How to Knit With Eyelash Yarn

Fun and flirty, eyelash yarn takes its name from the fine fringes of yarn radiating from a central core. When stretched out, the yarn resembles luxuriant eyelashes. Also known as fun-fur for its fur-like quality when knit into scarfs, ponchos or other items, eyelash yarn allows you to create highly textured novelty fashions. Use eyelash yarn alone or with another yarn to add texture and interest to garments.

Knit a sample swatch to get a feel for knitting with eyelash yarn. This is especially important if this is your first time knitting with eyelash yarn, or if you're knitting a garment or other project where gauge matters. Cast on twenty stitches and knit twenty rows. Measure the length and width of the resulting swatch. Divide the resulting measurements by 20 to give you your stitches per inch and rows per inch.

Choose a simple stitch pattern such as garter stitch (knit every row) or stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row). Your pattern definition will be lost in the furry textured surface of the eyelash yarn, so don't waste your time with complicated stitch patterns.

Cast on loosely. Eyelash yarns have very fine central strands. If you cast on too tight, you'll have trouble getting the tip of your needle into the yarn. Knit loosely, being careful not to pull the stitches too tight.

Insert the tip of the needle under the main strand of yarn, not one of the eyelashes. It's easy to confuse the two, especially if you're working with a yarn with very long "lashes". Take the time to make sure you're knitting the main yarn strand and avoid having holes in your work.

Place markers to keep track of your stitches. This doesn't matter if you're knitting something simple, such as a scarf. But if your project requires increases or decreases or keeping track of the number of stitches, placing a marker every ten or twenty stitches will make your life easier. The fuzzy eyelash yarn makes counting stitches more difficult.

Stop every few rows and rake your fingers over the surface of the section you've knitted to fluff up the yarn and pull the "lashes" free from the stitches. This will give you a better idea of how your finished project will look.

Bind off loosely when your project is completed. Cut the yarn, leaving a three or four inch tail. Thread this tail onto the darning needle and weave it back into the last row of stitches. Fluff up the yarn to hide the weaving.