Chenille yarn?

#1

I am wanting to do some baby stuff (esp. blankets) in chenille yarn, which I have never used. A few questions:

  1. I’ve noticed when I buy a chenille sweater from the store, it tends to get holes in it if I wash it, even on the delicate cycle. Have any of you knitted with chenille? Does it hold up? Am I just shopping too many blue light specials, or is it the nature of the critter?

  2. Is it harder to knit with?

  3. What weight is your average chenille comparable to? Or does it just depend on the yarn?

Thanks in advance,

Kirstin

#2

Hi Caviar
True chenille yarn tends to be very finicky. The holes you’ve seen in store bought items are also, probably, coupled with cases of “worming”. Worming is whne short lengths of the yarn creep out of place and form undesirable little lumps around the piece.

Because of this, it can e very hard to use this kind of yarn for baby items which require washability and rough usage. I suggest looking for modified chenille type yarns.

Two examples are Catnap and Toto from Artfibers. You can see them
here

Notice how they are actually flat ribbons with fluffy edges.
There are other options, including the very affordable TLC Amore, which you can find at most major craft chains.

This is a great option for baby clothes because it is machine washable and available readily and in a wide range of colors. The result is very soft but I’ve found it hard to knit. Just my 2¢

I hope this helps.

#3

i havent had the best of luck with chenille- but i think it might be a combination of the circ needles i was using and my tension. i bought crystal palace chenille to make those cute little flower washcloths - one came out absolutely precious and the other 2 that i did - on both of them the yarn snapped. a total disaster - my lys said it was because of the join on the needles they were metal on bamboo and that the yarn didnt slip over them and that i need to loosen up a little bit too when i knit. so, right now, chenille is not my favorite to work with.

#4

I just finished a project in chenille. When I first started using it, I thought I would never get through it. I will tell you it is finicky, it does NOT like to be ripped out, fortunately, I did not have to. I personally would not use chenille for something that would be used everyday and would need to stand up to a lot of abuse. I would stick with a softer cotton or even a light mohair.

Happy knitting!!

#5

I made myeself a chenille scarf last winter and it’s kinda funky already - there’s holes and the yarn moves around out of place. It wasn’t too difficult to work with, but I agree with everyone else: I wouldn’t use it for anything that’s going to get abused or washed often.

I have some TLC Amore, but I’ve yet to knit anything more than a swatch with it. It’s soft, and I didn’t have too many probs knitting it on bamboo needles.

~Sharon

#6

I have a huge amount of chenille (Lion Brand Thick’n’Quick) which I bought off eBay my first week of knitting. I’ve since read the problems others have with it and have been afraid to use it, though I’d originally planned on making my dd a throw with it for her new apartment. :help:

I do have a maroon colored chenille store bought sweater which I absolutely love to wear, due to it’s softness. I recently discovered that it sheds terribly, though. My sis-in-law picked me up to go garage saling, took one look at my sweater and exclaimed "Aha! You’re the culprit! It seems something had been leaving teeny bits of maroon colored lint on the arm rests of her passenger seat. :blush:

#7

Thanks for all your input. Sounds like TLC Amore is the winner for beginning projects. I might then try some of the fancier stuff Marnie suggested. I’m about halfway through my first baby blanket with cotton fleece, and it’s pretty enough, but boy it shows everything! Looking forward to experimentation,

Kirstin