****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
.....I don't know how it holds up after washing. I was on a team that uses this yarn for blanket projects for hospital patients. The people who are old hands at crocheting didn't really care for this yarn, but since I was new to using it, I had no problem with it. And the finished project felt okay to me.Very silky and easy to work with, I love the homespun line. This knitted up beautifully. My only complaint for the gothic is that the color isn't quite what I expected. In the pictures it appears to be a mixture of purple with darker almost black areas, but in reality it is a uniform, vibrant purple. Lovely, but not quite "gothic" in appearance.I love this yarn, the color matched the purple plaid in a coat I have nearly perfectly. It's my own fault that I didn't quite order enough to make a complete scarf. For the record, if you're using the size crochet hook that is recommended, you'll get around 4 feet per skein.In the past I have seen breakage with this brand, but there was absolutely none in this one. It was great.This yarn is beautiful and very soft. My daughter used it to make herself a scarf. It's really warm and so lovely. Loved it! Can't beat the price anywhere and so convienent!!I was looking everywhere for this yarn. Its great for scarfs. My only issue is it was a bit expensive. It was well packaged.While this is a very soft yarn and I like the colors, the stabilizing thread causes the actual yarn fibers to gather up with even the slightest traction as it flows through your fingers.I either use 6 skeins of Homespun or 3 skeins of Homespun Thick & Quick, which is double the weight, to make gorgeous afghans. I can make one in about 3 hours. If I'm using the regular homespun I use 2 skeins at a time crocheting with 2 strands and if I'm using the Thick & Quick I only use one strand. Color selection for Thick & Quick is very limited (mostly I use the color "Colonial" which is very rich looking and is made up of deep denim-like colors).I don't have any problems working with Homespun, but if you tried to use a small crochet hook I think it wouldn't work well with this type of yarn. I wouldn't use a crochet hook smaller than a "P" with Homespun. I use a very large crochet hook (Lion Brand size "S" or "35" which is 19mm, but I'm looking to get a "U" crochet hook from Etsy.com) and the loops are loose which makes the afghan light and airy, but not too loose. It's the perfect weight to be cozy warm without getting hot after awhile.I crochet the whole afghan using the "single crochet stitch". I start with 60 slip stiches wide (pretty loose--it tightens up when you add row 2) then continue to crochet until I run out of yarn. It makes an afghan large enough to cover you from toes to neck lying down.The loose strands tend to fray easily so I generally cauterize the ends by trimming the strand and passing the end of the strand across a flame (lighter) for just a second to slightly meld the end together. The yarn is acrylic so it is flammable...BE CAREFUL! I don't burn the yarn and make a globby melted end. I barely touch the end to the flame...doesn't take much. Later, I use a large-eyed plastic needle to weave in the loose ends.I've worked with several of the Homespun colors which are mostly made up of a primary color and one or more secondary colors which makes the end product so much more interesting and dimensional with flecks and strands of other colors. So much prettier than just one flat color. Also it has a lot of texture because the strands aren't straight...they're wiggly which gives the end product even more dimension and soft texture.I've made at least a dozen of these Homespun afghans for gifts and friends and family are standing in line to get theirs. It's one of the softest and lightweight yarns out there.By the way...I would NOT wash this in the washer NOR dry in a dryer! Handwash, air dry, then fluff on "no heat" setting or low heat setting in the dryer for 5-10 minutes.That is an outrageous price for this yarn, which is widely available at craft stores, and with 40% off coupons there is never any reason for paying more than a few dollars per skein. Okay, got that out of the way.Homespun is a lovely acrylic yarn with which I have a love/hate relationship: love it for its texture and amazing colors; hate it for its sometimes slippery, squeaky, splitty, fuzzy or downright stubborn qualities. Some skeins work up perfectly, some are just impossible to deal with. I discarded one entire skein because it was so uncooperative, even after frogging, cutting and starting the project over several times! And yet my favorite scarf is made from Homespun and it worked up in a flash.This is not a yarn for absolute beginners, but novices may find it very satisfying to work with: the colors are wonderful, the texture hides a multitude of mistakes, and it is soft and very comfortable to wear next to the skin.My absolute favourite wool.Knits up with such an interesting texture.Product looks and feels just as I wanted. Delivery was on schedule. The product looks and feels amazing. Thank you.lovely wool so glad I found it on amazon
