With the unusual high summer heat showing up for us in the Chicago area early on, so did my search for summer yarn choices. As usual, cotton was a forefront runner, but so was one of my favorite fibers - bamboo.
Bamboo yarn has been making the rounds the past few years - being used in some sock yarns and even being used by itself for a light, silky feeling yarn. So how does this yarn work and is it worth picking up for your next project?
A Quick Look...
| Availability | Craft Stores In-Store/Online or Online at LionBrand.com |
| Fiber Content | 100% Rayon from Bamboo |
| Structure | plied |
| Skein Size | 241 yd/3.5oz (220 m/100 g) |
| Price per Skein | $6.49 USD |
Color Availability
Lion Brand's TruBoo comes in a range of 27 beautiful colors - hitting almost any color you would need in a few different shades.
At my local Michaels, not all of these colors are available. Nor are they all available at any Michael's I've been to (admittedly I've only been to a few since I live in a pretty rural area). I'm not sure if some of these are brand exclusives, but I wish I could find more colors in-store as opposed to having to order online for colors my local stores don't carry.
If you can't find the color you're looking for at your local craft store - check out the Lion Brand Website for all colors available!
One thing to note - there is no black, but there are some beautiful darker shades of grey that do come close.
Overall, I love the colors available - they are perfect for spring and summer! I wish there was a nice dark black or some nice dark emeralds and rubies, but given the season this yarn is meant for, the colors are a perfect fit.
Skein Quality
Lion brand is doing a fantastic job here - I have been using Truboo for quite a few projects. One of these involves using quite a few skeins for a single project.
Personally, I have not had any issues with knots, breaks in the yarn, or discoloration through skeins. Granted, I purchased all of my yarn for my big projects at the same time within the same dyelot.
The only issue i've noticed with this yarn - sometimes, the skeins appear a bit messy on the outside. I think this may be due to how slippery and silky the yarn is, as it just kind of glides over itself. I've only had it with a few skeins where it unraveled quite quick, but otherwise haven't had any major issues.
Feel & Softness - Working Up & Finished
Truboo has an exceptionally soft feel both working up and finished. If you're looking for something super soft that will hold up well over washes, this is your yarn!
Not only is it extremely soft, but oh my, the drape is absolutely beautiful! I can see this yarn being used for a ton of things from summer garments to shawls and even accessories.
I've been using this yarn for a spring/fall sweater, it's light and perfect for those Chicago seasons where it's 30 degrees in the morning and 80 degrees in the evening! While the sweater is not yet done - it's so soft and cool to the touch, making it a real joy to work with, even during those hot summer days.
Ease of Use
So let's first start off with probably the first thing everyone's heard about this yarn. Yes, it's splitty. This is the first thing I heard about this yarn - how splitty it was. The first time I picked it up, I never wanted to work with it again! I was using an aluminum hook and had issues with my yarn splitting constantly. Thankfully, though, there are ways to mitigate the splitting and make it a bit easier to handle.
The best way i've found to work with this yarn is by using a wooden hook. A wooden hook will give you some more grip to make it (hopefully) a bit easier to work with. With the aluminum hook, I found that the yarn would slip off often and cause me to go between the strands a bit too fast, causing more splitting than necessary.
I won't say a wooden hook will fix all your issues, but it will help! The yarn is still quite splitty and I still had to work a bit more to keep it from splitting during my swatching, but overall I had a better time with the hooden hook vs other ones.
Wash Durability
For our wash test with this yarn - I followed the instructions on the back of the skein. I did wash the swatch in a lingerie bag on with cool water and laid it flat to dry on the patio in the early morning.
My first reaction to the washed skein was how soft and silky the yarn still felt. Sometimes after washing other yarns, after washing, you have issues like it deforming or having a bit of a weird feel to it. Washing this yarn did absolutely nothing to it's softness - or the drape! It still feels fantastic both before the wash and after the wash.
One thing I did notice, however - while the yarn was just as shiny, I did notice a slight discoloration in the yarn after the wash. It is very slight, but just noticeable enough to note.
While the unwashed swatch (left) seems to be a bright orange, the swatch that was washed (right) does appear slightly duller than it was prior to washing. I would chalk it up to the lighting being different, but even in different light I was able to notice it just slightly.
Final Thoughts
Truboo has been on the market for some time - and it's no secret why this yarn is perfect for summer. The silky, smooth texture is perfect for summer tees and camis and even other projects that need that light feel with fantastic drape.
I think this yarn would be perfect for summer clothing, scarves, and maybe even a few home projects! If you're looking at this yarn for a blanket for fall - it may not be the best. While the yarn itself creates some beautiful fabric, the outcome is more "cool" than "cozy". Maybe perhaps for a light summer blanket, but I wouldn't suggest it for a warm cozy blanket for fall or winter.
Is it worth it? Is the beautiful drape, shine, and feel worth the extra effort for this splitty yarn? 100% yes. For me, it's worth the fight for how beautiful it turns out.
What were your first impressions of Truboo? What kind of projects have you made with this yarn? I'd love to hear your thoughts!