Cotton or wool: which crochet blanket suits your home

Most people choose a blanket by color and then live with the fibre for years. It is worth two minutes the other way around, because cotton and wool behave completely differently once the blanket is on a sofa.

The short answer

Wool is warmer for its weight and needs hand washing. Cotton is cooler, heavier and can go in the machine. If the blanket is for a cold room or a bed, choose wool. If it is for daily use on a sofa, a warm house, or a home with children and pets, choose cotton.

Warmth

Wool wins, and not by a little. The fibres are crimped, which traps air, and trapped air is what keeps you warm. A wool blanket gives more warmth than a cotton one of the same thickness, so it can be lighter on you while being warmer.

Cotton warms by weight instead. A chunky cotton throw is genuinely warm, but you feel it as weight rather than insulation, which some people prefer and others find heavy.

Temperature regulation

Wool handles a temperature swing better. It absorbs moisture, up to around a third of its weight, without feeling damp, then releases it. That is why a wool blanket rarely feels clammy even if you fall asleep under it.

Cotton is more breathable but holds moisture against you once it is damp. For someone who sleeps hot or lives somewhere humid, cotton feels fresher; in a cold, damp room, wool is the better companion.

Washing, which is where most blankets die

Cotton: machine wash cold on a gentle cycle in a laundry bag, dry flat. Forgiving, and it softens each time.

Wool: hand wash cold with wool wash, press the water out, dry flat. Never agitated, never warm, never in a tumble dryer. Heat and movement together are what felt wool, and felting cannot be undone.

Wool needs washing far less often, though. It resists odour naturally, so airing it outdoors on a dry day is usually enough. Cotton gets washed more, but the washing is easy. Choose whichever trade you prefer.

There is a full guide to both in how to wash a crochet blanket.

Texture and how it ages

Cotton has a clean stitch definition, so patterns show crisply, and it drapes heavily. It softens with every wash and holds its shape well if you dry it flat.

Wool is springier and lighter, with a softer bloom to the surface. Merino is the one to look for if you are worried about itch: it has a finer fibre than traditional wool and most people who "cannot wear wool" are comfortable with it.

Allergies, children and pets

Cotton for a baby blanket, and cotton if anyone in the house reacts to wool. It washes hot if it has to, and it is easier to replace.

For pets, cotton again: claws pull at loops in both fibres, but cotton survives repeated washing better after an accident.

Price

Wool costs more, usually noticeably, because the fibre costs more. A wool throw is a longer-term purchase; a cotton throw is the one you buy for daily use without worrying about it.

So which should you buy?

• A gift for someone whose home you have not seen: cotton. It suits more rooms and more climates, and the care instructions will not be resented.
• For a cold bedroom or a drafty old house: wool.
• For a nursery, or a family sofa: cotton.
• For someone who feels the cold and will actually hand wash: wool, in merino.
• For year-round use in a warm country: cotton.

Ours are made in both. Every product page lists the exact fibre under Details, and most designs can be made in a different color if you ask before ordering.

Browse the crochet blankets and throws, or the wider crochet collection.