How to Knit: Knitting with Ruffles Yarn

Beautiful ruffles are fashion's most romantic detail. With Lion Brand's new yarn, Ruffles, you can get the look while the yarn does all the work!

Knitting with Ruffles is fun and the technique is easy to master. You can work a couple of rows with Ruffles here and there for a delicate effect or work Ruffles all over for a dramatic look.

Click here for a short instructional video and audio segment on how to knit with Ruffles

To work with Ruffles, insert your knitting needle THROUGH the yarn, instead of wrapping the yarn around the needle. The yarn is made of a soft, wide fabric with a loose weave.

KNITTING WITH RUFFLES

Casting On

Casting on is fast and easy. With the Wrong Side of the yarn facing you (the yarn curls toward you), insert the tip of your knitting needle through the yarn from the front to the back, about one-quarter of an inch [6 mm] down from the top edge of the yarn (refer to Casting On illustration above). Repeat about 1 inch [2.5 cm] further along the yarn for the second loop and continue to repeat until you have "cast on" as many stitches as you want. You need not make exact measurements – the results are beautiful whether the stitches are 1 inch [2.5 cm] apart or 1 and one-half inches [3.8 cm] apart.

Beautiful ruffles are fashion’s most romantic detail. With Lion Brand's new yarn, Ruffles, you can get the look while the yarn does all the work!

Working with Ruffles is fun and the technique is easy to master. You can work a couple of rows with Ruffles here and there for a delicate effect or work Ruffles all over for a dramatic look.

To work with Ruffles, insert your knitting needle THROUGH the yarn, instead of wrapping the yarn around the needle. The yarn is made of a soft, wide fabric with a loose weave.

Knit Row

Knit Stitch

Each of the little “loops” on your needle is a cast-on stitch. Insert your right-hand needle from the front to theback of the first stitch. Making sure the yarn is not twisted on itself, insert the needle through from the front to the back of the Ruffles yarn toward the top, about 1 inch [2.5 cm] - or a thumb knuckle’s distance from the last stitch (refer to Knitting with Ruffles illustration) and pull through the stitch. Remove the worked stitch from the left-hand needle. This part is just like knitting! Work across the row, always being sure the yarn does NOT TWIST before you insert the needle.

Note: If you knit every row (Garter Stitch), you will create a very thick, luxurious ruffled piece that is completely reversible. If you want the piece to be a little less dense, work in Stockinette Stitch (see below, for instructions on working the Purl Rows). There will be a slight difference between the right and wrong sides of Stockinette stitch Ruffles fabric.

Purl Row

Purl Stitch

Start out by bringing the yarn to the front of the work, making sure it isn’t twisted as you work. Insert your right-hand needle through the first stitch from the back to the front. Insert the needle through from the back to thefront of the Ruffles yarn toward the top, about 1 inch [2.5 cm] - or a thumb knuckle's distance from the last stitch (refer to Purling with Ruffles illustration), and pull through the stitch. Slip the worked stitch from the left-hand needle to the right-hand needle.

Knitting Ruffles in Combination with Other Yarns Ruffles creates a wonderful effect when worked with other yarns. A scarf in a smooth yarn, like Lion Cashmere Blend, can be enhanced with rows of Ruffles at the ends. Just work as you normally would with the other yarn you’ve selected and work the Ruffles technique on the Ruffles rows. It’s just that simple!

Helpful Hints

  • Unsure about where to put your needle next? A good rule of "thumb" to use is your thumb! If you measure from where you last inserted your needle into the yarn using the distance of your top thumb knuckle to insert it again, you can’t go wrong!
  • Be sure as you go along that your yarn is not twisting upon itself. The same is true from row to row.
  • Unless you are working rows of Ruffles with other knitting, try to use small-size needles. The smaller the needle, the easier it is to insert the needle through the yarn. Using different sizes of needles will change the ruffled effect. Experiment to find the result you like best.
  • Gauge is not essential when using Ruffles. Variable gauge is acceptable.

Knit and Purl images courtesy of Knit.1 Magazine