How to Work With Soft Boucle Yarn
Boucle yarns are made of several fibers twisted together with irregular loops, producing a soft, bulky yarn. Sometimes two thicker fibers, such as wool or cotton, are twisted around a thin nylon thread. You can find boucle yarn in various weights appropriate for knitting sweaters, jackets, scarves and even summer tops. Boucle is sometimes known as poodle yarn, because if knit with many purl stitches it produces a tight fleece similar to a poodle's coat.
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Instructions
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Choose simple stitch patterns. The loops of boucle yarns obscure complicated stitch patterns or designs. Avoid openwork patterns also, since the loopy yarn won't show these and it can be difficult to make all of the yarn overs and slipped stitches necessary for these patterns when you're working with a multi-strand yarn like boucle.
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Use stitch markers to keep your place in a pattern. The bulky loops of boucle yarn can make it difficult to count stitches. Markers can keep you from losing your place.
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Knit with larger knitting needles. Larger needles make larger stitches, which are easier to see. The needle tips are also easier to work under the strands of boucle yarn.
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Keep the tension loose. With a multi-fiber yarn like boucle, knitting with a very tight tension can result in bunched stitches and irregularities in your final fabric. Keeping a loose, even tension allows plenty of room to show off the soft loops of boucle and results in a smoother garment.
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Tips & Warnings
Practice knitting a swatch to check your gauge and tension before you begin work on your garment.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit yarn image by Petar Atanasov from Fotolia.com
