Lion Brand Mandala Yarn Review

Apr 4, 2025 | Reviews

A Lion Brand Mandala Yarn Review by Nana’s Crafty Home!

Lion Brand Mandala Yarn enjoys widespread popularity among crocheters for several compelling reasons. Its standout feature is the stunning array of self-striping color ways, offering a seamless blend of vibrant hues—think jewel tones, soft pastels, and even muted neutrals—that transition effortlessly within a single cake. This eliminates the need to switch yarns or weave in multiple ends, making it a dream for projects like scarves, shawls, and blankets where color play is key. This simplifies color work while delivering a polished, artisanal look without the hassle.

The yarn’s practicality adds to its appeal. As a 100% acrylic, DK-weight #3 option, it’s lightweight yet versatile, soft to the touch, and machine washable—perfect for everyday items like garments, accessories, and baby projects. Each 5.3 oz (150g) cake packs a generous 590 yards, offering great value and enough yardage for substantial one-skein creations. For bigger projects, the Bonus Bundle doubles that to over 1,000 yards, keeping costs low.

Affordability is another draw. It’s budget-friendly without skimping on quality.The range of Mandala variations—like Sparkle, Ombre, Gradient and Thick & Quick which allow for different preferences, adding texture or speed to the mix.

There is a real joy in watching patterns emerge naturally. Its blend of beauty, practicality, and price makes it a go-to for anyone looking to crochet something magical with minimal fuss.

If you haven’t already jumped on the Lion Brand Mandala yarn bandwagon and have never used a smaller weight yarn I am going to share my personal review of it for you. I am receiving no compensation for my review and, as always, will never recommend any product unless I truly can support it. I have purchased many, many cakes (more than I’d like to admit to!) of the Mandala yarn for this review.

I started working with this yarn shortly after it was released in 2017(!) and feel I have spent enough “quality time” with it to provide a detailed review you can trust. I have made several different and varying projects with it including clothing, accessories and blankets. I have designed many, many crochet patterns with this yarn, the Sassy Autumn Ribbed Crochet Cowl, Aurora Skies Ribbed Baby Blanket, Pineapple of My Eye Baby Blanket, Mandala Pretty Puffs Scarf, Curly Cute Cowl, Night on the Town Cape, and the Mandala Pretty Puffs Blanket.

After the popularity of the original Mandala, Lion Brand has released other variations including Mandala Sparkle, Mandala Baby, Cupcake (now discontinued) and now you can even get big Mandala Bonus Bundle!

The Mandala yarn is a light DK 3 weight yarn. It is self-striping but has a gradient appearance for more gradual color changes. Below you can see how gradually the colors change by the picture I took of my disassembled cake. The abrupt color changes of the Caron Cakes and Sweet Rolls can be a little off-putting for some and they will control or cut the colors if a color will change in the middle of a row.

The recommended hook size is an H or 5.0 mm. The fiber is 100% acrylic with a yardage of 590 and weight of 5.3 oz per cake. If you are making a larger project the Bonus Bundle is 10.5 oz with an amazing 1181 yards! Large enough to make a small baby blanket depending on the stitch you are using. The colors are wide ranging from jewel tones to bright children’s colors and even classic colors. The colors are very vibrant and eye-catching and even the cakes with more autumnal coloration have some pop of bright color to draw the eye!

Some complaints I have heard or read is that the yarn feels scratchy but in my experience the yarn softens as you work with it and it certainly becomes softer after washing. Another great positive of this yarn is the easy care instructions — machine wash and dry. I do recommend that you wash and block your projects after completing.

I have not noticed any tendency for splitting which is another big plus in my book! This yarn really does glide on my hook.

There can be some slight variance to the thickness of the yarn throughout the cake but nothing that ends up being noticeable in my finished project.

I am a big fantasy / science fiction fan so I have to admit I get a huge kick out of the wonderful names they have as well — Centaur, Unicorn, Gnome, Genie, Spirit, Gnome, Wood Nymph, Chimera, Pegasus, and Wraith!

I have been extremely happy with the Mandala yarn by Lion Brand and I am excited about the brand new Mandala Gradient which is a medium worsted #4 weight yarn! Perfect for a one-cake shawl!

Lion Brand Mandala Yarn

care instructions: Machine washable and dryable
weight: Light 3
yardage: 590 yd / 540 m
net weight: 5.3 oz/cake / 150 g
Fiber content: Acrylic
Recommended hook: H-8 (5mm)
Recommended needle: 5 (3.75mm)

If you are looking for more crochet patterns to make with Lion Brand Mandala check out these crochet pattern roundups!

Mandala Yarn Crochet Patterns for Spring!

Lion Brand Mandala Free Crochet Patterns

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Disclaimer: This pattern is for personal use or small-scale crafting. If you intend to sell the finished product in the EU, ensure it complies with the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, including safety, labeling, and traceability requirements.