Our Favorite Self-Striping Yarns

When we want an easy project that never gets boring, we reach for self-striping yarn. Simple stockinette or garter stitch knit in self-striping yarn results in a project that looks far more complicated than it was (we won’t tell). Here are the self-striping yarns we love for knitting through a Netflix marathon or riding shotgun on a long road trip.

For this roundup, we’ve limited our list to yarns with a clearly defined repeating pattern of stripes. We’ll save the yarns with colors that blend into one another or shift slowly over hundreds of yards for another shopping trip.

Biscotte Yarns Griffon

Griffon from Biscotte Yarns in the colorway Watermelon

Fiber Content: 100% superwash Merino wool
Put-up: 180 yds (165 m)/3½ oz (100g)
Gauge: 15­–16 sts = 4″
Needles: Sizes 9–10.5 (6.5–6.5mm)
Care: Hand wash in cold water, lay flat to dry

The lovely folks at Biscotte Yarns have been hand-dying yarn since 2007. They are best known for their beautiful self-striping sock yarn, Bis-sock, but we’re loving Griffon, their worsted weight superwash Merino. This is Watermelon, their best-selling color. A hat knit in this yarn would be a bit of mid-summer fun to brighten up a cold day.

Gusto Wool Echoes

Echoes from Gusto Wool in color #1503, and shown in the Chemberly Cowl, which uses just one skein

Fiber Content: 80% superwash Merino wool, 20% nylon
Put-up: 440 yds (402 m)/3½ oz (100g)
Gauge: 28–32 sts = 4″
Needles: Sizes 1–3 (2.25–3.25mm)
Care: Machine wash

Echoes from Gusto Wool brings bold, beautiful stripes to the classic 80/20 sock yarn. With just one skein, you can make the Chemberly Cowl, whose textured stitches are beautifully displayed in color #1503, shown here.

Knit Picks Brava Stripe

Brava Stripe from Knit Picks in Orchid, with broad stripes in tones of purple

Fiber Content: 100% Premium Acrylic
Put-up: 218 yds (200 m)/3½ oz (100g)
Gauge: 18–20 sts = 4″
Needles: Sizes 7–8 (4.5–5mm)
Care: Machine wash, tumble dry

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly, easy-care, self-striping, worsted weight yarn, Brava Stripe from Knit Picks is just what you need. The colors in Brava Stripe move through a tonal progression within a single hue, so your stripes are more subtle. I think Orchid, shown here, would make a perfect blanket for the child who loves purple.

Universal Yarn Cotton Supreme Waves

Cotton Supreme Waves from Universal Yarn in Heliotrope and the Fresh Berries Tee, available as a free download from Universal Yarn

Fiber Content: 100% cotton
Put-up: 230 yds (210 m)/3½ oz (100g)
Gauge: 21 sts = 4″
Needles: Size 6 (4mm)
Care: Machine wash warm, tumble dry low

Cotton Supreme from Universal Yarn is one of our favorite warm-weather yarns. Cotton Supreme Waves brings self-striping excitement to this soft, OEKO-TEX certified, worsted weight classic. Some of the colors have a speckled look, while others are dyed to make more solid stripes, like the #908 Heliotrope, shown here. A simple design like the Fresh Berries Tee lets those stripes shine.

Regia Design Line Arne & Carlos 4-Ply

Regia Design Line Arne & Carlos 4-Ply in the Summer Night colorway, with a combination of solid and patterned stripes

One of the first companies to make self-striping sock yarn was Regia (more than 20 years ago!), and they continue to excel. The hard-wearing wool and nylon blend makes socks that will last for years. We’re particularly fond of the colorways developed for Regia by Norwegian designers Arne & Carlos, which go beyond stripes to create playful patterns. The colorway we’re featuring is Summer Night.

Have you knit with self-striping yarn? Do you have a favorite self-striping yarn we missed? Tell us about it in the comments!