Yarnspirations recently launched their new O’Go yarn line and I had posted my review of their Bernat Blanket O’Go yarn on my blog after stumbling across it at my local Michaels store. After doing some research, I had seen that there was a line of Caron O’Gos that were to be released shortly after the release of the Bernat Blanket O’gos. The Caron O’go yarn has now been released in Canada and it is called the Caron Big Donut O’go. Today, we’ll be looking at the Caron Big Donut O’go yarn and sharing my review of what it’s like.
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Learn more about the O’Go yarn format in my Bernat Blanket O’Go yarn review.
Before we get into the review, I’ll share the yarn label information so you have a better idea of what we’re talking about:
Caron Big Donut O’Go Yarn:
- Current Number of Colourways Available: 12
- Fiber Content: 100% Acrylic
- Weight: 4 (Worsted)
- Package Size: 280 gram/9.9oz skein
- Yardage: 520 yds (459 meters)
- Suggested Hook Size: 5mm (H)
- Suggested Needle Size: US 8 (5 mm) needle
- Crochet Gauge: 13 stitches, 14 rows to 10 cm/4″
- Knit Gauge: 17 stitches, 23rows to 10 cm/4″
- Care: Machine wash and dry
See the video version of this review:
After a few weeks of waiting for this yarn to be released in Canada, I’ll admit, I was initially disappointed. I had seen influencers and bloggers from the U.S. showing of their Caron Color-o-rama O’gos but their yarn was a size 5 bulky weight yarn. The O’gos available at Canadian Michaels stores are a worsted weight (4) yarn. It didn’t stop me from getting some but I was hoping we would be getting the same thing.
Most of the Caron Big Donut yarns are self-striping yarns, akin to Caron Cakes – which I think this yarn is but in the new format. There are 4 solid-coloured Big Donuts but they seem to be available online only at the time of writing this. I got the colourway Chocolate Blueberry, which is a combination of brown and blue shades. At the time I purchased it, there were only 4 different colours to choose from in-store but it’s hard to go wrong with blues and browns.
Separating the Colours
So I did this after I finished my video review but I pulled the yarn apart into its different colours to start working with the yarn because I didn’t want to work with the colours in the order the came out of the donut. I separated and cut each colour out relatively easily however, it was a bit of a mess attempting to cake it up. I could’ve just used the yarn as it was I guess but I prefer the cake format for travelling as I tend to take my projects with me from room to room and I also didn’t think the little yarn sections were very secure after taking them apart and I thought they’d tangle up.
Working with the yarn was pleasant. It didn’t wow me but it’s a solid acrylic yarn. There were no issues with splitting, knots or fraying and it was generally pleasant to work with. It has decent stitch definition and I enjoyed working with it but it wasn’t like “wow! I have to use this yarn All. The. Time. now”. Although it didn’t wow me, I don’t have any complaints either. It could be used for a wide variety of projects like crochet hats, scarves, gloves, blankets and more. Below you see my swatch that I made with the yarn. I started with a few rows each of single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet. Then I did a few rows of tunisian crochet stitches (both the tunisian simple stitch and the tunisian knit stitch). You can see the subtle tonal effect created in this block of colour.
Yardage and Comparisons
The yardage is good and but if this yarn is, as I suspect, the same as the Caron Cakes, you get more yardage in the Caron Big Cakes which pack a whopping 603 yards for $11.99, full price. The Caron Big Donut O’go have 508 yards and are $13.99 at full price. Yarnspirations has been transparent about the reason for the cost difference in o’gos being attributed to the cost of changing over to the new machinery needed for this new format. But I’ve seen many makers online on Youtube, in Facebook Groups and Instagram saying that they will either wait for the new format yarn to go on clearance before purchasing it because that cost increase does add up for makers buying more than one ball. Others are saying that they’d gladly pay the cost difference to save themselves the potentially lost time of dealing with a tangle. It seems to be a bit of a divide upon makers.
Unless they came out with a colour way that I just had to have, I’d personally pick up a Caron Big Cake before picking up another Caron Big Donut. The Caron Big Cakes have more yardarge for less money, have more colour options readily available since it’s been around longer and I’ve never had any issues with the cakes tangling as I worked with them. The Big Donut does have some fun colour combos (like Blue Velvet and Mint Julep)and they’re (almost) all named after some sort of dessert. However, Caron Cakes have a huge fan base and I’m curious to see how many of them could be swayed from the cakes to this new format.
How do you feel about the new O’Go yarns? Have you tried them yet? If so, what was your experience? I’d love to hear what you thought as well as what you have made with it. If you’re a big Caron Cake fan, I’d love to hear if you’ll be adding the Caron Big Donuts to your stash as well.
Thanks for checking out this yarn review. I hope you found it helpful. While you’re here, check out some free crochet patterns and crochet product reviews:
I wound the yarn onto balls. The “sausage” shape collapses if not on a flat surface, and I had pulled from the center. An outside pull, had the “yarn sausage” twisting. Yarn is a knitting up nicely but the package and challenge of getting it open was another matter. Very glad it was on sale !
Thanks for sharing your experience with this yarn!
where in the US can this be purchased. I have looked everywhere.
Hi Bev,
When it was released, I believe it was available at Michaels and Walmart. I have not seen it in-store here this season so I believe that it may unfortunately have been discontinued. I found some on Amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3D8xvZH.