Yarn Review: Lion Brand’s Shawl in a Ball

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!