So I have two main goals for this year as of now, 1) Do more yarn reviews and 2) Complete other designers patterns more often. In this review I am doing both of those things! In one of my previous reviews, I decided to post pictures of a completed projected made with the yarn being reviewed and people seemed to enjoy that concept, so I am going to try to continue doing that!
Today I am going to be reviewing Lion Brand’s Touch of Merino Yarn! I’m not going to lie, although I have been crocheting for 6 years, I have only used a Lion Brand Yarn once or twice before now. I know what you are thinking, how is that even possible? This fact had nothing to do with the quality of their yarn, but if I am honest, their yarn tends to be a little pricier than other options, and I was never really in a financial position to feel like I could “treat myself” to more expensive yarns. However, now that I am in a slightly different boat than before, I am finally jumping on the Lion Brand Band Wagon and let me tell you, my first impression was a great one!
As you may or may not know, I would have never really considered myself a wool kind of person, but my mind was recently changed by Whims Merino Yarn by Furls. Now that I have been converted, I am so happy to say that I can enjoy a whole new world of yarn such as Touch of Merino.
Now before we get into the review, lets hear a little bit about Lion Brand if you don’t already know about them!
Lion Brand is a family owned US company that has been around since 1878! If you have ever been down a yarn isle (which is you are ready this, i’m sure you have) you have probably seen Lion Brand Yarn before.
They are fairly innovative, coming out with new lines of yarn pretty much all of the time, and always seem to be upping their game each time from what I have heard through the grapevine. So I am super excited to finally join the adventure of their yarn launches and look forward to trying everything out!
If you want to find out more about Lion Brand, check out some of their social media accounts!
Yarn Review
Now, let’s get into the actual review of the Touch of Merino Yarn! Because I am going to try to do more yarn reviews, I am mostly going to only be getting one color of each yarn that I review. I already can’t fit all of the yarn I currently have in my apartment so I need to really flex those self control muscles from now on!
Touch of Merino is currently available in 8 colors. Which personally, I am pretty sad that there aren’t more options (especially since I do really like this yarn), but it is a newer launch so perhaps they will end up releasing more? Or I can just broaden my horizons and stop being afraid of bright colors haha
Colors Purchased: Swedish Blue (105)
Weight: Light DK
Material: 90% Acrylic and 10% Merino
Length: 1 Skein = Approximately 257 Yards (235 Meters)
Recommended Hook Size: 4 mm
Recommended Needle Size: 3.75mm
Texture:
Getting right into it, the texture of this yarn is the best part about it. It is actually one of the most cloud like fibers I have ever worked with that I picked up from a craft store (I technically ordered it online, but it is available at Joann, so it counts haha). If you have ever used fuzzy or velvet yarn and never wanted to stop petting it, that is very much how I felt about Touch of Merino.
First off, now that I understand and appreciate the wonders of Merino Wool, I am not surprised by how soft the yarn is on that front, but knowing that it is also 90% acrylic does make me a little bit surprised by how soft it really is.
I have used a few yarns that were mostly or 100% acrylic that were very soft, but still had some qualities that I wasn’t crazy about. So with this particular blend, it seems as though that 10% of Merino actually cancels out a lot of the undesirable qualities of the acrylic, leaving you with an incredibly desirable yarn.
Overall, it is very soft and airy, allowing it to have a lot of bounce and a very nice stretch to it as well, making it perfect for sweaters and other garments!
Color Match:
When I was looking at the yarn online, I knew from the get go that their were going to be some color match issues.
For one, as you can see below, the image of the ball of yarn already looked like it was a different color than the swatch image, which was also different from an image of a completed project.
Maybe it is just me and these colors look the same to some people, but to me they look just different enough for me to question what color I am actually going to get. The image of the skein, in my eyes, looks much brighter and vibrant than the swatch (which almost leans on the teal side). Additionally, the image of the finished product looks much lighter than both of the other images.
I was hoping that it when I received it, it would be the most like the image of the finished product, but I knew it wasn’t going to be. As we all know, images of modeled clothing are usually edited to some degree and this image is very likely brightened which will make the cardigan appear lighter and brighter than it is in real life. I also was not sure if the color in the image of the skein would be accurate either because some of the highlights of the image looked a little blown out.
When I did receive the yarn, I must say that the actual color was closest to the swatch image, it was a little more dull and a little darker than either of the other images would have you believe.
In conclusion, when choosing a color, I would probably really refer to the small swatch image (on the Lion Brand Website) to determine what color you are likely to actually receive.
Workability:
In terms of workability, I have no more complaints for Touch of Merino than I normally would for any other yarn.
In some cases, the plys are going to slightly unravel and it may split when you are working, but personally I feel like that is just the name of the game with almost every yarn.
The good news is that the split shouldn’t necessarily be permanent, there were times that I actually had the patience to undo the stitch and fix it and it looked as if nothing ever happened, so if you do get a split, it may not end up being reflected in the final product!
Additionally, because of it’s soft and airy qualities, it glides very nicely on the hook allowing you to stitch quick and efficiently, which is what we all want in the end right?
Finished Product:
As of now, I have completed one project with this yarn, for “The Herringbone Buttoned Cowl” by Little Monkeys Crochet (pictured below). Every so often my boyfriend decides that he really wants me to make him a scarf or beanie, and since it has been a cold winter, he was very much in that mood. When I was only designing to make a pattern, I never really wanted to make beanies or scarves, so I wouldn’t really make him anything very often, but now that i’m not limiting myself, he finally got his wish!
# of Skeins Used: 1 and 1/4 skeins for a standard size cowl
Hook Size Used: 5mm
Because of the light and airiness of the yarn, it has a very pleasing drape! (Definitely going to be making a sweater or cardigan out of it soon)
Nick reported back that the yarn is comfortable and warm on the skin and doesn’t get itchy over time so it is great for garments!
Affordability:
As I mentioned earlier, in my mind, Lion Brand Yarns are a bit more expensive per skein than what I would usually reach for. While the Touch of Merino isn’t necessarily going to break the bank at a standard price of $5.99 per skein, depending on what you are making it is understandable that this could add up fairly quick.
The good news is that new Lion Brand launches usually find their way into Joann pretty quickly (for some reason I have noticed Michaels is often pretty late to the game), and Joann pretty much always has a coupon going that you can use on anything of your choosing, so it is usually gonna be easy to get a discount off the standard price
If you asked me if the yarn is worth the price I would say absolutely. Not only is the quality of the yarn incredible, but with the skeins being just under 260 yards each, you can get a decent amount done with only one skein.
If this is a bit more than you would normally spend on yarn, but you are looking to treat yourself, I think Touch of Merino is a great contender for you to check out!
Where to Buy Touch of Merino?
Naturally since Touch of Merino is a Lion Brand yarn, you can find it for sale directly on their website.
The second most likely place you will find it is on the Joann Website (or a physical Joann store of course) where as I mentioned before, you are super likely to find they are having a general sale on your whole purchase or at least a 40-50% discount on one regular priced item.
Also as I mentioned before, at some point in time, you may be likely to find it at Michaels, but as of today it is not yet being sold through them. I don’t know why but I feel like Michaels doesn’t take their yarn as seriously as Joann does (or is that just me). I also noticed that Michaels online store often make you buy yarn in multiples of 3 which can be frustrating, so even if they do end up carrying the yarn, I personally recommend sticking with Joann online over Michaels.
Summary
I think we can agree that the consensus is that I adore this yarn. While I certainly wish they had a broader color selection as the current colors are a bit out of my person comfort zone, this is a newer release and perhaps they will broaden their options once it gains popularity (does Lion Brand ever do that? I honestly don’t know haha). This is probably the softest yarn I have used at this kind of pricing, so I will definitely be ordering some more soon! (Probably in the green, I know that is safe for me haha)
As this is one of the first times I have used a Lion Brand yarn, I am incredibly happy with the first taste at their products and can’t wait to try out some other fibers!
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Do you review yarns from other countries?
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