The name hides a useful distinction

Both primary pages list 220 yards (200 m) per 100 g. Standard Cascade 220 is Peruvian Highland wool with hand-wash care. 220 Superwash is superwash wool with machine-wash and low tumble-dry instructions. The shared package length makes quantity arithmetic straightforward, but does not establish the same behavior after washing.

Their gauge ranges only meet at one end

Cascade 220 publishes 18–20 stitches over 4 inches (10 cm), on US 7–8 needles. 220 Superwash publishes 20–22 stitches on US 6–7. The overlap at 20 stitches provides a reasonable swatching question, not a blanket replacement rule. For a pattern worked at 18 stitches, the superwash version’s published range does not include the target.

Choose the fabric and care you need

If easy laundering is essential, the superwash line deserves consideration. If the pattern depends on the behavior of the original untreated wool, first check the replacement sample after the intended wash and dry cycle. Construction details remain unverified, so this comparison makes no claim about equal twist, pill resistance or physical durability.

Buying from a US retailer

Yarn.com lists both lines and identifies its US retail business and shipping options. The links below are dated listing evidence, not a stock feed. Check the exact line name on the product and ball band: 220 Superwash Aran is another product again, with only 150 yards per 100 g.

Specification sources: Cascade Yarns Cascade 220. Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash. Sources and retail evidence are detailed below. These are desk comparisons; no physical testing has been performed.