So… What is this?
I’m doing my first ever yarn review! Recently, I was contacted by Yarn Canada (thanks guys!) to do try out the Mandala Tweed yarn from Lion Brand. Having never done a review before, I put my best foot forward and tried to cover all the bases I could think of. I had a fantastic time playing with this yarn and hope this is helpful for anyone planning on using Mandala Tweed for a project!
Yarn Specs
Weight: Worsted Weight (4 Medium)
Length: 520 m (568 yd)
Gauge (Crochet) : 15 sc x 28 rows on 5.5 mm for 4″ x 4″
Gauge (Knit) : 20 sts x 28 rows stockinette on 4.5 m for 4″ x 4″
Care: machine wash, machine dry
100% Acrylic
Gauge
Firstly, I started with making some swatches with the recommended hook size. My two squares ended up being roughly 4 by 4 inches and the resulting cloth was surprisingly springy. When I initially picked up this yarn, I found that it was on thin side for a worsted weight yarn and did not seem to have a lot of give. But, in the end, it works up nicely!
I also attempted to use a smaller hook (4.5mm) for comparison; however, I encountered issues with the yarn splitting, and frogged the swatch before completion.
Texture
For me, texture is very important when I choose yarn for a garment or project that will likely come into contact with skin often. This yarn feels very soft and light when working with it, although it does have a bit of a papery/powdery feel to it. For this reason, I personally would not use it to make a gift for someone with sensitive skin like a baby, but it’s definitely comfortable enough to make a garment out of (I ended up making a very fluffy-feeling shrug!).
Looking at the yarn, I can see that it’s made of 2 colours of yarn twisted together. Although it tends to split, as long as you use a hook larger than 5.5mm (recommended size), it generally isn’t a problem.
Colour
The colours of this yarn are absolutely lovely! The colourway I used, Seven, is very vibrant with a mixture of neon and pastel colours. While this can end up looking very busy and doesn’t lend itself well to texture-based patterns, it looks absolutely delightful and fun with a simple pattern.
This yarn has very long colour blocks and sudden colour changes (generally one colour strand at a time) which makes picking an appropriate project important. Colour blocking will definitely be a challenge with this yarn, so I think a project where the colour changes aren’t too important will suit it best. Also, since each colour can be rather lengthy, I would recommend a larger project like a scarf, shawl or blanket. Otherwise, if you were to use this yarn for a smaller project, say a hat, you’d likely only get about three colours.
I used a bit more than one ball of Mandala Tweed to make a shrug, working in the round, like a giant granny square. Since the lengths of each colour are about the same, as I worked outwards, the colour stripes became thinner. I thought this was a pretty neat effect, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if that’s not what you want.
What do I have to say about Mandala Tweed?
It’s a fantastic yarn to work with! For me, the colours in this yarn are the highlight (ha!) of working with it. Every time I look at my project, it makes me smile, especially in this drab winter weather. I have to say that all those neons are, guaran-tweed, not for the faint of heart!
Happy making!
~ Fuzzy Fungi
Fuzzy Fungi 