Hi, I’m going to knit a blanket for my husband and would like to know what holds up better Jiffy or Homespun? I’m going to be washing it in washing machine and would prefer to dry in dryer (instead of laying out, but will in necessary). I know homespun is a bit of a pain to work with, I’ve crocheted with it before. I just want it to turn out soft, warm & hold up over time. Thanks.
Lionbrand Homespun or Jiffy for afghan?
They are both acrylic so they can be machine washed and dried.
I haven’t used Jiffy, but I believe it’s softly spun like Homespun. They both will be soft I, but I think they may get fuzzy over time. Not necessarily a bad thing though.
Have you considered Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Thick and Quick? I like the look and feel of it better than Jiffy and Homespun. It has about twenty percent superwash wool, but it’s just as tough as the other two. Actually, I think it looks better over time and it dries quickly.
Also has great grays that guys will like!
Is it easier to work with than Home Spun? I’m one of those who doesn’t care for Home Spun.
Personally I don’t think Wool-Ease is softer, but I’m sensitive skinned.
I don’t like to knit with Homespun, but it’s very soft. If you do use it choose a simple pattern. The yarn will kind of hide details of some stitches. If you want cables then the Jiffy might be better.
Yes, WE T&Q is a regular spun yarn, not at all like Homespun. It’s a superbulky though, but there’s WE Chunky which is a bulky. Lion also has another super bulky called Hometown which is all acrylic and also a smooth yarn.
From what I’ve read, Homespun doesn’t stand up to repeated washings very well. It balls up and gets nappy and nasty looking.
Since you’re wanting yarn for a blanket (which I assume you will want to wash), I would recommend making swatches from each type of yarn you like, washing the heck out of it, and seeing what the end result is!
If that seems like a pain in the you-know-whatty, consider that you’re going to spend hours of time working on this, so you want it to last!
I just recently worked with it to make my brother a scarf. I just used a simple basket weave pattern for it, and I really liked the way it turned out. Plus not nearly as hard to work with as homespun.
I just realized I have 2 balls of the WE T&Q, it is not like Homespun or I wouldn’t have bought it. Now if I could just remember what I had in mind when I picked it out. ??? I think it should work up nicely but will require large needles.
Yes, WE T&Q is a regular spun yarn, not at all like Homespun. It’s a superbulky though, but there’s WE Chunky which is a bulky. Lion also has another super bulky called Hometown which is all acrylic and also a smooth yarn.
This is very good to know! I think I need an online source as the local Michaels never has much stock.
My LYS stocks Encore for it’s cheap acrylic, but lately I’ve been thinking I might be better off going back to Wool-Ease. Has anyone tried Knitpicks Brava? I feel like their Stroll yarns are really thin, but they are cheap. I also feel bad whenever I buy from them or Michaels and not my LYS.
Is it easier to work with than Home Spun? I’m one of those who doesn’t care for Home Spun.
I think the Wool-Ease is loads easier to knit than the Homespun, but I’m a real fumble-fingers and it’s amazing I can knit at all really.
The Homespun’s texture does hide mistakes though - that’s definitely a plus for beginners.
Rie, you can just hit edit to fix a post rather than deleting and reposting. I deleted the posts that were extra.
I had two separate posts which I made by responding to separate posts and one posted when I was halfway through typing it. I thought I deleted it but I guess you got to it first. Ha! I’m such a fumble-fingers!
Encore is similar to Woolease, it’s 25% wool/75% acrylic. It also comes in a bulky weight, maybe a super bulky too.
Knitpicks Brava is a worsted acrylic, Stroll is a sock yarn which is why it’s so thin.
You did delete them, but I just deleted the entire thing since I was in the thread anyway.
I prefer knitting with Encore to Wool-ease. Nothing wrong with Wool-ease though.
Knitpicks Brava is a worsted acrylic, Stroll is a sock yarn which is why it’s so thin.
Yes, but I’ve never encountered such a thin fingering weight yarn before. I thought it would compare to Berroco Comfort Sock, but it doesn’t. It’s like a light fingering weight, if there is such a category.
There’s is a light fingering and some sock yarns are thinner than another. All the weight classes are a range of yarn thicknesses because it depends on the manufacturer. Knit picks Merino is called a dk when it feels just like a worsted and has the same yarns to gram as worsted. But it’s soft and will squish down to a dk gauge and many people say it should be knit tighter because merino stretches a little. So you’re going to find heavier or lighter yarns in each weight category.
One of my favorite blanket yarns has been Lionbrand pound of love, and Bernat satin.
I’ve made blankets for all my neices and nephews and the blankets continue to look nice even after 5yrs. They’re machine washed in a gentle cycle and a delicate dryer setting.
Oh and they’re nice and soft, yes even the bernat satin.