Guide of Chunky yarns: merino wool, cotton tube, Chenille, DIY tubular yarn and Tufting

In my blog you will find many instructions, information, free patterns and guides about knitting, crocheting and textile. Between all the free informational blogs, I wanted to add some personal stories so you could know how and where. 

My name is Egle, my family and I are the owners of the brand Nuddeln. Nuddeln is a knitting and crocheting yarn and knitted products brand. Yarns are created, produced, sourced and picked by us and all knitted pieces are designed and hand knitted also by us.  All the information listed is that I tried myself in 10 years of experience with knitting, sewing and textile. Crafts are in my life everyday. So I share my experience with you guys.

So let’s start from the beginning.

What is chunky wool knitting yarn and what types exist ? Is tube yarn also an option?

Chunky yarn 

Chunky yarn is a super thick knitting and crocheting yarn. The real chunky yarn is even bigger than yarn guides say (it is bigger than chunky, bigger than jumbo). Usually it is not categorized so when we filter it in shops we still are looking for chunky and jumbo. Please be aware that not every yarn that is in the chunky category is the one that we need. So you always need to double check the length. It should be not less than 1 kg - 2 lb - 20 meters - 24 yards. Otherwise it will be thinner than your finger which we do not want. 

Why do we need the yarn to be so chunky? 

Basically these types of yarns are used for arm knitting, hand knitting and finger knitting. It is a knitting technique to knit without needles or hooks, only by your hands. So when we choose thinner yarn, we can knit by hand, but we will get such big holes in our piece that it will look like a fishing net. Please be aware if shop owner can guarantee the safety standards. Textile products must meet manufacturing standards to be safe for people and the planet to use. Our yarns are certified by OEKO-TEX Standard 100, it does not contain any harmful chemicals and we use green energy. 

Main types of Chunky yarn for arm/hand knitting and finger crocheting

Yarn Type	Description & Characteristics	Key Details / Requirements
Chunky Merino Wool	Often called Roving (wool roving/wool tops). The "mother of chunky yarns" used for arm knitting cozy blankets. Very soft and warm, but natural and gentle.	Sheds and pills by nature due to being unspun roving. Requires careful handling: unravel the ball first, do not pull directly from giant skeins. Dry clean only.
Chunky Tube Yarn	An upgrade to merino wool; a knitted or sewn tube stuffed like a plush toy. Made of acrylic, polyester, cotton, blends, or velvet. Easy care and machine-washable.	Washable, resistant, can be re-knitted many times. If it is good quality has no stitches on the side. Recommended minimum size: 1 kg / 2 lbs / 30 meters / 32 yards for a single continuous skein.
DIY Tubular Yarn	Yarn made independently at home using a sewing machine or a circular knitting machine.	The process can be long, messy, and prone to bumps or visibility issues through the fabric. Requires stuffing long lengths (e.g., 100 meters for a blanket).

Chunky merino wool yarn 

You should know that this type is often called - Roving. Originally it is wool roving which is used for spinning and felting crafts. So yes, it is the same roving, same wool tops, but in knitters' world it is called chunky wool yarn. This is the reason why this type of yarn may shed or pill because of its nature to be used for spinning, to spin and twist other knitting yarn. On the other hand it is the mother of chunky yarns. When arm knitting was found merino wool was the first one to use to create chunky knit blankets. They look so nice, soft and warm that you no longer care about shedding. It’s nature itself is nature friendly, biodegradable, warm like a cozy sheep. It is a great yarn to use, but you should know that it is a gentle product, so do not pull from giant skeins, unravel the ball at first and only then start knitting.  

Chunky tube yarn, skein size (amount) and care

Tube yarn was created as an upgrade for chunky merino wool. Why ? Many people have small children and pets and wool is dry clean only. Tube yarn is washable in the washing machine, it is easy care, resistant, and can be re knitted many times. It is a knitted or sewn tube which is stuffed like a plush toy. In the market you can find: acrylic, polyester, cotton or blends. A velvet tube is also an option. The main things are material -  do you want to use synthetic or organic material? We offer Cotton tube yarn. Second thing is thickness - some tubular yarns in the market are very thin, more like a crochet rope or cord, you should keep an eye that it should be 1 kg - 2 lbs - 30 meters - 32 yards and the third factor is a skein size. Also keep attention that good quality tube yarn does not have a stitch on the side, it is supposed to be equal with no additional stitches. If you choose from the shop that offers 250 grams .35 oz skeins simply it will be too small - it is not even enough for the bag and if you choose to order many pieces to get a bigger amount, that means you will sew them together every 2 minutes. You need to choose one big continuous skein which will be enough for your project, in this way you do not need to attach the ends (only the tails when you finish). 

DIY Tubular yarn with sewing machine or circular knitting machine

Have you ever considered making your own tube yarn? It is possible, but the process is just so long and messy. One way is to take a chosen textile fabric, fold it and sew a tube. For a blanket you need a minimum of 100 meters (105 yards) and the bad thing is that you also need to stuff this amount. When I tried, I stuffed only 5 meters, 6 yards and got a lot of bumps and found out that I do not want this way. 

Another option is to buy a circular knitting machine for home use and knitting yarn. You make a tube with this machine and add stuffing inside at the same time. Sadly I also got a lot of bumps and got a messy looking yarn, it was also visible through. But it was more fun than sewing :) 

Alright, one more option, it is to take a chosen fabric and roll it to a noodle to a thickness as you want. This option is nice, but a crazy amount of work and so expensive. 

A funny thing, after trying all these ways, me and my husband decided to open a small factory for cotton tube yarn and now we can offer amazing quality cotton tube yarn for a great price. So not you do not need to go through all this stuff, you can go directly to a fun part - knitting!