
Let’s be honest, yarn is expensive. If you’re anything like me you shop sales and stock up when you can. However, yarn at a great price doesn’t always mean a great quality and sometimes you need something affordable when they aren’t running sales.
Let me introduce you to a yarn that I’ve been using for about a year now.
Big Twist Value

You might have noticed I use it for a lot of my tutorial swatches, that’s because I like it for it’s softness, yardage, and price point. Want to know more about this magically valued yarn? Read on.
About the yarn
Big Twist Value is the value brand that is distributed by Joann fabrics and crafts, which is a big box craft store that focuses on sewing, fabric, and seasonal decor.
This is was Joann’s description says about this yarn:
Big Twist Value Yarn is a yarn for big projects that just need to be made. Durable, functional, and affordable, this yarn is perfect for afghans, family projects, and all of your charity needs.
These are the details according to the description on Joann’s website.
- 100% acrylic
- CYC Weight Category: 4
- Weight: Solids 6 oz 371 yards, Ombres 5 oz. 297 yards
- Knit Gauge: 4 in = 18 stitches on size US 8 needles
- Recommended Crochet Hook Size: H8
- Care: Machine wash and air dry (do not use dryer); do not iron or bleach.
- The manufacturer tries to match dye lots but they are not guaranteed.
Price
$3.49 USD
Without any kind of sale that makes it the price around .01 cent a yard.
Joann’s frequently does 20% – 25% off sales, which would make it 2.79 – $2.62. They also give 20% – 25% off coupons including sale items, in that case the price can be from $2.23 – $1.96.
The lowest I’ve ever seen it is as a doorbuster at $1.19 which is actually how I started using this yarn.
Yarn specs

Big Twist Value is a worsted weight yarn (4) that is 100% acrylic. It comes in variety of 42 colors and is 6 oz (170 g).
It has a good yardage of *380 yards (347 m) and according to the yarn label it takes only 1 skein to make a scarf or hat, 3 skeins to make a sweater, and 6 skeins to make a blanket.
*Yes, this number is different from the description yardage. This yardage is off the skeins I have right now, which leads me to believe that they increased the yardage and didn’t update the description.

The hat and scarf I can believe easily only take 1 skein, although with the scarf I think it would depend on your gauge (tension), desired length, and what stitch you used.
If you decided on a yarn eater, like the waffle stitch or the alpine stitch, I’d pick up 2 skeins of the same dye lot just in case.
As for the sweater and the blanket I’m assuming it’s based off of generalized yardage guesstimations because there are so many factors that go into a pattern.
If you have a pattern that you’re buying yarn for then make sure you consult it for yardage (or buy a couple extra just in case)
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Comparison
The price range and quality of Big Twist Value yarn (BTV) would put it on par with RedHeart Super Saver (Super Saver), and Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn brand (ILTY).
Big Twist Value doesn’t have the scratchiness that Super Saver is known for and is much easier on the hands. However, ILTY is slightly softer. It really is splitting hairs in the softness department between BTV and ILTY, but this is my honest opinion.
Price and yardage wise here’s the comparison.
- Super Saver: $3.69
- 7 oz (198g) 364 yards (333 m)
- Big Twist Value: $3.49
- 6 oz (170g) 380 yards (347 m)
- I Love This Yarn: $4.99
- 7 oz 355 yards (324)
Tip: Red Heart Super Saver is usually $3.44 at Walmart and does go on rollback
BTV and ILTY both have dye lots where Super Savers doesn’t.
Super Saver does such large batches that they do “No Dye” lot since if you buy multiples at once it’s probably from the same batch.
I’m a bit old fashioned and like to match my dye lots when possible, if this doesn’t matter to you than discount it.
Cons
I’ve really only found 1 downside to this yarn and that’s that it is not dryer safe.
It has instructions on the lable to dry flat, do not tumble dry.
My issue with that stems from the yarns description. Joann’s website description says it’s good for charity work because of price point. This is true, however special care instructions can make it difficult for the people who receive items made from this yarn to care for them. So just keep it in mind when buying supplies for the items.
Update: After using this yarn consistently, I’ve found that there will be a fair amout of not fully spun bits throughout the yarn. About 2 per skein is what I’ve noticed.
What’s the verdict?
I consider this yarn to be a good option for keeping yourself in yarn without breaking the bank. It is definitely the cheapest of the value yarns and it’s softness and color range make it an easy choice for any yarn fiend. However if you’re going to be washing the item you’re making a lot, I would go with I Love This Yarn or Red Heart Super Savers because they are both dryer safe and Red Heart becomes very soft once washed.
What do you think? Have you used Big Twist Value yarn? Let me know in the comments.
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I’m very confused about this 100% acrylic yarn, as it say no dryer then some places as Amazon where I bought through says dry able
It used to be machine dry-able, and now it’s not. I assume they changed the formula. Depending on what you’re making I would suggest making a swatch and seeing what it does in the dryer on low. I’m sure putting it in the dryer all the time would cause an issue. But I’ve done it occasionally and haven’t had any issues. I hope this helps!
So, exactly what happens if it is dried in the dryer? Is it a safety issue or does it negativerly affect the quality of the yarn?
I’m assuming that because it is acrylic yarn, it will degrade because of the heat. (I haven’t tested it)
Either it will turn plasticy, or it will cause a lot of pilling and wear.
I’ve been using big twist Over year and I am pleased with it is durable soft
So many colors to choose from and the price is reasonable I crocheted almost 24 seven
I love the color variety and softness of the big twist value yarn as well!
I love Big Twist yarn. I buy it all the time, But! I didn’t read very well. Sigh! I didn’t realize about the dryer issue. I’m sad. I’m not wealthy and this yarn was such a savior for my budget. But I’m glad I read your review. I will keep in mind for next project.
Thank you,
Linda Williams
Thank you so much! Yeah, I wasn’t happy either, they actually use to be dryer safe.. I guess they opted for a cheaper acrylic that wasn’t heat safe. Have you seen that some Dollar Trees have worsted acrylic yarn from Premier Yarns?
The thing I don’t like about big twist yarn is it doesn’t it doesn’t pull from the middle like it should! I had to pull out the the whole middle in 3 sections and unravel it. It was pretty frustrating! Could you please find a better way of packaging the yarn so it comes out like it supposed to? With a piece yarn sticking out from the middle so it’s easier to work with! Thank you
Yes, I have had that issue as well. I find Red Heart Super Saver skeins to be much easier to use in that regard. The price of Big Twist is great, but the skein can be a headache to use.
It gets long fuzziest if you put it in the dryer, I did a test swatch. I bought this yarn because of a pandemic created yarn shortage and halfway through a blanket, I hate it. Certainly it feels nice enough, but if it splits it’s likely going to break. I dislike Super Saver, but will buy it over this, at least I can toss it in the dryer and it will soften up.
I agree with you Sherry. It used to be dryer safe about 2 years ago, but for some reason they changed it. I’m hoping that Big Twist makes it machine dry-able again because it was so much better before.
I wonder what happens if you put it in the dryer . It is acrylic right?
Yes, it’s 100% acrylic, which is why I found it odd that it wasn’t machine dryable. I’ve not tried to dry it myself.