Yarn Review: Lion Brand Jiffy

Disclaimer: I know fiber-snobs are probably scoffing at the fact that the first review on this blog would be Lion Brand Jiffy. At least they'll be pleased to know that it wasn't a pleasant experience. I chose this because I was looking to pick up a cheap skein of whatever that didn't feel too horrible for making some practice swatches. Also, I don't have a local yarn shop since the only thing that can survive the void in which I live is Wal Mart. As this blog is meant to cover all the aspects of what I am currently doing, (I have purchased much better fibers for finished works), I thought I'd be fair and give equal time to the best and worst of my experience.

The Facts

• Brand: Lion Brand
• Style: Jiffy
• Color: Grass Green
• Material: 100% Acrylic
• Weight: Bulky

My Take

I did not like working with this yarn at all. First off, I chose this one from the isle of plastic yarns at Wal Mart because it seemed to have the least offensive texture. They had Lion Brand Homespun (which I *gasp* think is rather nice for a 100% Acrylic yarn), but I wanted something smoother for practice since Lion Brand Homespun is not so hot in the stitch definition category. I didn't notice that Jiffy is actually considered a Bulky Weight yarn, and looking at it now it does not seem terribly different from a Worsted Weight. I also didn't notice that this yarn is described as having the look of mohair (how soon would I find out). As I cast on, the yarn already began to "bloom", leaving my with a faux-mo mess. I persisted and made up my fuzzy swatches. The yarn was a pain to work as splitting was a consistant problem on sharp needles and more gently tapered needles. Over all, I felt that everything about working with Lion Brand Jiffy was sloppy and I would not use it for a project (or even for practice again).

Pros

• Large range of solid and multi-colors
• Soft feel (though not as soft as mohair)
• Reasonably looks like mohair (though I don't think it would fool many)
• Widely Available
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Splits and snags easily
• Yarn "blooms" quickly and distorts stitches
• Yarn also sheds rather easily

Will I Purchase it Again? No.