Does this Yarn *Actually* Glow in the Dark?
Lion Brand Yarns released several different kinds of glow-in-the-dark yarn, from chenille to cotton. I have seen these yarns at the store several times before, but their texture and price threw me off. I finally decided to give it a go, and here is my honest review. Does this yarn actually glow?
The Price and Quality
I bought the “DIY Glow Cozy” version of Lion Brand’s glow-in-the-dark yarn. It’s a stretchy, knitted yarn that is similar to T-shirt yarn (It’s a long, knitted tube that’s stuffed). I bought it in the color “Neon Green.” Someone in my Discord server brought up the idea of making a “radioactive rat,” so I decided to make a rat out of this yarn. While I was crocheting with it, I noticed that it was kind of stiff, and it had sort of a rough texture, even though the ball felt soft in my hands. It definitely makes my fingers hurt faster than regular acrylic yarn does.
As for the price, I bought it at Joann Fabrics for $7.50 per skein. Each skein is only 78 yards and 60 grams, and it is a medium weight yarn, so that is EXPENSIVE. When I bought my second skein, the first thing I did before crocheting with it is I rolled it into a ball to conceptualize how much yarn that actually is, and look at the ball!
It's only the size of my palm!
It doesn’t surprise me that this yarn is so expensive, though, because the material that it is made of is typically on the pricey side, AND it supposedly glows in the dark. The novelty of the yarn is worth the price, in my opinion. Just charge more for any items you sell made from this yarn!
The Amigurumi - Does it GLOW?
Of course, I made a stuffed animal out of this yarn. With one ball of this yarn, I am able to make two whole rats, which isn’t too bad honestly. I dubbed them the “Radioactive Rat.” The rats certainly look cute, but the texture of the yarn is somewhat off-putting, so I am likely going to put a warning on the listing that the yarn is NOT soft when I sell them.
Photo of a Radioactive Rat in the light.
But does the rat glow in the dark? Well, it certainly does, but there are a few drawbacks. The glow isn’t very bright, and you have to be in a completely dark room to see it. You also need to hold it up to a light source for a better glow effect. If you simply take it from a lit room to a dark room without holding it up to your light bulb, you might not be able to see it very well in the dark. When you do hold it up to the light, it will glow for a few minutes before blending in with the darkness. So, the yarn DOES indeed glow, but it is not as impressive as I had hoped.
Despite this, I am still very happy with the results of the rat, and I think very many people will be satisfied with their rats when they buy them! I will just have to describe how the glow effect works in the item listing, so that customers know exactly what to expect before purchasing their Radioactive Rats.
I was also able to get some awesome pictures of the rat in the dark. Here are some examples from my photo shoot:
Overall I like this yarn, and I will probably buy it again for amigurumi because it is so fun! Next time, I want to find the glow-in-the-dark chenille yarn from this brand. I might write another blog post when I try that one out! I definitely recommend this yarn if you can afford it, and I especially recommend it if you want to make your own Radioactive Rat!
The crochet pattern for my rats will be available soon! I am currently working on perfecting the pattern, and figuring out how to publish it with a complimentary video, since there will be several tricky parts in the pattern. Sign up for my newsletter to receive an email when the rat crochet pattern gets published!
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