Reviewing Jeans Yarn by Lion Brand 5 Years Later

In 2019, I reviewed Jeans yarn by Lion Brand. I loved it then and I love it now. During that time, I was focused on crocheting chemo hats and baby/child hats. Jeans is a beautiful yarn that creates soft and comfortable wearables and afghans. 

Over the Fall/Winter holidays, I impulsively picked up a skein of yarn and began crocheting again. Life had been busy and I just hadn't made time for one of my favorite hobbies. I started with a huge skein of Mandala yarn and a new stitch to me called the Brick Stitch.  I then learned a beautiful Cross Back Stitch (tutorial by JaydaInStitches) and started a baby afghan using Caron Simply Soft yarn.

That baby afghan project put me in the mood for something soft and comforting, beautiful but not frilly. I had such a craving to use Jeans yarn by Lion Brand. I remembered how wonderful it was to work with, even all of these years later. 

Jeans Yarn by Lion Brand

• 3.5 oz/100g skein weight
• 246 yd/225m length
• 100% acrylic
• machine washable and dryable
• medium weight #4 yarn

While this is a worsted weight (#4) it feels much lighter to me. Afghans are far more supple with this yarn than with regular #4 weight yarn. Of course, both thick and light afghans have their uses but I am in the mood to make something lighter.

It comes in 5 shades of blue, very similar to the color of jeans, one black, and one shade of light brown. 

Here is a brief video (56 seconds) from Lion Brand that shows the yarn and shows it being worn. I think you can see how soft and perfect it is for garments.

In my current project, I'm using the Jeans yarn and the Cross Back stitch for 10 rows (however, it looks like 5 rows since every-other-row is a single stitch) and two rows of Double Stitch in the darker blue. This stitch looks like it requires more advanced crochet skills but it is very easy (if you know the Double Stitch and the Single Stitch). And it works up quickly. 

I learned the Cross Back stitch on the tutorial by JaydaInStitches. You can find the tutorial for this beautiful and easy stitch here. 

Related Yarn Review Links:

Wednesday Elf, a prolific creator of plushy friends, wrote about I Love This Yarn by Hobby Lobby. At the time of her review, that yarn came in acrylic, metallic, and cotton versions. 

Sylvestermouse reviews the Bernat Loop Yarn, a yarn that is created so that blankets can be made with your fingers alone. No crochet hook skills required. 

My recent review of the Mandala Bonus Bundle and the brick stitch pattern.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing Mandala Yarn and a Brick Stitch Crochet Pattern

During a recent shopping trip I spotted a beautifully colored yarn cake. It was the Mandala Bonus Bundle in the colorway called Sasquatch. I had not planned on picking up any yarn but with the holidays coming up, as well as possible snow days, I thought I might have time to relax with project. Besides, the yarn color was too pretty to pass up. 

Mandala Bonus Bundle Yarn Cake 

Lion Brand Mandala Bonus Bundle Yarn

I have used a variety of Lion Brand yarns over the years and I have liked the quality of yarn. So when I saw this beautifully colored yarn cake, I had no problem with choosing it for a project. 

What is a yarn cake? Historically, there are skeins, hanks, and balls of yarn. Most people are familiar with skeins of yarn. Yarn cakes are different because they are flat on the top and bottom, The starting end of the yarn comes from the center of the cake. I find that yarn cakes are becoming my preferred yarns. I don't find that they tangle or snag as easily as they do with a skein. If it is a multi-colored yarn I am able to see all of the colors when it is in a cake. And best of all, yarn cakes don't roll away like a ball of yarn does. Maybe I'm the only one who has dropped a ball of yarn and watched it unwind as it rolls across the room. Let me tell you that it is quite annoying when it happens. 

The Mandala Bonus Bundle I chose is the Sasquatch colorway. At first glance, I thought that it looked like natural, outdoor colors. Greens and blues, the colors of earth and sky, followed by yellow, orange, and a magenta, the colors of a sunset. Then I decided that it reminded me of the colors of rainbow sherbert; green, orange, and raspberry!  I still haven't decided what colors I think this self-striping yarn is but I haven't changed my mind that it is beautiful.

Mandala Bonus Bundle cake is a size 3 yarn. This is a lighter weight than worsted weight. But in my opinion it is thicker than a baby yarn. The Bonus Bundle is 1,181 yards in length and it seems that just these 2 cakes are making a decent sized afghan.  The yarn is acrylic which makes it machine washable and dryable. 

I love to crochet. Especially in the wintertime. I consider myself an intermediate level crocheter. I need patterns that do not require intense concentration, counting, or intricate patterns. However, I want something pretty. Yes. I want the best of both worlds! I want super easy/fast and an interesting pattern. 

The Brick Crochet Pattern - Jayda Institches Tutorial

I can read written crochet patterns but these days I prefer to watch a good video tutorial. I have my favorite crochet channels and usually go directly to them. Fortunately, I stumbled across a wonderful Brick Stitch Baby Blanket tutorial using Mandala yarn (Sasquatch) by Jayda Institches.

She gives very clear directions, crochets slowly so I could follow along, and uses close-up shots that show exactly where she is placing her crochet hook. It was very easy for me to create an adult-sized afghan following her directions.

If you are looking for an easy and pretty crochet blanket pattern I recommend that you check out Lion Brand's Mandala yarn cake and this Brick Stitch pattern.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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