Ok, I was supposed to use Vanna’s Choice worsted weight yarn with this free Lion Brand pattern, but since I’d have to order it online and then wait for it to get all the way to Hawaii (and I didn’t want to pay extra for quick shipping), I decided to resort to my old standby, Red Heart. After all, this was a last minute gift that I figured I could quickly whip up before Christmas.

The pattern called for 17.5 ounces of 3 colors, so I decided to try to match that as closely as possible. That’s why I opted for the Red Heart Classic and the Super Saver yarns; the former is 3.5 oz, and the latter is 7 oz which gives me the exact number of ounces.

But I forgot to compare yardage. If I had, I would have discovered that Vanna’s Choice is slightly thicker (and thus has slightly less yardage) than the Super Saver, but just about matches the Classic. If I did this over again, I would use the Classic exclusively.

But I will probably not do this again any time soon. First of all, it took me about 11 hours to complete it. I used a P hook instead of the Q hook the pattern calls for (couldn’t find a Q hook anywhere). And because the fabric is so thick and bulky (you hold three strands of yarn at a time), not only did I have a hard time holding it, I kept loosing a strand of yarn every now and then, so had to re-do stitches. Finally, it was really hard on my hands and arms, and I had to take a lot of breaks.

It turned out nicely, though, and I think my daughter’s former roommate will appreciate it.