Sunday, October 30, 2016

My First Caron Cakes in Cherry Chip. Yarn Review


I'm sure you've heard about Caron Cakes by now. And if you have not, let me tell you how wonderful they are. 

Disclosure: this is not a paid review, and I wasn't compensated for it in any way. I simply want to share my own experience. 


I bought my first ever Caron Cakes roll of yarn in Cherry Chip color a few days ago. Today, I bought my second roll in the same color so I could finish my project.

This yarn is made of 20% wool and 80% acrylic. There are 7.1 oz (200 g) in each roll. That's approximately 383 yards or 350 meters. 

One roll should be enough for a smaller project like a scarf, or maybe a couple of hats. But for a bigger project, such as a baby blanket, you will need at least two if you are using an open, lacy stitch. For something more dense, you'll need three rolls, perhaps even more depending on the size. 





Here is what I love about this yarn:


  • It's soft to touch and easy to work with.
  • The colors are bright and beautiful.
  • This yarn is self striping. It has a very abrupt color change, which most variegated yarns don't.

Here is what I don't love about this yarn:
  • The price! $7.99 for 7.1 oz is pricey. Let's say you want to make a dense stitch baby blanket. The cost of yarn would be at least $24 (plus tax). Ouch! 
  • Because this yarn has 20% wool, the finished items should be hand washed. Let's say you gift the pricey baby blanket mentioned above to a busy new (or not new) mom. I doubt she'll have time for all the hand washing. 

But! 

As I mentioned above, I already bought two rolls of Caron Cakes, and I do intend to buy more. This yarn is sold at Micheal's exclusively. But did you know that Michael's offers coupons all the time? You can always find one online, and they accept them on smart phones. Hint, hint.

I can think of many beautiful items that can be made from this yarn that won't require frequent washing. For example, a gorgeous, special occasion shawl or a bright winter poncho would only need to be cleaned/washed once a season.



17 comments:

  1. I didn't know it was a Michael's exclusive. I don't often go there, so I haven't actually seen it, though I did check on line and found the yarn pretty pricey for such a small skein. I love the color you chose and admit that I like the abrupt color change. I'll be watching for a sale or grab a coupon to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought mine at Joann's. It is not exclusive.

      Delete
  2. molto belli i tuoi lavori!!!! bravissima.
    ti seguo :)
    http://desiderichic.blogspot.com/
    passa a trovarmi!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wish this yarn did not have wool in it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've heard about Sweet Roll, which is similar, but doesn't have wool.

      Delete
    2. The Sweet Roll doesn't feel,as soft as the Cakes. I think the little bit of wool adds softness.

      Delete
    3. I haven't tried Sweet Roll yet.

      Delete
  4. Lovely striping with the Caron Cakes. Did you know JoAnn's now carries Premier yarns' new self striping "Sweet Roll"? And it is all acrylic. The balls are a little smaller but also less in cost. Caron's Cakes is really pretty reasonable when you consider it does have 20% wool in it. Natural fibers always cost a bit more than manufactured fibers. I intend on trying both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I've heard about Sweet Roll; it would be fun to try it too.
      Thank you for your visit and comment!

      Delete
  5. That looks like beautiful yarn and with the coupons it should make it more affordable.

    ReplyDelete
  6. How would you know how wide and how many rows to make before the change in color. I know nothing about the cakes as you can tell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't really calculate how wide to make my piece. Sometimes I have a color change right in the middle of a row (or anywhere else in a row), but I don't mind that.

      Delete
  7. Hello,

    Thanks for the review. Can you tell me what stitch / pattern you are using for your caron cakes project, as pictured above? Also- it seems that the colour change happens pretty much at rows end, at least, not in the very middle: how many chains did you start with?

    many thanks!

    M

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I used this stitch: http://lacycrochet.blogspot.com/2013/04/simple-and-pretty-crochet-stitch.html

      But no, the color change didn't happen at row ends for me. There is no way to predict how many chains to start with to get the color change at end of rows. You would have to cut off yarn and reattach it again.
      I didn't do it. In fact, when my blanket was finished, all the color changes happened in the middle of rows. But that was fine with me.
      You can see more pictures here:
      https://www.etsy.com/listing/471805068

      Delete
  8. I made four loosely crocheted squares with Caron Cakes yarn, joined them together, threw them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle, then into the dryer on a regular dry cycle. They came out beautifully, no shrinking, pilling, or felting. I think this yarn does not necessarily have to be hand washed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So it can be machine washed. Great, another thing to love about this yarn.
      Thank you for your feedback.

      Delete