Make Your Own Yarn

You see a yarn, you like it, but you don't love it. Maybe it's missing that little bit of extra you need to change your mind. Major yarn makers use this concept, but instead of you using two balls, it's already put together.

You are making your own yarn, unique to you, because what you choose to put together is your decision. The decision of what yarns/threads to pair together rests in your hands instead of a major manufacturer deciding for you. You can even add this to your already favourite brands of yarn, too.

Caron Jumbo Twirl, much to my disappointment, only lasted one season, and it had a nep core that was twisted with the core.

Neps are the chunky part of a strand that protrudes out of the yarn core itself. If you untwist the Caron Jumbo Twirl, you would have noticed that one of the plies is a thin cord. You can see it with the white and grey section of the ball. It's a small difference, but it makes a huge difference look-wise.

The baby blanket design below uses Caron Jumbo Twirl, and you can see the neps in the yarn if you are looking for them. It's what can change the shades or give an extra pop of colour.

You can add your own nep cores to yarn to change up the look. It's an example of a spool. There are 445 metres / 487 yards on this spool. It can go a long way as it's really thin.

The brand shown below is made in Italy under the name called Make It Tweed. They have different colourways for your stitching pleasure. If you are a knitter or crocheter, you will just combine it with your regular stitchwork and let it do its magic.

With hand-dyed yarn like the Indulgence made here in the Maritimes. The colour sequence is predictable, but what isn't predictable is when you add a nep-based cord to it. The nep has its own colour sequence and is timed differently than the hand-dyed version.

My sample thin accessory scarf uses two yarns worked in my hands simultaneously, each from a different Wool Genie. Feeding together as if it's one yarn, the nep is adding colours that don't exist in the original Indulgence. I love the indulgence, but I was looking for something a bit more unpredictable.

You can marl yarn with pretty much any yarn, and I prefer it if both are not in sync, especially when changing colours. It makes the project outcome less predictable and raises my dopamine level with enthusiasm to finish it.

Nep type of yarn can usually be found in independent retailers or as I prefer to say, "mom and pop shoppes". You can also find stuff like this online, of course.