Tips for Knitting & Crocheting with Bouclé Yarn

Bouclé Yarn

This week on Ask Me Monday we delve into working with one of my favorite fiber trends: bouclé

yarn! 

Bouclé yarn is a novelty yarn that seeing a rise in popularity right now, in home decor and garment embellishment, due to the cozy vibe its textural component can add to any space. Because it’s less traditional than your average, non-novelty yarn though, some folks may feel hesitant to work with it. My goal with this post is to demystify the differences, and encourage stitchers to give knitting or crocheting with bouclé yarn a try. Here’s the scoop!

This episode of Ask Me Monday is sponsored by Knitter’s Pride/ KnitPro

See more KP products during “Vic’s Tips” segments of The Knit Show!

Featured Knitter’s Pride Products: Zing, Dreamz, and Waves Crochet Hooks. Smart Stix Needles.
Shakra Stitch Markers.

What is bouclé yarn?

What is a bouclé yarn made from?

A bouclé is generally made from a core of nylon thread, plied with a wool, or faux wool fiber, which can include sheep’s wool, alpaca or even acrylic.

So Cozy Knit Mittens by Vickie Howell for YarnYAY!

What types of projects work well with bouclé yarns?

Bouclé yarns are great for a range of projects! They’re perfect for more open-weave, but fluffy blankets, scarves and wraps. They’re lovely for cozy mittens, hats and boot toppers — or as an addition to a fabric garment as a shearling-inspired collar or cuff. Bouclé yarns are an adorable textile choice for plushies and toys. They’re also chic and textural for home decor items like pillow tops and woven into wallhangings.

Knit Collage Serenity Boucle, featured in the February YarnYAY! Box

Tips for Knitting & Crocheting with Bouclé Yarn

• • Go big. Size up your knitting needle or crochet hook by 2 or more from what would be recommended for a smoother yarn. The larger the needle or hook you choose, the more drape your project will have and unlike smoother fibers, a boucle yarn’s nubs will fill in some of the space created by the more open-weave so the resulting fabric is less likely to look like a net.
    

    Exception to the Go Big rule: If you’re making a sculptural project that requires stuffing, are a handwear that will benefit from a tighter weave, consider sizing up only one needle size from normal.

• • Get to the point. Or don’t. When crocheting or knitting with a bouclé yarn without discernible loops in the fiber and/or if working on a project with a tighter weave, such as a plushie or wrist warmers, use a hook with a pointier head, or needles with pointier tips, to make it easier to dive through those fluffy stitches.When crocheting or knitting with a bouclé yarn with pronounced loops in the fiber and/or if working on a project with a more open-weave, such as a wrap or scarf, us a hook with a blunter head, or needles with rounder tips, to prevent accidentally working into a small loop, instead of the actual stitch.

• • Mark it. When working on a project that calls for bouclé yarn, be sure to use stitch markers to mark pattern repeats, right and wrong sides, and/or the beginning of rounds. Less guessing time means more stitching time!

• • Frog it? Freeze it! If you find yourself needing to unravel (aka frog) a project made with a novelty yarn like mohair bouclé, stick it in the freezer first. Freezing the piece will take away some of the pliability and adhesion of fibers that can otherwise happen. Trust me, going cold will mean swearing less! 

• • Be Mindful. I invite you to see working with a textured yarn like a boucle as an exercise in mindfulness. This is not a fiber that requires finite movements, complicated stitches, and speed of work. Take a breath, put your shoulders back, make large gestures.