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Giveaway: Lion Brand Homespun

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homespun yarn giveaway

Congratulations to Priyanka!

I had a really fun opportunity to teach a knitting class at a local advertising firm that’s doing some work for Lion Brand Yarn, and to show their appreciation they gifted me with a lot of yarn.

A lot.

And I already have a lot of yarn.

So while it was an absolutely lovely gesture, and I am certainly keeping some of it for myself, my gain is your gain as I’ll be giving away some of it periodically.

To start, these six skeins of Homespun. There are three each in the colors Coral Stripes and Pearl. I think the coral is actually self-striping, while the pearl is multicolored. If you haven’t worked with Homespun, it’s a bulky, textured yarn than runs 185 yards per skein, so in all this is 555 yards per color or 1,110 yards total.

The yarn, as you can see, is new in the bag.

If you’d like a chance to win this yarn, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, April 19. Let me know what you’d like to do with the yarn. One winner will be picked at random.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  5. I would use the yarn to knit chemo caps for charity for people undergoing chemo. thanks

  6. I love knitting with Lion Brand’s Homespun yarn. It has such a soft feel to it. I hope I win. Thank you for being so generous.

    How do I put it out that I am wishing for some self striping sock yarn? The local big box do not carry any.

  7. I’ve been knitting and crocheting since I was 4. I’m now 68, and always looking for new and wonderful yarn. My almost 10 year old grandson said to tell you he’s not into pink, but loves the the brownish and greenish colors. AND, he’s alreday picked his patterns! He’ll be 10 in February, and he hopes I’ll get at least rone by then. He doesn’t know I’m hiding AMURGUMI Characters from his latest new movie. Well both keep our fingers crosses. Thanks for the opportunity. Rita

  8. I just finished two Homespun scarves. One a diagonal single thickness scarf for my sister in New Jersey, The other was done doubled for my sister in upstate New York….a colder place, for sure.

    I would love to make myself a scarf or shawl with this gift of yarn.

Have you read?

Book Review: No Fear Sock Knitting

I feel like when it comes to things that people are afraid to knit, socks probably top the list. I’ve heard people say they would never knit socks because they look too hard, but really you just need to know a few basic things (and trust the pattern even though it sounds wrong the first time you do it) to master socks. 

Denise DeSantis aims to take the worry out of knitting socks with No Fear Sock Knitting. Based on a class on her YouTube channel, it includes all the basic information you need to make sock knitting feel easier, along with eight patterns for both top down and toe up socks. 

The book generally covers types of needles and yarn you might use to knit socks, as well as other supplies you will need. It looks at the parts of the sock, different knitting needle configurations used to knit socks, how to read a pattern (including abbreviations and terms you might find in sock patterns), discussion of ease, how to measure your foot and choosing the correct size to knit.

It includes two options each for casting on cuff down and toe up socks, as well as four options for cuff treatment. It explores the heel flap and turn method for top down and toe up socks, as well as short row heels using a shadow wrap (worked with a leg from the stitch below) and a square heel. There’s a discussion of avoiding holes and fixing other problems in heels.

Likewise with toes there are several options, including a wedge toe, round toe and anatomical toe (different on each foot) for both cuff down and toe up socks. There are also tutorials for grafting and Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off, depending on which direction you’re going. There’s also a tips section that covers things like avoiding ladders, changing colors. matching stripes and more. 

After all that preparation, there are eight patterns to choose from: short socks worked from the top down that are a perfect first-sock sock, a basic ankle-length toe-up sock, a DK weight sock worked from the top down with different length options, a “vanilla” sock with a short row heel worked top down, an ankle sock with a garter stitch cuff, one with a leg worked in alternating colors with a contrasting heel and toe, a sock worked in a helical stripe pattern and a striped sock with a garter stitch heel. 

Three of the patterns are rated at skill level two on a scale of three, while the rest are level one. They’re all pretty straightforward, they just use different techniques you might not have tried before. Since only one is made to be toe up, there are also tips for converting the other patterns to toe up if you’d rather work that way. Each pattern includes three size options. 

This book is a nice introduction to sock knitting, with lots of techniques to reference and simple patterns to take the fear out of the process. I’m not sure these are patterns you’ll come back to time and again but they are a good place to start if you’ve never knit socks before. 

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 8 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.