I happened upon Shawl in a Ball online a month or so ago and was intrigued, so I added what was apparently the only color available (Soothing Blue) to my cart.
What pattern should I use?
I initially found a pattern on Lion Brand’s website that I was ready to use to test out the yarn. Then I found the Amelia shawl pattern calling for the yarn on the Moogly blog. I opted to use this one in part because I can’t resist a crochet-along (CAL). Buddy groaned when I told him I found not only the Amelia CAL but another CAL on Moogly (the yearly squares CAL) that you can now find as part of my Project Clean Queue.
Yarn Basics
Wash instructions: Machine wash, dry flat
Colors: 9 colors including metallic colors
Category #4 weight
Content: 58% cotton, 39% acrylic, 3% other
Weight: 5.3 oz/150 g
Length: 518 yd
Comes in an oval ball, pulls from the outside in or is a center pull depending on how you want to use it
Experience with the yarn
As I started working with it I took note of the actual structure of the yarn.I noticed pretty quickly that the yarn varied from thick to thin in different spots. The thicker parts could qualify as a 4 yarn, but most of the ball was a thinner yarn that was more of a 3 or even a 2. The yarn looks very fuzzy so I wouldn’t use this yarn if you want clear stitch definition.
I was a little bit disappointed with the colors of my ball since they only had one bright blue spot. I found it odd that the product picture on Yarn Supply had a prominent splash of the blue while the Lion Brand product picture didn’t even have the bright blue in it. Putting my bright blue aside, I also felt there was a bit more grey and white than I liked. I’m glad I picked the Moogly pattern for my shawl because I’m not sure the bright blue patch would have looked quite so natural on the Lion Brand pattern.
I found when I tried on the shawl (and as I was working on it) that it was a little bit scratchy. It may ease up with washing. I’ll let you know when I do eventually wash it. It did feel like it kept me warm, not that I needed it when it’s 80 out.
Update: It’s February 2021 and decidedly not warm out or even in the house. The shawl offers some heat but not much. And either I’ve gotten less sensitive or it’s gotten softer.
Overall I liked working with this yarn. I liked watching the colors change and the ball disappear. I liked the colors of the final product. I’ve even considered making one in another color just because.
Additional Shawl & Colorway Pictures
To practice bead crochet I also made Moogly’s Amara Shawl in the Calming Desert colorway.
Have you tried Shawl in a Ball? Tell us your experience!
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4 thoughts on “Yarn Review: Lion Brand’s Shawl in a Ball”
Love this. I got the pattern but yours looks mode like a jacket did u change it? Beautiful
Thanks! The yarn does all the work.
I didn’t change the pattern. My pictures may not have made it clear. I’ve added another picture to show it stretched out.
I am currently working through my Shawl in a Ball, using just the easy pattern provided by Lion Brand for this product in Soothing Blue. I too noticed that there was just the ONE bright blue patch, and also noticed that my ball appears to begin and end on the same color tone, so I might crochet my ends into an infinity once I am through. I have not decided yet. I also noticed the variation thickness you mentioned. I was slightly more irritated by this than anything because the areas that it is thickest by their pattern instructions leave small patches of thicker yarn and some areas of very thin yarn. It almost appears to be very worn in parts and very new/nice/fluffy in others. Overall, it feels very nice so far, however I will not be using this yarn alone ever again. If I ever want a variated in the future I will either be doubling the skein for a more even thickness by using 2 strands or using 1 Shawl in a Ball on another neutral base strand. This is a showy shawl, not anything to be expected warmth from that is for sure, but I am still excited to complete it and show it off.
I found the inconsistency in thickness to be most annoying when trying to use the beads for the Amara shawl. It really does go from being a baby-type weight yarn to almost a worsted weight in just a few inches. It’s really pretty when you use the right pattern. I like your idea of using it with another yarn, especially since they’ve come out with the metallic shades.