You probably have been seeing RED HEART's New All-In-One Granny Square Yarn from either a content creator or walking into JOANN's. Let me start by saying that I am not affiliated with Yarnspirations, JOANN's, or RED HEART Yarns/Coats & Clark. I purchased this yarn/product with my own money. And therefore, not being paid for this review. This yarn piqued my interest, and I had questions that needed to be answered. As I am sure, all who are reading this blog/watching my review on YouTube are.
I don't necessarily call myself a "Yarn Snob." But I do have my preferred choices. I like to try yarn at least once and create my own conclusion from there. Typically, RED HEART Yarn is NOT my preferred choice for many reasons.
When testing this yarn, I pushed all my beliefs and feelings about RED HEART Yarn to the side so I could look at this yarn with a fresh perspective. Which, believe me, is not an easy task.
I am rating this yarn out of a 5 Yarn Skein Scale. So, let's get into it:
The Yarn
RED HEART All-In-One Granny Square Yarn uses the Planned Pooling concept/technique that crocheters and knitters use when working with stripped yarn. This yarn allows the crocheter to continue to crochet a Traditional Granny Square without changing colors. Thus, less to weave in at the end. Or, if you are like me, you weave in your ends as you continue to crochet.
However, it is a constant game of tension. I found that in each round I held my tension differently from the previous round. Thus, removing one headache (changing colors and weaving in ends) and replacing it with another (finding the right tension so the color can change when it is supposed to change).
According to the label, this yarn is categorized as a Worsted Weight Yarn (#4 Medium). Each skein weighs 8.8oz/250g which measures out to be 417 yds/381 m. They recommend a US I-9/5.5 mm crochet hook or whatever hook that helps achieve the 6" gauge. It is 100% acrylic. And each skein, according to the label, makes 14 Granny Squares. However, I did manage to make 15 Granny Squares from one skein.
The label also comes with its own Traditional Granny Square Pattern on the back. However, I was able to use other methods/patterns to achieve the Traditional Granny Square with ease. More on that later.
When working with this yarn, I found that it was soft enough to work with without being annoyed with the coating that RED HEART puts on their yarn to bind the fiber together. The coating is still there and will remain there till after the first washing. And no, I am not going to prewash my yarn before using it.
Working with my WeCrochet Dots Crochet Hooks, I found that the yarn splits constantly. I tried working with my Clover Amour Hooks as well and found the same results: the yarn still splits.
Though, probably the best part about this yarn is having easy access to the center pull. No need to dig into the skein to find the center pull. It's right there. Ready to go!
I did find it helpful when working with yarn to pull out the yarn till the color changes. This allows you to visually plan your round. After working a few squares, you get a general idea of how to crochet your Granny Squares. And it becomes a lot easier from there.
The Colorway
According to the Yarnspirations website, the All-In-One Granny Square yarn comes in 16 colorways. Many of which are sold out. However, according to JOANN's website, there are only 13 colorways.
I purchased the White-Pink Punch colorway and I am not too thrilled with it. If you ask a crocheter what their biggest pet peeve is about yarn, they most likely will tell you the same thing: dye lot numbers.
The yarn I purchased came from the same dye lot and I can see significant differences from skein to skein. For starters, the white is not really white. It is white with leftover residue from the pink row before it. I even placed two granny squares together, each from a different skein but both from the same dye lot (Pictured Below). It even says on the label, "Buy more of the same dye lot to complete project." The whole purpose of buying yarn from the same dye lot is to have consistency of color. And right now, that's not holding true! If the advertising and label say it's supposed to be white, then I expect it to be white. I am fine with a few specks of color here and there from the color changing on the white yarn. But for it to completely change the color is unacceptable.
The reason I grabbed this colorway was so I could make myself a Valentine-themed blanket. I can't really say anything bad about the other colorway options. Mostly, because I don't gravitate towards those colors. They are marketing more to the retro-style (60's and 70's style) crocheters since the Granny Square was HUGE during that time. And that is perfectly fine by me. That tells me that they know who their target audience is. But, if I were to pick a different colorway it would be the Aran-Soft Sky. It's a little bit closer to my personal color pallet and motif.
The Price
According to JOANN's website, the All-In-One Granny Square Yarn is priced at $9.49. And on Yarnspiration's Website, the yarn is priced at $9.99.
I purchased the Granny Square Yarn at my local JOANN's during their Yarnormous Sale (25% off all yarn) and used additional coupons to bring the price down to $5.83 per skein.
I'll be straight honest with you all about the price. The money is going to the idea, the research, and the engineering to create this yarn. They are not creating a new pattern. They are not creating new colors. And they definitely are not adding any quality to their yarn. They are simply putting a solution to our multicolored Granny Square problems: weaving in ends.
The Pattern
As I mentioned earlier, the yarn does come with a Traditional Granny Square Pattern. And it was my least favorite of the three that I tried out with this yarn.
As shown in the picture above, they start each row with a chain 6. Which, by the end, leaves no room to double crochet 2 in that opening. Therefore, crocheting over the chain stitches. Giving a slanted corner look.
The third method I tried was the stack 2 single crochet at the start of each round. Thanks to Karen from Hooked Up Crochet for reminding me of this method. I like this method because it allows the crocheter to create the illusion that each round started brand new and chain stitches were not needed. It covers up the color changes and creates crisp clean rounds. This quickly became my favorite method of the three and I will continue using this method for the rest of my project.
I also took the liberty to try other Granny Squares with this yarn. And sadly, the results are not what I was hoping for. But I also figured that this would be the end result.
My attempt to do the Double Crochet Granny Square
My attempt to do a Farmhouse Granny Square
Ending Conclusion
Overall, I give this yarn a 3.5/5 Yarn Skeins. Mainly for the idea of creating an All-In-One Granny Square yarn so we have fewer ends to weave in at the end. I love that the center pull is easy to find and ready to go. This is a great yarn to introduce Planned Pooling to those who have never done it before. And there's not a lot of planning to do on your part. All you have to do is crochet a Traditional Granny Square. The only question remains, what are you going to make out of those Granny Squares?
The biggest flaw with this yarn that I can't overlook: is the lack color consistency from skein to skein within the same dye lot. If I am going to spend $10/skein, I expect color consistency as advertised.
I hope you enjoyed this review and it helped you out. So, until next time, Happy Crafting!
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