky) and an extraordinary palette. Malabrigo alone offers 100+ colorways across their line, from rich hand-dyed variegates to elegant semi-solids. Brown Sheep and Cascade round out the collection with classic and contemporary tones. If you need a specific color or weight, our team is happy to help.