How to Choose Tube Yarn Guide
The Complete Guide to Tube Yarn: Types, Benefits, and How to Pick the Right One
If you love cozy home decor and handmade crafts, if knitting and crocheting is in your heart, you have likely noticed the chunky knit trend of ultra-thick, plush arm knit projects taking over social media. At the center of this crafting is a modern material known as tube yarn.
Tubular yarn offers a sleek, clean, and durable alternative for chunky merino wool. Whether you are looking to craft a statement chunky knit blanket, stylish chunky pillows, or knitted pet beds, rugs, ottoman etc. understanding your material options is the first step to success.
This guide explores what cotton tube yarn is, breaks down its various types, and helps you choose the perfect option for your next crafting project.
What is Tube Yarn? (And How Is It Different from Regular Yarn?)
Tube yarn (often referred to as tubular yarn) is a specialized type of yarn manufactured or constructed differently from traditional spun yarns. It is not spun, you do not need spinning machines to make this yarn. It is a knitted, crocheted or garment fabric constructed to a tube and filled with chosen filling, mostly with polyester.
|
Feature |
Tube Yarn |
Regular Yarn |
|
Structure |
Hollow knitted or sewn cylinder |
Twisted fibers or plies |
|
Splitting Risk |
None (solid tubular structure) |
Moderate (can split if caught by a hook/needle) |
|
Weight & Feel |
Often heavy, super bulky, super jumbo, soft, squishy and extra chunky |
Vances from lace-weight to super bulky |
|
Best Used For |
Structural home decor, chunky crafts, arm knitting, hand crocheting, finger knitting, often usable without additional tools, massive projects as yarn bombing |
Wearable clothing, delicate accessories, mostly extra tools are needed as hooks and knitting needles |
DIY Tube yarn
As always one of the questions is - what if I want to make one by myself? It is a challenge to DIY tubular yarn. You need a garment and sewing machine, you can sew the tubes, but when you try to stuff it you probably will get bumps in different places and not equal stuffing and imagine that you need to fill at least 100 meters (110 yards). You can also try to crochet the tube, but still adding a plush toy texture with stuffing will be challenging. It’s a huge task, so it is better to use already prepared chunky tube yarn.
Comparison between different tube yarn in a market
You should always check what material is used to produce tube yarn carefully. It is important that the material has an OEKO-TEX certificate. STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX—it means that every component of the product has been tested for over 1,000 harmful substances and proven to be safe for human health.
|
Tube Yarn |
Yarn Weight / Size |
Fiber Content |
Core Structure |
Key Characteristics |
|
Amazon |
Bulky (Size 5) |
100 % Acrylic |
Hollow acrylic knitted tube, made from synthetic materials |
Soft, but may be flat, has a stitch on the side, max skein size only 2 lbs (1 kg), often offers too small kits, does not include sewing yarn, may get bubbles very soon |
|
China |
Bulky (Size 5) |
100% Polyester shell |
knitted sleeve packed with loose polyfill batting, may include harmful materials or plastics, may cause allergies |
Flat, has a stitch on the side, max skein size only 2 lbs (1 kg), often offers too small amounts, not enough for the project, often comes damaged, does not include sewing yarn, get bubbles very soon, cheap |
|
Specialty Cotton Tube Yarns (e.g., Nuddeln) |
Super Chunky, Bulky, Super Jumbo (Size7)/ Extreme |
100% Cotton OEKO-TEX certified |
Hollow 100% cotton knitted tube |
Eco-friendly, breathable, matte texture, exceptional durability, does not have stitch on the side, sewing yarn included, continuous giant 10 lbs (4,5 kg) skeins |
Pro tip: better to choose a big continuous giant skein by your project size, otherwise you have to often sew the yarn ends together to connect them to a continuous string. So everything from 6-10 lbs (3-4,5 kg) is a great choice for tubular yarn hand knitting.