Hobium sent me a big o'll bag of yarn to review and use to create some new free patterns! These are a few great basic "workhorse" yarns that are perfect dupes for some of your big box yarn store favorites. I'll let you know what I think about each of the yarns that I got, what kinds of patterns they'd be great for and where you can get them for great prices and free shipping!
This is the first yarn review I've been asked to do so I thought it would also be the perfect opportunity for my first Youtube video! I've wanted to start making videos for so long. I'm a visual learner so I know there are just some things in knitting and crochet that are easier to grasp when you can actually see it being done. I hope that you like this video and that I can muster up the courage to make more (it's surprisingly hard to just turn on a camera and talk to yourself)!
Just a quick little intro to Hobium if you've never shopped there before: Hobium is a Turkish craft company that has their own lines of yarn as well as tools and notions from some of your favorite brands. Turkey is a powerhouse in the yarn world. If you check the label on some of your favorite big box store yarns, you'll often find "made in Turkey." So in some ways, shopping with Hobium is like going straight to the source. Because of this, all of their yarns are super affordable and they offer bulk discounts. And if you buy over a certain amount, the 2 day express shipping is free to most countries. Now on to the yarn!
The first yarn I pulled out of the bag was La Mia Baby Cotton in this cute bubblegum pink color! On Hobium's website, the colorway is called Blush-L042. It is scrumptiously soft with a cool-to-the-touch feel that I can tell will have a nice drapey weight to it when it's worked up.
Baby Cotton is an appropriate name for this yarn because it's perfect for soft, durable baby projects. I think it would work well as a cotton alternative in patterns to some light/DK weight acrylic yarns like Bernat Softee Baby or Lion Brand Jamie. I've got some big plans for a free baby pattern or two with this yarn. (When it's available I'll update this blog post).
Next we have La Mia Wool Easy in the ever controversial mustard yellow color. On Hobium's website, the colorway is called Mustard - L204 . Love it or hate it, this golden rod color is seemingly everywhere in the yarn world and it's wonderfully rich and saturated in this yarn.
You may think that "Wool Easy" sounds a lot like "Wool-Ease" from Lion Brand Yarns. On that note, I think we have ourselves a near perfect dupe! These yarns are the exact same weight and gauge so you could use them interchangeably in patterns. At the time I'm writing this post, the La Mia Wool Easy is only $2.03 per skein when you buy 3 or more so that makes it less than half the price of its Lion Brand counterpart. It's squishy-soft, with enough wool to be warm but not be scratchy.
To wrap up the basics in this unboxing we have Kartopu (which means snowball in Turkish) Elite Wool. On Hobium's website, the colorway is called Green- K1480. Be sure to check for that 5 digit code because there are several green colors of this yarn. This one looks like teal and navy had a baby. It's perfectly unisex color but it inspires me to write a pattern for the fellas, so stay tuned for that free pattern!
It also feels luxurious and way more expensive than $3.09 per skein, which is how much it is when you order 5 or more skeins. With a higher wool content (51% Acrylic 49% Wool) and heavy worsted weight, anything you make with this yarn will be extra warm and thick. By the way, it comes in over 45 colors!
Lastly, we have Kartopu Home Decor. If that's ringing any yarn bells for you (think Bernat Maker Home Dec), you're right! This tubular yarn with a synthetic core is very similar to the Bernat Maker line but it fits right between Home Dec and Maker Big on the chunkiness scale. Its has that wonderful stretch of t-shirt yarn but is softer and loftier and I find it easier to work with.
On Hobium's website, it's labeled as a 7 jumbo, but I would categorize it as more like a super bulky. It comes in several neutral and pops-of-color colorways that would, indeed, be perfect for home decor patterns. I see this smooth tube yarn and immediately think, "floor pouf"! I'll have a free crochet pattern for that using Kartopu Home Decor available soon!
I hope you enjoyed this yarn review and my first ever Youtube video! Subscribe to my email newsletter to get updated on when the free patterns will be posted and be sure to check out Hobium for fantastic Turkish yarns straight from the source.
