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Showing posts with label blanket. Show all posts

Monday, June 2, 2025

Reviewing Fisherman's Wool Yarn by Lion Brand

I recently had a request for a crocheted, warm blanket for camping so I dug through my stash of yarn in order to come up with a yarn and pattern idea. I found two skeins of the Fisherman's Wool by Lion Brand that I had purchased some time ago with the idea of making a warm sweater for myself. This yarn is a pleasure to work with and is creating a beautiful blanket with a super easy, and quick, stitch. I am enjoying this yarn and project so much that I may end up making a warm blanket for myself!

photo and text about Fisherman's wool yarn

Fisherman's Wool by Lion Brand

This Fisherman's Wool by Lion Brand is currently offered in 6 colors; varying shades of brown and white/oatmeal, with one "tweed" color. These colors lend themselves to rustic or cabin decor perfectly. They are also the perfect colors for sweaters, scarves, and hats.

Yarn Weight: 4 medium/worsted
Length: 465 yds in solids, 348 yds in prints
Fiber: 100% Pure Virgin Wool in all colors except Birch Tweed
Birch Tweed Fiber: 90% wool, 7% acrylic, 3% rayon
Care: Hand wash, lay flat to dry (do not dry in a dryer, do not use bleach)

More details about the Fisherman's Wool can be found on the Lion Brand Yarn website.

With a prime membership, you can currently order the Fisherman's Yarn on Amazon and save the shipping cost.

Personal backstory

My son and I had a conversation recently about camping and warm blankets. He wanted me to make a blanket for his dog, similar to the wool blanket that I used to keep my dog warm years ago. We had a difficult time narrowing down which dog, which camping area, and other assorted details. We finally realized that he was remembering a Peruvian wool poncho that we had purchased from vendors at a craft fair. While that poncho was woven, I thought that I could probably make a blanket for my son and his dog.

In my yarn stash, I found 2 skeins of Fisherman's Wool. I love the natural colors of the yarn and I had planned to learn how to make cable stitches that are often found on Celtic Irish sweater designs. As usual, my crochet project dreams were bigger than my amount of free time and skill. But that turned out to be a good thing as this yarn is creating a beautiful blanket. I am surprised about the softness of this wool yarn - I had expected it to be scratchy. The yarn is relatively soft, but allows for good stitch definition. And best of all, the yarn doesn't split or snag. I am so surprised at how easy it is to work with.

Personally, in addition to sweaters and blankets, I think this wool yarn would make wonderful, old-fashioned teddy bears!

Moss Stitch

For this blanket project, I'm using the Moss Stitch. It is also called the Linen, Granite, and Woven stitch. It is a stitch with much smaller spaces between stitches, that add to the warmth of the finished item, but not so tight that the blanket is stiff. The Moss Stitch creates a design that adds interest when the colors change, but does not require any counting or multiple row pattern changes to create that design. The Moss Stitch is a popular stitch for good reason and patterns and tutorials can easily be found in books, blogs, and in videos.

Cable Crochet Patterns

The Lion Brand website also has a large variety of free crochet and knit patterns. If you look on the site, you can find a good number of crochet cable patterns including this gorgeous Heirloom Crochet Cabled Throw kit (includes the pattern and the yarn).

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

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Sunday, July 23, 2023

This Cooling Blanket Works - It Uses Japanese Arc-Chill Cooling Fibers

I recently purchased a cooling blanket for my friend for her birthday.

Honestly, I was worried it was all hype and wouldn't work. Wow, was I wrong! She loves it, and she's particular!

My friend's problem isn't related to heat in the home or summer weather; they have air conditioning, but instead, it's simply the heat her body generates at night. Her feeling of being overheated was so bad she could barely get a whole night's sleep.

Since I was skeptical about this product, I was shocked to get her personal review saying she absolutely loved it. She loved it so much that she ordered a second one.

The link for the blanket is featured at the end of this article. The blanket is available on Amazon.

The Features of the Elegear Cooling Blanket:

The Cool Factor: Double-Sided Cooling Blanket

Elegear's cooling blanket boasts a brilliant design that caters to your comfort. On one side, they use fabric woven with Japanese Arc-Chill Cooling fibers, ensuring quick moisture transfer from your skin to the fabric's surface, where it rapidly evaporates. This keeps your skin dry and cozy, allowing you to doze off comfortably.

They've incorporated Jade Nano-particles, promoting skin moisture and elasticity for an added touch of luxury. On the flip side, the warm cotton fabric is perfect for cooler seasons like autumn and spring, making this blanket suitable for year-round use.

Your Choice, Your Style: Versatile Usage Cool Blanket

Everyone has unique preferences, so they offer a range of options to suit your needs. With four sizes and six colors, finding the perfect cooling blanket for your throw, queen, or king-size bed is a breeze.

The blanket isn't just for bedrooms. Its versatility allows you to use it in various settings. This lightweight and portable blanket can accompany you, whether in your kid's room, during camping adventures, for travel, in the car, or on airplanes.

Hassle-Free Care: Easy to Maintain Cooling Blanket

Caring for your Cool Blanket is a breeze. It's machine and hand washable, ensuring no shrinkage, color fading, or unraveling after washing. They recommend using a laundry bag to keep the blanket pristine to avoid entanglement or damage to the delicate fibers.

Avoid hanging it to dry in direct sunlight. Dry it in a cool, well-ventilated place, and it can stay fresh and bright for years.

My friend washed it on delicate and hung it to dry (not in the sun) before she used it for the first time.

A Gift of Comfort: Giftable Cooling Blanket

This cooling blanket is a perfect gift idea. It's not overly expensive and ideal for anyone who overheats at night; it's a way to help them.

With its incredibly soft and temperature-regulating properties and naturally faded look, this lightweight blanket offers the perfect balance of weight and warmth, making it ideal for year-round coziness.

If you know someone who suffers from overheating at night, this blanket is certainly worth a try; it helped my friend.

You can find the Elegear Cooling Blanket here on Amazon.

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Monday, December 15, 2014

Bernat Blanket Review

I do not consider myself a crafty person typically. But every winter I do find myself sitting and crocheting. And every year I am able to make at least one item for a gift. This year, I have made a very exciting discovery. There is a fairly new line of yarn that has me head-over-heels with crocheting this year. It is the Bernat Blanket Yarn.

Crocheted Cowl by the author

My first project was a cowl that I made for myself. I very loosely followed a different pattern I had found on the internet. The good thing about just winging it was that I ended up with a cowl that I love. The bad part is that I can't replicate it exactly since I didn't count stitches or pay close attention to how many rows. I can tell you that I started with joining a chain in order to make a loop around my neck at what I thought was a desired length. I completed the second row of single stitch. Then I used rows of double stitch, with one row of decreasing.

My second project was an easy scarf pattern. I am making a gift for a child at the school. He has asked me to teach him to crochet and since that first lesson he has been busy making gifts for his family members. I thought he might like to have a scarf of his own. The scarf is 8 single stitches across each row. Easy peasy.

After I finish his scarf, I think my next project will be a throw or blanket. Perhaps the one featured in the following video.

This video is a bit long, but excellent in showing a step-by-step blanket pattern with this yarn. It shows steps from start to finish. Please note, how soft and lush this yarn appears. It feels even better than it looks.

Bernat Blanket Yarn, Mallard Wood - photo by Amazon

Bernat blanket yarn can be found at craft stores as well as online. It is a Gauge 6 - Super Bulky Chenille yarn. It comes in ball size: 300 g/ 10.5 oz, 201 meters/220 yards. It is machine wash and dry. When I bought my first ball, it seemed a bit pricey. But I have made two scarves so far, and haven't gotten to the end of that first ball.

Crochet Hooks for Bulky Yarn - photo by Amazon

I wasn't prepared to crochet with this yarn since it was an impulse purchase. I saw the yarn, touched the yarn, and had to have a ball of it right then. I didn't have a pattern and I had no plans to crochet that weekend. I knew that I didn't have any hooks that were large enough so I did purchase a set of crochet hooks for bulky yarn. I'm happy using the N hook. The size N hook gives me a really nicely sized stitch.

This Bernat Blanket yarn (and I'm sure I'll try the Bernat Baby Blanket yarn soon) is amazing stuff. You can bet that my crocheting this season will not end with just these two scarves. If you like to knit or crochet, I urge you to check out this luxurious yarn.