Yarnspirations recently launched their new O’Go yarn line and I had stumbled across the Bernat Blanket O’Go yarn at my local Michaels store a few days before they actually launched this product so I was able to give it a try. The O’Go yarn format promises to be a solution to provide you with a tangle-free yarn experience but my initial questions were 1. Does it actually provide a tangle-free yarn experience and 2. is it worth the added two dollars a skein? I aim to answer those questions in my Bernat Blanket O’Go Yarn Review today.
Pin this for later Save
The Bernat Blanket O’Go yarn caught my eye at Michaels because of the unique way it is packaged. It looks like a bagel or a donut of yarn in the package. They had maybe 5 different colourways on hand and all of them would result in colour-block projects, if worked as they come out of the package. I got the Atlantic colourway because I have a TON of blue Bernat Blanket yarn at home that it would go well with. Based on what is available on the Yarnspirations website however, it looks like there should be 19 difference colourways of Bernat Blanket O’Go yarn available or will be available soon.
How do I open the Bernat Blanket O’Go?
After removing the cardboard, you are faced with a yarn donut that looks kind of like a yarn croissant, in my opinion. There is a long, thin plastic string that is strung through the center of the yarn attaching where the yarn ends meet. To open the Bernat Blanket O’Go Yarn, you take a pair of scissors, cut the plastic and pull it out to dispose of it. Then you pull the yarn end from only one side of the donut to start working. The yarn then unspools from the outside of the donut and yes, it does come off of the donut tangle free. But it funtions just like working from the outside of a normal skein, except it doesn’t roll around. So that’s cool, I guess. You can see me doing this in my video review of this yarn on YouTube.
See the O’Go Yarn in Action in my YouTube Review:
What if I want to work different colours in a different order?
You can easily pull the colour blocks apart to access the next colour and the yarn is attached with a knot. Doing this does get a bit messier but if you are careful, you don’t end up with too much of a mess. The yarn continues to unspool tangle free even when dissected.
Price Difference
The big thing that shocked me about the Bernat Blanket O’Go (and the other O’Go yarn lines that I’ve only been able to see online so far) is the price difference. Most of the products have a price point that is a minimum of $2-3 MORE than yarn in the regular skein/cake/ball formats. The yardage in the Bernat Blanket O’Go is 220 yards/300g, which is the same as the standard Bernat Blanket yarn but here the regular blanket yarn costs $11.99+tax and the O’Go yarn costs $13.99+tax. It was a hard pill to swallow as I headed to the cash with my purchase knowing I was paying more for this new format.
Is It Worth the Price Difference?
That depends on you. For me personally, no, it’s not. In my perspective, I’m paying $2 or more plus tax for the same yarn that comes with more stuff to throw out and fill up landfills with. The Bernat Blanket O’go yarns only come with three different colours in each donut and none of them strike me as anything different than what I can’t get for $2 less in just the regular balls or Bernat Blanket Stripes. If they had been able to pull this format off with less packaging AND it being the same price, I’d be more inclined to purchase more. But as it is, it just feels gimmicky and unnecessary. When my standard Bernat Blanket project typically uses at least 4 balls of yarn, that extra cost starts to add up, fast and frankly, I’d rather have that extra money in my pocket for another project than to pay for “tangle-free yarn”, which I rarely have any issues with Bernat Blanket anyways. It’s cool that they’re thinking of trying to solve something that irks many crocheters but personally, it isn’t something I see myself utilizing much, if at all.
While you’re here, check out some free crochet patterns and crochet product reviews:
One of the first things I thought of when I saw this online is storage. You would need much more space to store these than you do for a skein of regular yarn. And I very seldom have trouble with tangles from any brand of yarn I purchase. You just have to be careful when you start the skein. Thanks for reviewing this for us.
Cynthia
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Cynthia!
I bought the monochrome color for a throw. Do you know if the colors will bleed when washed? I’m planning to give the throw as a gift.
I haven’t had any issues with the other Bernat Blanket yarns bleeding so I’m assuming that this would be the same as the yarn doesn’t seem to have changed, just the way it is packaged. If you’re nervous about it, you could make a small swatch with the different colours in it and wash it to test it.
I’ve used 6 of these sKeins and found more knots than normal. Also the yarn caught on the plastic all the time. Wish they just make it easier to pull from center of the skein. Our local Michaels was selling them at 4.99/skein which is why I’ve tried so many
Thanks for sharing your experience Nanci. I’m sorry that you had so many knots. They have been on clearance here too and it’s hard to resist blanket yarn at that price lol.