Jelly Yarns (by Kathleen G)

 

Jelly Yarn®

• 100% vinyl

•  Fine Jelly Yarn 85 yds , Bulky Jelly Yarn 65 yds,  Super Fine Jelly Yarn 50 yds

•  Waterproof

•  Glow in the Dark, Black Light Reactive neon colors

• Gauge:

New Super Fine (thread weight)

Knit Gauge: (ktbl) 28 sts and 64 rows = 4″ – US 6 (4mm)

Crochet Gauge: (sc) 22 sts and 10 rows = 4″ – F (3.75mm)

Fine Jelly Yarn (sport weight)

Knit Gauge: (k) 24 sts and 40 rows = 4″ – US 6 (4mm) needles

Knit Gauge Double Strand: (k) 14 sts and 33 rows = 4″ – US10.5 (6.5mm) needles

Crochet Gauge: (sc) 16 sts and 10 rows = 4″ – US H (5mm) hook

Bulky Jelly Yarn (worsted weight)

Knit Gauge: (k) 14 sts and 32 rows = 4″ – US 10 (6mm) needles

Knit Gauge Double Strand: (k) 10 sts and 8 rows = 4″ – US 13 (9mm) needles

Crochet Gauge: (sc) 12 sts and 14 rows = 4″ – US J (6mm) hook

If you’re looking for something fun, colorful and unique to knit or crochet, think outside the yarn box with Jelly Yarn! But what exactly IS Jelly Yarn?

Jelly Yarn was developed by Kathleen Greco while writing her first knitting book titled, Yummy Yarns (Watson Guptill). She had an idea for a purse that when knit, resembled glossy black patent leather. Using her background in plastics, she was able to develop and produce the yarn she envisioned, and Black Licorice Jelly Yarn was born.

Bright colors named after candies and ices soon followed: Hot Pink Candy, Blue Taffy, Lemon-Lime Ice, Raspberry Sorbet, and Pink Peppermint Glow, just to name a few. There now are 13 neon, opaque, metallic, and glow-in-the-dark colorways.

Jelly Yarn is a 100% vinyl, solid round strand. It’s very flexible, waterproof and is formulated for knitting and crochet. This contemporary glossy yarn is ideal for fashion-fun knitting or crocheting for adults and kids. Patterns are available for accessories including: purses, handbags, beach bags, belts, bracelets, ornaments, hair accessories, toys, and coral reef projects.

Tips For Knitting or Crocheting with Jelly Yarn

• The best knit stitch for creating a flat texture in Jelly Yarn is the Knit Through the Back Loop stitch. 

• Metal needles or hooks are recommended when working with Jelly Yarn. Susan Bates® Silvalume® metal needles or hooks are preferred well because of the smooth satin surface, but any metal will work.

• To make your knit or crochet fabric more durable, carry along a strand of Fine Jelly Yarn with your fiber yarn.

• If your tension is too tight, your stitches may not slide on the metal needle easily. To help make the stitches glide easily, we recommend using a little hand lotion, Burt’s Bees Hand Salve, or Vinylex, vinyl protectant applied along the stitches on the needle or hook.

• Knitting or crocheting with Jelly Yarn is a little different then fiber yarn. Instead of weaving ends, make a double knot (square knot) to prevent the stitches from unraveling after the 1st cast on stitch, when joining yarns and, after binding off.

• Blocking Jelly Yarn is easy. Heat the piece, with a hair dryer on low, for a few seconds. Place the piece on a flat hard surface and make the sides even. Tape the edges of the piece to the surface (optional). Place a weight such as a dictionary or phone book on top overnight. Assemble as instructed in the pattern.

Jelly Yarn 20 Cool Projects for Girls to Knit & Crochet (Krause Publishers) features an amazing array of purses, jewelry, belts, pet collar, and other fun projects crafted with Jelly Yarns. http://www.jellyyarns.com/books.html

Bonus: The bright neon and glow colors are idea for kids to learn how to knit or crochet!

Burt’s Bees Hand Salve, or Vinylex free sample is included with Jelly Yarn purchase. There are many knit and crochet free patterns available on the Jelly Yarn website.

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Things to know about Bamboo Yarns (by Yarn Cloud)

I would like to take a few minutes to discuss some of the features of bamboo yarns. If you are asking how can panda food become a yarn you may find some answers right here.  

Bamboo was introduced to the world of hand knitting yarns only a few years ago. It is an excellent choice when it comes to protection of our environment since 100% bamboo is biodegradable and made out of renewable resources. Bamboo can be harvested without destroying the plant and takes a fairly short time to renew. 

I know we all care about our planet but you are probably anxious to hear about the things this fiber can do for you as a crafter. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial, it can protect from UV rays and was proven to cool body temperature while worn as a garment. Yarn Cloud Bamboo has also earned the European certification of suitability for use in products intended for babies under the age of 3.

Fabric knitted from bamboo has a great drape, looks silky and can be very soft. It looks somewhat like silk or mercerized cotton but it’s quite different from both. One thing to consider when knitting with bamboo is that it can be fairly heavy so afghans made out of worsted weight 100% bamboo while gorgeous will be quite handful.  If you choose to knit a large project from bamboo use rather circular needles since you can rest your work in your lap which puts less strain on your hands and wrist. Small projects from light weight bamboo should not be much different than knitting with any  viscose based yarn.

Some knitters mentioned that bamboo may have the tendency to split while knitting. This is due to a fact it does not have great coherence in its regular spun varieties. The splitting factor is also affected by needles used. We have noticed that when knitted with blunter tip needles made out of bamboo or rosewood the splitting is significantly reduced.

Bamboo has a great absorbing features which may be positive and negative as well. Due to high absorption bamboo when washed has tendency to swell  and takes a long time to air dry. It’s generally recommended to hand wash and air dry projects from bamboo. We have tested our yarns for machine washing and machine drying and we found no problem with neither when done with proper care. Our yarns can be washed on delicate settings on low temperature and tumble dry on low heat. Make sure to check for color fastness first. While generally Yarn Cloud yarns are very color stable some colors may bleed especially when washed for the first time.

I would like to let you know a bit more about Yarn Cloud Bamboo Yarns.

Our yarn comes in 3 different weights (light, worsted and bulky) and 5 different  varieties.

Regular Bamboo is 5 ply and considered light weight. It is great choice for lace scarves, shawls, christening gowns and light garments where drape is desired. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving.

Bamboo Magic Waves is a 10 ply variety which is worsted weight and top choice for dishcloths, baby washcloths, baby blankets, toys and apparel. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving. This yarn can be used for some Plastic Canvas Projects as well.

Bamboo Soft Spell is our thinner chainette in worsted weight and when knitted it remains more flexible while still keeps it’s beautiful drape. Due to this fact it is better suitable for sweaters and apparel. Suitable for knitting and crochet.

Bamboo Charmed is our thickest bamboo yarn great for totes, handbags, bath mats, rugs and other projects. Suitable for knitting and crochet.

Bamboo Elegant is a 5 ply light weight blended with cotton boucle strand and its general use is similar to our regular Bamboo. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving.

The important thing when knitting or crocheting with Bamboo is to chose the right yarn and right project. As I’ve said before Bamboo has a great drape but this may be a problem when looking for close knitted tank top. Soft Spell may be better suitable for that kind of project. If you are not sure you can always ask us a question before you start to prevent any frustration later. We all know how much we hate to unravel!

Some gorgeous products made out of Yarn Cloud Bamboo can be found on Ravelry and we are working on creating customer showcase on our site very soon.

If you have any questions about Bamboo you can always e-mail me at romana.graham@yarncloud.com and I’ll do my best to get you your answer.

At last I would like to mention that in order to support the use of environmentally friendly fibers we have started Yarn Cloud Bamboo Club which offers its members everyday 25% off on the whole line of our Bamboo yarns and several other discounts in other categories. It also offers occasional coupons for even more savings. For more info please visit https://www.yarncloud.com/BambooClub.html.

Romana C Graham

Founder and President of Yarn Cloud