One of the latest “big things” to hit the hooking world is Caron Cakes….  You know – those big fat sweet colorful delicious little (ha – BIG) yarn pastries…  I was skeptical at first, because they are a little more expensive, and I’m usually late to the party when it comes to all the new fangled things.  Not sure why – but I remember from way back in my college days in marketing class that I am usually in the late majority.  I guess I just want to see what everyone else thinks of something and have the item “prove itself” before jumping in.  Which explains why I’m a little late to the Caron Cake party with this review 🙂

Part of the draw of the Caron Cakes is that they have very long color changes, and the combinations of the colors is just delicious!  I had a new pattern design brewing in my mind, so I thought what better time to find out for myself!

It was during the period where Caron Cakes caught fire and was sold out most everywhere, which made me think “there must be something to this”…  SO I went to Michaels and bought a couple of cakes in the Jellyroll color way. and you can get it on their website (incidentally that’s where I got the photo of the Cake from, since I forgot to take a picture of it before I started working).

As I started working on my new design, I noticed how much I loved the feel of the fabric.  It felt warm, soft, and comfortable… which shocked me because it has 20% wool in the fiber content.  I usually don’t do well with wool because my skin is so sensitive, and wool usually makes me itch.  I read somewhere that there’s some trick to the processing that has something to do with whether wool is itchy or not, and if that’s the case, Caron did a great job!  I didn’t feel itchy!

That was the first hurdle for me – again, sensitive skin!  So far so good!

As I sorted working my way through the color changes, I noticed that I really did like not having to weave in a bunch of ends to add different colors.  It made it very easy breezy lemon squeezy to keep working in one solid rhythm!

When I got finished with the first section of the pattern, though, something was just bugging me.  I took a step back and I noticed that I wasn’t a huge fan of the color changes in the middle of the rows.  It kinda made the project look…. well….. for lack of a better word – sloppy, or discombobulated.  Maybe it was because the colors are so bold and contrasting, but I just couldn’t help my eyes being drawn to the color changes instead of the project itself.

Here’s a closeup view:

I tried and tried to look past it, but I just couldn’t get next to it.  So I frogged all of it…. yes.  ALL. OF. IT.  It nearly caused me physical pain to do it, but I just HAD TO.

I decided to actually cut the yarn at the end of the last full row of each color, and then rejoin the yarn at the next color.  I was really conflicted about doing it, because again, cutting it defeats the purpose of have one large cake.  I was conflicted… until I saw the reworked project.

What a difference it made… SO. MUCH. BETTER!

Obviously I’m a fan of crisp clean lines 🙂  It was as if this Caron Cakes Jellyroll was meant for my shawl pattern!  Get your copy of my Friendship Garden Prayer Shawl and try your own flavor of Caron Cakes!

Incidentally, I figured there had to be a way to use the Cake just as it is, without cutting the yarn, and still love the color changes.  So I decided to try a Cake that had more subtle colors in hopes that the changes would be less obvious.

Marly Bird hosted a CAL (Crochet Along) for a poncho a few weeks ago, and I decided it would be the perfect project for my 2nd batch of Cakes.  This time I went with Buttercream, and it definitely made a difference!  The only spot that caught my eye is where the lightest color transitioned to the darkest color.

All in all, The Caron Cakes were a success for me.  I would definitely buy the Cakes again, especially when I have a Michaels coupon 🙂

I do realize that some folks that have issues with wool cannot use the Caron Cakes, but recently Premier Yarns came out with Sweet Rolls – similar concept to the Caron Cakes, but made with 100% acrylic.

Either way, if there is a yarn out there that you’ve been itching to try but have just been too scared, I say go for it!  You never know how much you’re going to love it until you try it!