If you’re in the very niche community of foreign crafters living in China, or you’re thinking about buying Chinese yarn, and you’re not sure where to start, I’m here to help! I’m an American crafter living in China, and this is my honest review of Chinese yarn: what you should buy, what you should burn, and which will be fine for a scrap project later down the road.
When I first moved to China, I was scouring the internet for content like this and couldn’t find any. However, feel free to point me in the right direction if you’ve seen some! In the meantime, I decided to go on my own quest to uncover the best yarn my new country has to offer.
Where’s all the yarn?
As a crocheter and knitter, one of the first things I was hoping to find after moving to Shanghai was a craft or yarn store. Unfortunately, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I explored Fuzhou Road, the area known for its art and bookstores, only to find the same aisles, shop after shop, filled with Copic pens, oil paints, and other typical arts supplies.
One thing I quickly learned about living in China is that everyone has a “guy” for something: a protein powder guy, a wine guy, a puff pastry guy, etc. So I started asking, and my partner started asking, and then those people we asked also started asking around, all so poor little Kiana, who was bored out of her mind, could find some yarn. Unfortunately, no one we talked to had a yarn guy, and pretty much everyone directed us to Taobao, which is essentially the Amazon of China.
I was really hesitant to use Taobao for yarn shopping for a few reasons: there’s a 50/50 chance you actually get the high-quality thing you ordered, the translation wasn’t always reliable, and yarn is something I prefer to touch before I buy, unless it’s been recommended to me. Not to mention, I was hoping to find and support some local yarn shops.
As an English speaker on Taobao, you are playing a game of chance; it’s a shot in the dark, and decisions are purely made on vibes. So, if you’re in the 0.01 percent (don’t quote me on that) of expats living in China who are also looking for yarn or are curious about Chinese yarn, this is for you! I’ve been compiling this very important data for about six months, but hopefully I’ve saved you some time. I’ve reviewed all the yarn I’ve bought from Taobao, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did. And I promise to keep this updated as I try new yarn brands.
I’m not giving up on my quest to find a cute yarn shop in Shanghai, so this may be a long shot ask, but if you’re a crafter in Shanghai, where do you get your yarn? Let me know if there are secret craft stores or must-try brands I’m missing! Also, want to hang out?
A note on finding foreign yarn in China
After about four months of living in China, I realized I could actually find most of the yarn I was used to buying in the U.S. on Taobao. Maybe it was naive of me to assume I couldn’t, but this was a game-changer for me. I have now been buying mostly foreign yarn, simply because I can research them in English. This saves time and waste.
The translation is my main struggle with buying Chinese yarn. Even with a reliable translation widget, important information is often lost. And with a completely different internet in this country, it can be difficult to navigate or even find yarn brands or their websites. While Chinese yarn is cheap, and it’s not the end of the world to accidentally order the wrong yarn, I do try to be conscious about my craft waste. So if I’m going to buy yarn for a bigger project, then I want a reliable source. Which is why I need recommendations!
What kind of yarn?
I don’t judge what kind of yarn you use; we all have different stories, intentions, and budgets. Personally, I use the whole spectrum of yarn. I crochet, and I knit, so this review isn’t exclusive to one medium. For wearables, I prefer higher-quality yarn and natural fibers so that they look and feel nice. These tend to be more expensive, which is why most of my wearables are tank tops, but I digress. For functional items and homewares, I prefer 100% cotton. I don’t want to burn my hands on a handmade acrylic pot holder, and I like something washable. For decorative pieces, cat accessories, and blankets, acrylic is fine. So basically, I like a little bit of everything, so you should be able to find some recommendations that match your yarn preferences here.
Chinese yarn review
Links:
For those outside of China, when available, I’ve linked to the same yarn brand on Alibaba. I cannot guarantee that it is the exact same manufacturer or distributor. For those in China, I have linked to Taobao. I have also included a picture of the label to use for searching.
Synthetic yarn:
Synthetic yarn, often acrylic or milk cotton, is the cheapest option and great for beginners or those exploring the craft. There is a large variety of synthetic yarns made of different fibers.
Milk Cotton
Milk cotton is a popular variety in China that’s hard to get in the United States. Usually, milk cotton is a blend of fibers, including milk protein, cotton, and synthetic fibers. It is similar to acrylic, but it seems much softer and seemingly higher quality.
1. Yaou 7-Star Cotton
This is the first yarn I bought when moving to China. I saw the word “cotton” and wrongly assumed it was 100% cotton. When it showed up, and I felt the strands, I instantly knew it was not. I believe this is milk cotton now. It’s an incredibly soft, almost fluffy, and stretchy yarn. It feels like a nicer acrylic. I loved the vibrant and rich color, so I wanted to make good use of it and decided to crochet a blanket. It worked incredibly well, and it was affordable, which was ideal for such a large project. It’s also proven to be durable, as I’ve thrown it in the regular washing machine multiple times without any issues.
2. Millk Cotton
This seems to be one of the more popular milk cotton yarn brands, and so far, it’s been my favorite. It is the softest of the milk cotton yarn brands I’ve tried so far. It has a bit of stretch, so I think it would work well for blankets, accessories, plushies, or art pieces. I do not think this material would work well for wearables such as sweaters.
Blues are often hard to achieve in fibers, so I was also excited about the color, as it’s one of my favorites. This yarn comes in a wide range of colors, so you should be able to find what you are looking for. I bought this yarn in a handful of colors, and some are softer than others.
3. Leimeng
This has been another go-to milk cotton yarn. This yarn brand has a wide range of colors, so I tend to use it if I have a very specific color in mind for a project. It’s a slightly rougher texture than the Millk Cotton brand, but I think this can also depend on the color.
Milk cotton to skip:
4. Milk Cotton- Unnamed
This is another budget-friendly milk cotton. Considering the other milk cotton options, I think you could skip this one. It also came without a sleeve, which makes me question if it is legitimate.
5. Milk Cotton- Unnamed
This was a thinner yarn than I expected and the roughest of the bunch. The softness makes milk cotton stand out against traditional acrylic yarn, but this one just feels like your standard budget acrylic.
Natural fibers
Cotton yarn:
Cotton is one of my most used and most loved yarn materials. I like that cotton is a natural fiber that’s soft and durable. I tend to use cotton yarn for homewares such as placemats, coasters, and pot holders, as well as lightweight crochet wearables such as tank tops and vests.
1. Yiduomian
This was a great quality 100% cotton yarn. It’s soft and durable, and I would buy this again. I also love the color options. It did not come with a sleeve, so it’s hard for me to tell if this is a rip off on the brand featured in the photos. However, I think it’s a good-quality yarn and exactly what I was looking for.
Apologies in advance if any of this information is incorrect. I’m doing my best with a foreign language, and open to any additional information or corrections you may have!
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