Tahki Yarns

Yarn with visible texture

Tahki's range sits deliberately away from the smooth, uniform end of the yarn market. Expect slubs, tweedy flecks, thick-and-thin spinning and heathered colours built from several shades blended in the fibre rather than dyed on top. That has consequences for what you should knit. Textured yarn swallows fine stitch patterns: a delicate lace repeat or a small cable disappears into the surface, whereas plain stocking stitch, garter and simple ribs let the yarn itself be the decoration. The chunky and super chunky yarns in the range are particularly good for cushions, throws and oversized scarves where the fabric is meant to be seen from across a room.

Matching weight to project

• Sport weight: lighter garments, baby knits and layering pieces where you want a fabric with some drape.
• Worsted: the all-rounder. Jumpers, cardigans, hats and mitts, at roughly 18 to 20 stitches to 10cm.
• Chunky: quick outerwear, deep-collared cardigans, big scarves.
• Super chunky: throws, floor cushions, statement cowls, all knittable in a weekend on large needles.
• Home textiles: anything hard-wearing where texture reads as expensive.

Tension, needles and quantity

Textured and thick-and-thin yarns make tension measurement awkward, because the fabric is uneven by design. Knit a larger swatch than usual – 20cm square rather than 15 – and measure across several places, then average. Use smooth needles with a decent taper; slubby yarns catch on cheap joins. Super chunky yarn is heavy, so plan quantities by metres and remember that a large throw can run to well over 1,000 metres even though the ball count looks small. Buy one dye lot, and with heathered or hand-dyed-look yarns consider alternating two balls every two rows across a big flat piece, which blends any batch variation invisibly.

Working with slubs and thick-and-thin yarn

The uneven strand is the point, but it does make some things harder. Increases and decreases can land in a thick section and look lumpy; where the pattern allows, shift the shaping a stitch either way. Ripping back is unpleasant because the slubs catch, so use lifelines on anything longer than a scarf. Joining is easier with a knot at the edge and ends woven in later rather than a spit splice, which does not work on many blends. Above all, do not fight the yarn into a fine gauge: worked too tightly, a textural yarn goes stiff and loses the loft it was spun for.

Blocking and care

Wet blocking is the moment textured yarns come good. Soak, squeeze out gently, roll in a towel and pin out to measurements; the fibre plumps, the surface evens and the fabric softens noticeably. Check the ball band before you commit, since fibre content varies widely across the range and some blends should be dry cleaned or hand washed only. Dry flat, always, particularly for chunky pieces, where the weight of trapped water will stretch a hanging garment out of shape in a single afternoon. Store folded, and keep a spare ball for repairs.

Tahki yarn questions

What weights does Tahki make?

The range covers sport, worsted and chunky weights, plus speciality super chunky yarns.

Is Tahki yarn good for beginners?

The plainer worsted yarns are. Thick-and-thin and slubby yarns are best attempted once you are comfortable reading your own stitches.

What should I knit in super chunky Tahki yarn?

Throws, cushions and big cowls. They are fast, they show the texture and they are forgiving on fit.

Can I substitute Tahki for another yarn?

Match the ball band tension and the total metres for your size rather than the ball count, and swatch in the actual stitch pattern before you buy the full quantity for a garment.

Where do I find patterns for it?

Browse Tahki knitting patterns or all knitting patterns.