$%$%^#$ Chenille thick and quick. Help Please!

[Radioactivepenquin]

So my sister wants a scarf made out of Chenille so I bought some Chenille thick and quick from LionsBrand. This crap is impossible to knit!  Agh! I originally wanted to do some cables, not a chance. I tried some ribbing, hah, how about not? And then I tried some normal stockinette stitch and my stitches were all wonky and uneven, and I'm really good at tension, I've never had a problem with it before.

Is there a trick or a technique to knitting with this? I really don't want to have to use a different yarn than the one she wanted.  Is there any other type of Chenille that dosen't break that bank but also looks nice and is at least workable?

[DharmaLei]

I'm sorry, that stuff is a challenge.  I ended up crocheting it and produced something rather like chain mail.  It barely rolls or folds.

I can only commiserate, but I don't have any solution.  The other chenille I met at the LYS was $20 for 80 yards.   

[knitticle]

Ugh, I know what you mean, I haven't used the Lion Chenille but I have tried knitting a scarf with Lion Suede...nightmare. You're definitely right on about not being able to do any complicated stitches...or even stockinette stitch.

What about a chenille "look-alike" yarn? Maybe something like TLC Amore? It's still soft and chenille-like but easier to knit with, I'd imagine. Good luck!

[soozeq]

I bought some of the regular stuff and it's nearly impossible to work with. There's no stretch to it, so it doesn't behave like regular yarn.

sue

[djinnj]

chenille is inelastic, prone to worming and shedding, and has little to no stitch definition.  Work it on larger needles than you normally would for yarn that weight, and work in something simple as it'll be wasted on cables and such.  And don't expect the piece to look good after a season of wear.  They just don't last.

Chenille is made from woven sheets which are then cut into strips.  The binding thread in the middle is what holds the little fibers in place, and if you pull to hard on it, it will break and the strand will disintegrate.  When you break ends for any reason, you'll need to strip the little fibers and tie a knot in the binding thread before weaving in the ends.

[saralynne]

My mother picked out Lion Chenille thick and quick in green multi last year for a scarf. I only knew garter stitch at the time, so thats what I did. It was awful. And to make it all worse, I was using plastic needles. As far as I know, it hasnt fallen apart yet, but I'm planning on making her another soon just in case. I'm pretty sure that it wouldnt matter what stitch you use... they're all gonna look the same in the end. 

I have several more skeins in gray and blue that I bought for myself. I was going to make shawls, but I'm not sure I want to put myself through that again.

[the wallaby]

Ugh, I have 9 skeins of the stuff in a horrible slate blue colour and I can't get rid of it!
But it actually isn't so bad when worked in plain knit stitch for a scarf. I agree though, work with a needle size bigger than suggested.

[soozeq]

I started My So-called Scarf on REALLY large needles in the thin chenille and it's not too bad. But not great either.

sue

[astryd]

My first 'project' was with Lion Brand Chenille, in black of all colors! It was a gift for my birthday, along with a teach yourself to knit kit.

I had some problems, but with garter stitch on gigantic needles the end product looked okay.

Though it was a few months later when I realized that every knit stitch was twisted, which is really hard to tell with black, fuzzy yarn.

[jezzyloo]

Ugh. I have two skeins of Bernat Chenille and two Lion Suede. I wonder if I can return the Chenille. I haven't touched it... *crosses fingers*

I tried to make the suede oxford slippers from Lion Brand's website, but the pattern is extremely confusing and even moreso with such thick impossible yarn...