A Review of Walmart’s NEW Mainstays Yarn Brand
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Wait… Walmart has their own brand of yarn?! Yep! A new line of yarn has been released by Walmart – Mainstays yarn. I got my hands on some and I’ve had the chance to work with it. Read my independent Mainstays yarn review to see if this yarn is a good fit for you!
Before we get started I want you to know that Walmart has no idea I’m writing this review. They did not provide me the yarn nor did they compensate me for writing about it. As always, I will share my true and honest opinion. Alright, let’s get started!
Review of Walmart’s Mainstays Yarn
Sure, we’ve all seen the Mainstays brand at Walmart. They have sheets, rugs, towels, home decor and now they have a Mainstays YARN too! Say whaaaa?? I’ve had the chance to purchase this yarn (although not at my nearest Walmart, it seems it is only available at the Walmarts with a decent sized yarn department at the moment). I’ve had the chance to FEEL this yarn and I’ve had the chance to CROCHET with this yarn.
Do I love it? No. Do I hate it? No. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s dish. 😉
Mainstays Yarn Cost
Walmart’s new Mainstays yarn is ridiculously inexpensive at just $1.97 per skein. Not only is it cheaper than any other comparable yarn (my favorite part!) but you get a bit more of it. Available in a variety of solid colors with a whopping 397 yards per skein, this is slightly more yardage than the other major brands you may be familiar with. Brands such as Red Heart Super Saver (364 yards), Big Twist (371 yards), and I Love This Yarn (355 yards).
This means that while you do get more yardage, the Mainstays yarn is slightly thinner (and I do mean slightly thinner) than the other brands.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
As you can see with the Red Heart Super Saver on the left, Big Twist second from left, I Love This Yarn second from right and the Mainstays yarn on the right – the thickness of the four brands is allllmost identical. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the feel of it is identical.
The Feel
As a crochet addict lover I can feel the difference between the brands as I work with them. Maybe you can also? The Mainstays yarn feels a bit cheaper to me, but then again… it is. At half the price of the other major brands, the feel of it is about what I expected. Just being honest. Don’t get me wrong, it is SOFT but as you work with it you can tell that the fibers are just… different.
When crocheting with this yarn it feels softer than Red Heart Super Saver but not as soft as the I Love This Yarn (which, if you’ve worked with ILTY you’ll know what I mean). As I mentioned above there are places where the yarn feels a bit… different. Like short sections of the yarn are more dense or less fuzzy? I haven’t found the right word to describe the change in texture. This texture change, however, is NOT noticeable enough for me to stop using it.
Quality
I used about 900 yards of Walmart’s new Mainstays yarn to make my newest crochet pattern: a child size unicorn hoodie. In all of those 900 yards I found one knot. So I cut it out, rejoined and kept on keepin’ on. Meh, it happens with all brands. Again, not enough to make me stop using it.
Fiber content
This yarn is 100% acrylic. While this doesn’t matter to many of us, some people have an allergy to wool. Something to think about when gifting crocheted items for sure. Especially if you don’t know the person (or their list of allergies) well.
Washing
So… I made two identical swatches (15 dcs x 8 rows using the recommended size I hook) and I washed one of them. I wanted to see how much it would change after coming out – washed per the instructions on the label. Check out the difference! The washed swatch is MUCH softer than the unwashed swatch, and it did shrink a bit as well. Hmmm…
Overall
Overall I am pleased with Walmart’s new Mainstays yarn. I wish they had variegated yarn options, but maybe that will come soon? Would I go out of my way to purchase this yarn? Probably not. I will, however, pick up a skein or two when I hit up Walmart for the Mandala or Bernat Pop!
All things considered I give this yarn 3.5 out of 5 stars. Have you tried it? How many stars would you give it? It gets a gold star for value, that’s for sure!
Oh! And they have a chunky! I have not tried this yet but it is chunkier than Bernat Blanket and the value seems decent! If you’ve worked with the chunky I’m interested to hear what you think.
More yarn reviews:
Hobby Lobby’s NEW Sugarwheel Yarn Cakes: Comprehensive (Independent) Review
Caron Cakes vs Sweet Rolls: An Independent (and 100% Honest) Review
The Difference in Bernat Pop! Yarn Cakes, Caron Cakes, Mandala and Sweet Rolls
How (and WHY) to Make Your Own Yarn Cakes