Acrylic yarn is great for nearly everything with it being sturdy, durable, and affordable. Shiny acrylic yarn is definitely more eye-catching than regular acrylic yarns, and soft yarns are in high demand.

Loops & Threads delivers with its Soft & Shiny in all those aspects. Being a worsted (4) weight yarn with 311-yarded skeins priced at $4.99 each, it’s a decent yarn for a decent price.

It comes in two different colorways: solid and ombre. While ombre has a smaller yardage, both colorways have lovely bold colors to choose from.

Soft & Shiny Breakdown

Price	$4.99
Yardage	311 yards (solid) / 207 yards (ombre)
Price/yard	$0.02
Number of Colorways	36 (solid) / 18 (ombre)
Weight	Worsted (4)
Fiber Content	100% acrylic
Care	Machine wash and dry
How does it feel?	Slick and soft with a slight underlying roughness of acrylic

Many people might find themselves gravitating towards Soft & Shiny because of its colors and lovely sheen. I know I am certainly drawn to them like a moth to a lamp…

It is also a decent price for its yardage. I know you can find other acrylics that are about the same price (or cheaper) for bigger skeins, but they just don’t have the colors or shininess that Soft & Shiny has.

I wouldn’t recommend this yarn for beginners because of its tendency to split and how unforgiving it is when frogging. Beginners make mistakes (it’s natural!), and it’s always best to have a forgiving yarn so you don’t add to your frustration when trying to backtrack.

Because Loops & Threads is Michael’s brand, it is pretty much only found at Michael’s. I don’t think I have seen it anywhere else, so keep that in mind if you decide to go looking for it!

My experience using this yarn!

Soft & Shiny is one of my favorite acrylic yarns. It’s not too thin (or thick), comes in all kinds of rich colors, and isn’t one of those rough acrylic yarns (looking at you, Red Heart Super Saver).

The texture of it, at least with the ones I have experienced, do not vary as much as other yarns. Each skein I have purchased or touched have felt about the same, so you won’t have to worry too much about one skein feeling rougher than another one.

While it’s not a show-stoppingly soft yarn, I find it much more pleasing to work with than regular acrylic. The roughest chenille yarn is softer than Soft & Shiny, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad yarn. I like it!

I can attest that it is quite versatile since I have made a plethora of items with this yarn. I have also combined it with Caron’s Simply Soft when I needed a color I didn’t have in Soft & Shiny to complete a bag.

When creating the bag, it wasn’t visually noticeable that Simply Soft was thinner, but I could feel the difference as I worked with it. If your item needs a specific gauge, then I would recommend creating a swatch.

My favorite thing about Soft & Shiny would have to be its color choices. I’m not sure what it is about their skein colors that catch my eye, but I always find myself drawn to them whenever I’m shopping in person. My favorite colorway would have to be Party.

Despite all the good things I have to say about it, it does have its drawbacks. One of the biggest cons is that it’s a yarn that splits very easily because of how loosely it was twisted into the skein.

Because of its loose spin, it can get caught on itself in a project, which makes it a pain to frog if you make mistakes. I made a cardigan, which I needed to frog because it was too big in some places, and I lost some of this yarn because it got snagged on itself and simply wouldn’t let go.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s definitely a durable yarn. I could yank on the sucker until most of the yarn yielded back into my ball, but some was just too much of a lost cause to waste my time on it.

I wouldn’t suggest going down too many sizes in hooks if you want to keep the splitting to a minimum. The smaller the hook, the easier it is to stab through the middle of the yarn.

I personally like using a 3mm or 3.25mm for amigurumi and a 4-5mm for blankets, bags, and tapestries. Of course, as always, what works for me might not work for you, so make sure you test out different hooks to see which one you like best.

I have read that it is a yarn that pills, which is to be expected with acrylic yarns. I personally haven’t had that experience, but I have not washed my items enough times to see any noticeable pilling.

Soft & Shiny vs Caron Simply Soft

Since I keep mentioning these two yarns together, I figured I should do a quick general comparison of the two. If you want to know more about my opinion of Caron Simply Soft, you can read my detailed review of it here.

These two yarns I have both worked with extensively as they are affordable, come in many colors, and are fun to work with. They are very similar to each other as well.

If I had to choose between the two of them, I would have to recommend Soft & Shiny over Simply Soft. While they’re both good yarns, I find myself liking Soft & Shiny’s colors and texture more than Simply Soft.

Simply Soft’s colors tend to run paler and are better for pastel items. Soft & Shiny’s colors are richer and bolder, which, in my opinion, make my items pop better.

Soft & Shiny also has a softer texture and its sheen is more noticeable. Simply Soft is soft, but the softness can vary between skeins, and its sheen is best viewed in good light.

They’re both found easily online and in-store. They look very similar, but the easiest way to see which one is which (ignoring the label) is the color scheme and if one is thicker than the other. 

As a general rule, Soft & Shiny is thicker and bolder (and softer) than Simply Soft.

What should you use this yarn for?

As with all acrylic yarns, you can use this for anything! Thanks to its durability and lovely sheen, it can create any sort of item with a luxurious look.

I personally have made amigurumi, blankets, bags, and tapestries with Soft & Shiny. I love making tapestries with it because it gives it that thick, fantasy-woven look complete with a faint fancy gleam.

What yarns can I substitute for Soft & Shiny?

As stated in my Caron Simply Soft review, you can substitute Soft & Shiny for Simply Soft and vice versa. However, Simply Soft is thinner than Soft & Shiny, and the difference may reflect in your project.

If you don’t mind regular scratchy acrylic, Red Heart Super Saver is nearly the exact same as Soft & Shiny, just without the sheen and the softness. It is a $4.99 worsted (4) weight yarn with 364 yards per skein.

If you’re willing to sacrifice the slick sheen and willing to enhance the color, Premier Sweet Roll Vivid is a self-striping worsted weight yarn that is only $4.99 for each 174 yarded cake. It has a recommended hook of 5.5mm (I-9).

Truthfully, almost any worsted weight acrylic yarn is a substitute for Soft & Shiny. It may not have the shininess or softness that Soft & Shiny has, but it is often the same weight and can be used in a pinch.

3 Easy Patterns

Starburst Granny Square

This granny square pattern is gorgeous and great as a stash buster project! It can work with acrylic yarn in any size. The example square is worked in DK (light worsted; weight 3) yarn.

Wondering what you can do with the completed granny square? You can do many things, but I do have a pattern for a phone sling and the granny square working as a pocket for it.

Chain Loops Hair Scrunchie

This quick and easy scrunchie pattern is great when you have a bunch of extra elastic bands hanging around and need a last-minute gift idea. You can use any sort of yarn with it, too!

It only uses chains and single crochets, with a few slip stitches, so you won’t need to learn any new or fancy stitches to work up this unique scrunchie. If you’re looking for more scrunchie ideas, you can find more patterns linked on the blog post

Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket

Looking for something a little more challenging (but not too challenging)? This baby blanket is a great stash buster, great for practicing different stitches, and great for creating a decent-sized project.

It’s very customizable, and you can make it any size that you want! It doesn’t have to be baby blanket size. It is available in five different languages.

Commonly Asked Questions

What is the recommended hook for Soft & Shiny?

The recommended hook is a 3.5mm (E-4). It is a worsted weight yarn, so you can get away with sizing your hook up to a 4mm or 4.5mm if you’re not a fan of smaller hooks.

Depending on your tension and your project, you may end up with a looser stitch if you size your hook up. Play around with different hook sizes and see which ones work best for you!

How do you wash Loops & Threads yarn?

For Soft & Shiny, just like any regular acrylic, it is machine washable and dryable. If you are unsure about how it may look after a wash and dry, create a small swatch and throw it in!

Most ‘machine washable/dryable’ yarns do best when washed and dried on delicate cycles. That doesn’t mean you can’t ever wash them on a normal cycle, but you may extend its life when treating it gently.

If you have a different yarn, always check the label. Most yarns, unless made out of natural wool or cotton, are machine washable, but some are recommended to lay flat to dry.

Is Loops & Threads Soft & Shiny a good quality yarn?

A ‘good quality’ yarn is heavily dependent on opinion. I personally find Loops & Threads to be a decent quality yarn.

It is worth its price, I like the colors, and I find it fun and easy to work with. Some people might disagree, and that’s okay.

Who makes the softest yarns?

It depends on who you talk to. There are thousands of different brands, types of yarns available, and different people out there who all have their own experiences and opinions.

Some people love Bernat Blanket and swear that it is the softest, coziest yarn on the market, but some people cannot stand the texture of it and dislike working with it. Some people love Sweet Snuggles by Loops & Threads, but some people avoid it like the plague.

Others absolutely love wool yarn while others can’t stand the texture of it. Some only work in the smallest yarn possible (lace or 0 weight) while some like working in only jumbo (weight 7) yarns.

The softest yarns out there, in my opinion, tend to fall under polyester chenille yarns. However, the softness level depends on which brand and type you choose. Chenille yarns tend to be quite expensive as well.

Yarn brands also aren’t fully consistent with their skeins. Yarn from ten years ago, or even a day ago, from the same brand could be softer or rougher when compared to a skein from a week ago.

If you really want to figure out who makes the softest yarns, go out and experience a craft shop! Whether it’s a chain store or an independent yarn shop, it’s in your best interest to go out and get a feel for all the yarns that you can.