Ruffling Yarn Beyond Scarves

July 16, 2012 in bag, Circulo, Debbie Bliss, Euro Yarns, Free, Inspiration, Katia, Knitting Fever Inc, Sublime, Sweaters

Self-ruffling yarns like Flounce from our Knitting Fever line and Triana from Katia have been popular for a number of years now. Almost as soon as a local yarn store gets them on the shelf they sell out!

The appeal is understandable.

This style yarn comes in a variety of colors and textures and some even have metallic thread for extra interest. Some of the yarns have a mesh construction which you knit or crochet by opening flat and inserting your hook or needle through the holes in the mesh. Others have a ladder yarn on one edge and fibers on the other. This style you work through the holes of the ladder with the fibers create the body of the project.

You can learn more about some of the self-ruffling yarns we represent and see a video about how to work with them in this blog post.

While the quickest and easiest project to make with any of these yarns is a scarf (most people report being able to finish one in between two to four hours), people are starting to explore the potential of these yarns for uses ranging from trim to entire garments.

Here are a few that have caught our eye.

Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2012

Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2012, photo by Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com

This stunning garment is the “Ruffle Wrap Cardigan” designed by Cheryl Murray. The pattern is in the Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2012 issue. You can see a preview of the issue on the Vogue Knitting website.

The sweater is sized for Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large

The body is knit using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (Amounts: 10 (11, 12, 13, 14) balls in #9 gray) while the trim is Circulo Tecido Trico Animal (Amounts: 1 hank in #2631 gray leopard).

Tecido Trico is a 100% Polyester fabric ribbon available in a variety of flower and animal prints. Can’t get your head around knitting with fabric ribbon? Learn more about it in this blog post, which includes a how-to video.

Cashmerino Aran is a soft, 55% Merino Wool, 33% Microfiber Acrylic, 12% Cashmere blend available in a rainbow of colors. Have fun mixing and matching the yarns to create a unique look all your own.

Trimmed in Trico

Use either Renda Trico or Tecido Trico as trim

For a more casual look, try your hand at one of these Trico trimmed shrugs, which are available as free patterns on our website.

The one on the left uses a flower print of Tecido Trico for the trim compared to the animal print used in the Vogue Knitting sweater. The body of that shrug is Debbie Bliss Cotton DK, a 100% Cotton yarn available in 20 colors. You can download this version of the shrug pattern here.

The shrug on the right uses Renda Trico for the trim. This is a lace version of the fabric ribbon from Circulo. It is available in 14 colors. The body of the black shrug is knit using Sublime Lustrous Extrafine Merino DK, a 67% Extra Fine Merino Wool, 33% Nylon blend that is available in 10 colors. You can download the black shrug pattern here.

Although the body of both shrugs is simple garter stitch the patterns are recommended for an intermediate knitter because of the unique construction technique. But don’t let that deter you! Help can always be found at your local yarn store or at your knit/crochet group.

Dress up a store bought top

For something a little different (and quicker) have a go at dressing up a store bought top by adding a fun Tecido trimmed collar. Download the guidelines for this project here.

Tutu Cute!

Ruffled Tutu Skirt by Ewetopia Fiber Shop

But why should grown-ups have all the fun?

This adorable Ruffled Tutu Skirt for a toddler is from Ewetopia Fiber shop, which is out in Wisconsin. They are generously allowing us to share the pattern with you for free!

The version shown here is using Bossa Nova yarn from Katia. This 72% Cotton, 28% Nylon blend is available in eight colors. (We have a free Bossa Nova Scarf pattern on our website, too.)

This Tutu skirt looks equally cute using a yarn with a larger mesh like Rumples or Triana.

It’s In The Bag

Ruffles Galore Purse by Unwind, A Yarn Shop

These yarns are also great for accessories.

The Ruffles Galore Purse comes to us from Unwind, a Yarn Shop, which is located in Oklahoma. They are generously allowing us to share the free pattern with you! It uses Tecido Trico and a coordinating worsted weight yarn of your choice.

When working this pattern remember that the Tecido Trico yarn with automatically form the ruffle as you work with it. When the pattern says “knit ruffle” there isn’t really a pattern stitch to be worrying about since it will happen automatically.

Evening in Paris Purse by Knitting On The Fringe

The Evening in Paris Purse was designed by Knitting on the Fringe, which is located in Michigan, using Flounce yarn. You can buy the pattern on their website. If none of the Flounce colors catch your eye, consider using Rumples, Triana, or Tricor instead. Or jazz it up with one of the metallic versions of those yarn such as Flounce Metallic, Triana Lux, or Broadway.

Ruffles Incognito

Quick Knit Capelet by Knitting On The Fringe

Keep in mind that with most of these self ruffling yarns you have the option of toning down the ruffles by not opening the mesh.

You can see this in action on the Quick Knit Capelet by Knitting On The Fringe. This pattern is also available for purchase on their website. It was knit using Triana yarn, but instead of opening the mesh they treated it as a traditional bulky yarn.

Another option is to open the mesh occasionally to create ruffles in targeted places.

It is also possible to open the mesh to take advantage of the lacy effect created, but not have ruffles, as seen in the Kelp Forest Shawlette by karinknits designs, which is a free pattern on Ravelry. She includes a link to a helpful video with both knit and crochet instructions on the Ravlery project page.

I hope these projects have inspired you to think beyond scarves when you are considering using these fun self-ruffling yarns.

Have you already tried them out for trim or other projects? Share a picture on our Facebook wall, we love to see the creative things you are making!

Tags: bag, Circulo, Katia Triana, ruffles, sweater
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Meet the Self Ruffling Yarns

November 23, 2011 in Euro Yarns, Katia, Knitting Fever Inc, Scarves

Scarves are fun to knit because they provide such variety in such a small package.

They can be long or short.

They are good for practicing new stitches and techniques.

They make lovely gifts for family and friends.

But even more fun are scarves knit from self ruffling yarns.

Everyone loves scarves!

Knit in garter stitch on big needles with just a few stitches these scarves work up fast. The best part is even though you are knitting simple garter stitch the unique construction of the yarn does all the work and you end up with a fabulous, complicated looking scarf.

Because of that unique construction–maybe a mesh you knit into or a ribbon edged with a ladder yarn–self ruffling yarns don’t look like normal yarns and can confuse both experienced and novice knitters alike.

We’ve created two videos to introduce you to these fun yarns. A round of applause for Karen, from our customer service department, who bravely agreed to be the star (don’t we all get shy when a camera is turned on?). You may have met Karen through the KFI ID on Ravelry.

This first video is an overview of some of the yarns available, their construction, and how they look knit up.

Self Ruffling Yarn: An Overview

Yarns discussed in this video include: Triana, Triana Lux, Broadway, Ondas, Ondas Lux, Flounce, Flounce Metallic, Sparkle, Ripple, Tinseltown, Rizos, Ronda, and Park Avenue.

A free pattern for this Ronda Scarf is one of many on our website.

There are free patterns for many of these yarns on our website. You can check them out on the free patterns page or if you are on the specific yarn page there is often a link on the left hand side of the page.

In this second video Karen demonstrates how to knit with a few of these yarns.

Self Ruffling Yarn: How to Knit

See, it’s not as difficult as you might think.

Katia, the makers of Park Avenue, shared this video of how to crochet with this unique yarn.

Novelty yarns might not be your style, but you should give them a try. You might be pleasantly surprised both with the process and the results. Many of these yarns are very easy to work with once you get the hang of it.

Triana is fun to knit and wear.

They can also be addictive! I made a scarf using Triana and it was like potato chip knitting…I was so fascinated I couldn’t stop until the scarf was finished. Luckily it only took about four hours to knit so my family wasn’t too neglected. ha!

As always, you can find these yarns at your local yarn store. If you make one, share a picture with us on Facebook.

Tags: scarves
9 Comments »

We Love Scarves

October 19, 2011 in Araucania, Euro Yarns, Filati FF, Free, Katia, Louisa Harding, OnLine, Scarves

The Craft Yarn Council had declared this past Friday, Oct. 14, to be “I Love Yarn Day.”

On one hand, it was sort of like celebrating Valentine’s Day with your spouse since we’re always together and expressing our love. On the other hand, it was fun to have an excuse to make even more noise about our affection for yarn.

We took the opportunity to decorate the office.

It's fun to spruce up the office for a holiday.

And to decorate ourselves.

Everyone loves scarves!

We posted the original version of this picture (without identifications) on Facebook and everyone started asking about the scarves and what yarn was used.

Well, of course you all would ask that! Silly me for not anticipating those questions. But we’ve tracked the scarves down and identified them all for your enjoyment. (You can click on the picture to see a bigger version.)

Starting with the Front Row on the left

The dark pink scarf is the “Titania” pattern from the new Louisa Harding Nerissa book knit in color #7-Cherry.

The variegated fringed scarf in red tones is knit in Euro Yarn Prancer in color #109 – Grey, Magenta, Salmon. You can download the free pattern for this simple cabled scarf from our website.

The sparkly mohair scarf in the middle is knit in Louisa Harding’s new yarn Simonetta. You can download the free Cosimo Scarf pattern, which takes one ball of Simonetta, from our website.

Cosimo Scarf by Louisa Harding

The ruffled green scarf, which generated the most interest on Facebook, is knit in Euro Yarns Sparkle. That green color is sold out, but there are 12 other lovely colors available. Once you select one, download the free Sparkle Scarf pattern and cast on.

If you had your heart set on a green scarf, you should consider Triana Lux from Katia, which comes in 14 colors including a lime green one. This fun yarn is a souped up version of Triana, the difference being the Lux version has metallic threads for some sparkle. Both yarns will create fun ruffled scarves following the free Triana Scarf pattern.

Back to the staff picture, the chunky blue scarf on the end takes one skein of Euro Yarns Quick Thick Merino, which comes in 10 colors. The free pattern features an elongated stitch, which shows off the texture of the yarn nicely.

Second row starting from the left

The first green scarf is in Sparkle, again.

The next scarf, which is just peeking out, is Euro Yarns Tinseltown. This fun yarn has ruffles and sparkles and works up quickly using the free scarf pattern. Currently there are 10 colors of Tinseltown available, but we’re expecting new colors to arrive in a few weeks…just in time for finishing up your holiday gift knitting!

More colors of Tinseltown will be available soon.

The puffy white scarf in the middle is On Line Zico. This fun novelty yarn comes in 8 colors and works up quickly on US size 19 needles. Two balls are needed for the free scarf pattern, which really shows off the texture of the yarn.

The ruffled black and silver scarf is Euro Yarns Broadway, a new yarn that should be in stores by Thanksgiving.

Finally, the multicolored orange “hat” is actually a sampler strip knit from various shades of Araucania Patagonia meant to show off the different colors. It would have worked just as well for a scarf and is a good option if you can’t decide which of the 40 colorways available is your favorite.

The red vest is knit in the ribbon yarn Kristha from Filati FF. This yarn has limited availability so you’ll want to be sure to call your local yarn store to ensure they have it.

You can search for stores that carry Filati FF, and all the brands we represent, using the “find a store” feature on our main website.

As you can see, we had fun on “I Love Yarn Day.” We hope you did, too, and that you enjoy keeping the celebration going with some of these scarves.

Tags: scarves
3 Comments »

Spotlight: Euro Yarns Blitzen

October 17, 2011 in Euro Yarns, Free, Scarves, Uncategorized

As any knitter or crocheter knows, chunky yarns paired with big needles or hook, make for fast-to-finish projects.

Blitzen has a textured base and pompoms.

Sometimes you need a quick project for a last minute gift. Other times you need something you can finish fast to “cleanse your palate” from a long term project.

The new yarn “Blitzen” from Euro Yarns can satisfy that need. This 100% wool yarn comes in 110 yard hanks and has a suggested gauge of 1 to 2 stitches per inch on US15 – US 17 needles. I used a P hook for my crochet swatch. The yarn comes in six colors. I used color #4-Red, Violet for my swatches.

The yarn is a tonal colored pencil roving with a tight yarn binder, which gives it a rippled texture. This is interspersed with chenille like tufts creating elongated pompoms.

The pompoms don't interfer with knitting.

The pompoms are very soft and flexible so they hardly impede the ability to knit. They wrap right around the needle and the loose gauge on the large needles allows them to slide through the stitches easily.

The free pattern on our website requires one skein of Blitzen yarn and will make a scarf about 8″ wide by 68″ long. A very generous size for wrapping up against the winter wind! The scarf is knit in an elongated stitch created by working yarn overs which are dropped on the next row. It should be easy for a beginner knitter to tackle and a breeze for an experienced knitter.

One skein makes this generous scarf.

The pompoms also did not interfere with crocheting. When working a double crochet stitch I was able to incorporate the pompom right into the stitch. However, I thought that squished them down a bit and ruined the fun of the yarn. But that did depend on which side of the fabric you were looking at.

Then I tried working a mesh pattern by chaining 5, skipping 5 dc, and single crocheting in the next dc. On the next row I chained 5 and single crocheted into the ch 5 space of the previous row.

Double crochet and mesh stitch both work.

I found this gave me more flexibility in dealing with the pompoms. I could either work them into the chain stitch OR I could fold the pompom in half and skip to the smooth yarn on the other side to make my stitch. This was a little smoother to work and made the pompoms stand up in a very perky manner.

I’m sure one skein of Blitzen will make a generous sized crocheted scarf worked in either method.

Tags: Blitzen, crochet, scarf
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Nifty Novelties

September 4, 2011 in Euro Yarns, Free, Katia, Patterns, Scarves

Katia Triana Scarf

Sometimes it’s best not to take yourself too seriously, both in knitting and life. Novelty yarns can aid in that goal, especially when you are feeling fun, flirty, or just flamboyant.

Novelty yarns have textures that include eyelash, flags, metallic fibers, and sometimes combinations of all three (or more!). They are only limited by the yarn designer’s imagination. One of the great things about novelty yarns is you can knit in simple garter stitch but have a high impact finished project because the yarn does all the work.

Right now yarns that produce ruffled scarves are very popular. Our local yarn store partners tell us they can’t keep these yarns on the shelf! That is understandable since these are such fun, fast, projects. Using these yarns can finish a scarf in a few hours.

Triana by Katia

Triana yarn by Katia produces a springy, ruffled scarf. In the ball it looks like a tape yarn. You need to spread the tape out to open the mesh before you knit it. Once you work a few rows you’ll find it very easy to knit with Triana.

Triana is a mesh yarn.

You can download a free scarf pattern from the KFI website for Triana. The pattern is in multiple languages; English is the third one down. I also made a video showing you how to knit with this unique yarn.

To keep the end neat, you can fold the first loop of the end over and knit it together with your first cast on stitch. When you get to the end of the ball, cast off in the normal manner and pull the tail through to secure it. The ruffles will hide your tail if it is short enough.

Tinseltown by Euro Yarns

Tinseltown by Euro Yarns has more firm ruffles and a bit of metallic fiber for extra sparkle.

Tinseltown has shine!

Compared to Triana’s mesh construction Tinseltown has feathery fibers secured between two strands, while a third strand creates open loops along one end. You knit into those open loops.

WEBS, a yarn store in Massachusetts, has made a nice video showing how to knit with ruffly ribbon yarns that have a railroad edge like Tinseltown. You can download a free scarf pattern for Tinseltown from our website. Once again, after a couple hours of easy garter stitch knitting you’ll be rewarded with an eye catching scarf.

If glitter isn’t your style, then check out Rizos by Katia for a similar style yarn without the shine.

Fast and Fun

Triana, Tinseltown, and Rizos and are just a few of the yarns you can use to make fun ruffled scarves. They are also a good choice when you need the satisfaction of finishing a project quickly because you knit a scarf in just a few hours. If you are making gifts for friends you have many color choices, as well as sparkles and plain, from which to select.

If you don’t usually knit with novelty yarns I hope you will give one of these a try. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it!

Tags: Euro Yarns Tinseltown, Katia Rizos, Katia Triana, ruffles, scarves
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