Caron Cloud Cakes Perfect Phasing review: a soft gradient cake for blankets
Caron Cloud Cakes Perfect Phasing is the yarn I used for my blanket. In my own words: "a lot of their yarn is very soft and absolutely beautiful! I've made a blanket with it." I made mine in Fir and Lagoon. Here's my take, backed up by what other crocheters report.
What it is
Cloud Cakes Perfect Phasing is a Caron yarn wound into a cake. As you work, the color fades gradually from dark to light. You can buy it at Michaels, in stores and on michaels.com.
- Fiber: 100% polyester
- Weight: #4 Worsted (Medium)
- Cake: 8 oz / 227 g, 720 yd / 658 m
- Hook (label): 4.5 mm (US 7)
- Crochet gauge (label): 16 sc × 20 rows = 4 in
For my blanket I used a 5 mm hook, a bit bigger than the 4.5 mm on the label.
Price and yardage (as of Oct 23, 2026)
| Where | Price shown | Per ounce | Per 100 yd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michaels (michaels.com) | $11.24 sale (Reg. $14.99) | $1.41 sale / $1.87 regular | $1.56 sale / $2.08 regular |
Prices may vary by store. As of Oct 23, 2026, Michaels also listed a 12-pack for $119.88, which works out to $9.99 a cake.
Feel, softness and splitting
It felt very soft in my hands, and it didn't split on me.
What other crocheters report:
- Soft, and easy to work. A crocheter in r/crochet who made a shawl with Cloud Cakes said it was "easy to work with" and that "the yarn slips through my fingers nicely." Another made a 12-point star baby blanket with the Perfect Phasing version and "loved it so much" they're making a second one. In r/CrochetHelp, a crocheter showing their finished blanket said "it makes a very soft blanket!"
- It can snap under strain. In a July 2025 r/crochetpatterns thread, one crocheter said Cloud Cakes "snaps when i try to shut a magic ring." Others suggested starting with a chain ring instead of a magic ring. In r/crochet, another crocheter said it "breaks very easy, especially if you need to rip it out," and they're doubling the strand on their blanket for strength.
- Not everyone finds it fragile. In a January 2025 r/CrochetHelp thread, one commenter said it's "not particularly thin or fragile and very popular for blankets."
Washability and care
Label care (Yarnspirations product page): "Machine wash in cool water delicate cycle. Do not bleach. Low tumble dry on delicate cycle. Do not dry clean. Do not iron."
What other crocheters report (their experiences, not mine): in r/CrochetHelp, one crocheter who hadn't used this exact yarn said fuzzier yarns can lose their fuzz if they're washed or dried wrong. They recommend a delicate cycle or hand washing, then air drying. That's general advice, not a test of Cloud Cakes.
Colors
I made my blanket in Fir and Lagoon. On Oct 23, 2026, the Yarnspirations page listed eight colors: Nightwatch, Cinnamon, Rhubarb, Golden, Fir, Lagoon, Royal and Orchid. Ravelry's popular colorways also include Coral and Taupe. Fir and Lagoon are the two most-stashed colors there. I couldn't confirm which colors Michaels has today.
Best projects
Blankets are the big one. Crocheters on Reddit keep coming back to this yarn for the star blanket and the 6-day star blanket, because the slow color fade suits a design worked from the center out. They also make shawls with it.
Tips from crocheters:
- For one long gradient across several cakes, switch to a new cake at the start of a row.
- Some pull the second cake from the outside, so the colors run light to dark and then back again.
My blanket took about 6 cakes, 3 each of Fir and Lagoon. I worked it row by row from my own made-up design, using a different stitch for each row.
Closest comparison
Caron Cloud Cakes (the original, non-phasing version). It's the closest match, sold right next to Perfect Phasing at Michaels for the same $11.24 sale / $14.99 regular price (as of Oct 23, 2026). I didn't find a gradient polyester cake from another brand that I could confirm matches its fiber, weight and yardage.
Ratings
- Ravelry: 4.2 out of 5 from 145 votes, with 1,081 projects (Oct 23, 2026)
- Michaels: michaels.com shows about 4.6 out of 5 from 719 reviews (as of Oct 23, 2026).
My verdict
I've found Caron Cloud Cakes Perfect Phasing to be very soft and absolutely beautiful, and it worked well for me in a blanket. It's the one to buy for an easy color gradient, and crocheters regularly call it soft. It was on sale at Michaels when I checked, so wait for the sale price.
Happy hooking,
Kimberly from Skeinstead