Is there a trick to knitting with Chenille?

JMNoverr

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Nov 6, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/6/97

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I am knitting up a sample stitch square using "Lion Chenille
Sensations" yarn and I am having problems producing even tension. I
will be knitting away in my usual style and when I check back to
inspect my work there will be one or two stitches that are huge in
relation to the others. I have noticed that the yarn seems to twist
as it is pulled out of the skein but I have been careful to "untwist"
it before knitting.

I have never tried knitting with Chenille before. Is there a special
way of handling the yarn, pulling it from the skein, or any other
"trick" to produce even tension?

Thanks in advance.

Joyce Noverr

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Céline Pelletier

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Nov 7, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/7/97

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Hi, have you tried knitting your Chenille with a polyester thread the same
color as your work? Personnaly that's what I do an the results are great
the tension stays even !

Bye Céline

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Joy Haftel

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Nov 7, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/7/97

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I am having the same problem with Lion Chenille in crochet. I am just
grinning and bearing it for the most part, but I have found the tighter I
keep the tension the better. I am also having fewer problems with tangling
since I started rolling the skeins into balls.

Joy
jkh...@netcom.com

KATHYKNITS

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Nov 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/8/97

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Hi,

Chenille is best knitted tight. Use a plain stitch . Stockinette is good
and knit with wooden needles.

I made a Chenille vest over 2 yrs ago, I have worn it many times and it
has not wormed.

Kathleen Martin
kathy...@aol.com

Sara L. Wall Wagner

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Nov 14, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/14/97

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I think I remember a chenille article in the Fall '92 issue of Vogue
Knitting.
Sara
swa...@umich.edu

Laurie Graham wrote:

> JOhhh, drats! I remember reading an article on knitting w/ chenille about
> 2 yrs ago, but darned if I can remember where....

Chatte

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Nov 15, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/15/97

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JMNoverr wrote in message <63ss29$2...@mtinsc05.worldnet.att.net>...

>I am knitting up a sample stitch square using "Lion Chenille
>Sensations" yarn and I am having problems producing even tension. I
>will be knitting away in my usual style and when I check back to
>inspect my work there will be one or two stitches that are huge in
>relation to the others. I have noticed that the yarn seems to twist
>as it is pulled out of the skein but I have been careful to "untwist"
>it before knitting.
>
>I have never tried knitting with Chenille before. Is there a special
>way of handling the yarn, pulling it from the skein, or any other
>"trick" to produce even tension?
>

>Thanks in advance.
>
>Joyce Noverr

Hi, Joyce,

I've worked with 3 brands of chenille now, Lion, and acrylic chenille,
Crystal Palace Cotton, and Sidhar rayon chenille. I noticed the same
problem with Lion brand. I was knitting a sweater out of it with a
fisherman's rib, and was very unhappy to find that, no matter how careful I
was, some stitches were just huge and others normal. I'm an experienced
knitter and have knitted many sweaters now, and have never had this problem
before.

Since you're experiencing it too, I'd have to say that there must be
something weird about Lion chenille. The cotton and the rayon chenille I've
worked with are much, much better, no problems at all, and very velvety.
Maybe acrylic fiber just doesn't work well as a chenille.

I have knitted some small drawstring bags with Lion chenille that have
turned out pretty well, although the fabric is a lot stiffer than the one I
made of Sidhar. For those, I knitted on size 3 and size 4 needles, much
tighter than the directions on the label call for.

It's too bad, because Lion chenille comes in some nice colors!

Trish Carr
Portland, OR

Glenna Stansifer

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Nov 18, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/18/97

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I have also been frustrated when trying to knit with Lion Chenille Sensations -
even tried it in the knitting machine with unsatisfactory results. The colors
are lovely, but the yarn acts very strangely when knitted. However, when I
tried to *crochet* with it, the results were fantastic! I used a relatively
large hook (H to J, as I remember), so the fabric was fluffy and soft. The
crochet technique locks each stitch in place, so the yarn doesn't "worm" or move
around as it does in knitting. If you crochet at all, try it with the
Sensations, and I think you'll be satisfied.

Glenna in rural eastern California
gst...@telis.org