What should I look out for when buying gradient yarn?

My name is Birgit Wyss and I have loved crafting for 45 years. In 2016 I made more of this love for wool and founded my own online shop with the brand Chiemseegarn. Since then I have been producing gradient yarns made of polyacrylic and cotton with my family.

Real wool fans know: Working with gradient yarn is a lot of fun, but it requires some care when planning new pieces! That's why I'm devoting myself to the question today: What should you look out for when buying gradient yarn?

There are different types of gradient yarns. First of all, they differ in the composition, i.e. the mixture of yarns. On the other hand, they are available in different strengths and color gradients. The quality also makes a difference: Very good gradient yarn does not fall apart when you work, it is plied a little tightly. Inferior gradient yarn often has the disadvantage that one thread is longer than the others because they were not pulled taut straight away.
Only with great care is a super easy-to-process color gradient yarn created during production, which offers beautiful play of colors like our Chiemsee yarn.

In the following, we explain everything you need to know about beautiful gradient yarns. Working with the great color effects is not as uncomplicated as with plain-colored wool. You will learn how such a gradient yarn is made and what the quality features are. We also don't want to hide the advantages of buying from our shop from you, because we offer our dear customers a special service.

What are bobbles or gradient yarns?

Bobbel, they are affectionately called by experienced knitting friends, the motley yarns with different color gradients. But what exactly does “Bobbel” mean? These yarns are usually not twisted, i.e. several threads are not twisted together, but they are plied, i.e. laid next to each other. This creates a different picture with knitting and crocheting than with twisted yarns.

Bobbles are available in thread sizes from 3 to 8. You can also choose from different thread sizes with Chiemsee yarn.

A bobble is a color gradient yarn that consists of several threads connected by fine knots. Bobbels can be machine made or hand wrapped. If you order from Chiemseegarn, the threads are wound by hand in the desired thickness, depending on how many threads you order your bobble.

What do you have to watch out for when processing bobbles or gradient yarns?

When working with bobbles or gradient yarns, there are a few things to consider before the fun can begin. First things first:

• Don't poke the needle into the wool and don't play with the wool either! Even the cat shouldn't get it in its paws. Anything that shreds the Bobbel can render it unusable.
• Bobbles can be processed from the inside or outside. Depending on which color should come first.
• If you start them from the outside, it is best to put them in a small bowl, otherwise they will move and roll away while you work.
• If you process Bobbel from the inside, the work is quite comfortable.
• If a large ball of yarn comes loose when working from the inside out, don't pull hard on it. Rather loosen loosely.
• Carefully pull out the starting thread from the middle and pull it out.
• When knitting and crocheting, pay close attention to catch all the threads.Knitting or crocheting "blind" like watching TV is not recommended

Bobbel with glitter yarn - great effects

At Chiemseegarn there is of course also the possibility to order your yarn with glitter thread. However, there are a few things to consider when working with glitter yarn:

• It's better to start bobbles with glitter yarn from the outside!
• If you start from the inside: Please pull the thread very carefully straight out from above.
• Glitter thread has the property of making the other threads cling to it.

You see, bobbles are sensitive creatures that you simply have to treat with care, then they will reward you with beautiful knitting or crocheting!

Different manufacturers - different color gradients and qualities of bobbles

There are now a few suppliers of gradient yarns. Of course, as a layman, you can't see the forest for the trees. We'll help and explain some of the differences.

Chiemsee yarns have a clear but very subtle color gradient. Therefore, knitting or crocheting with repeating patterns, with three-dimensional motifs and with pretty openwork openwork patterns are suitable for this. Very simple and even patterns such as stockinette stitch are the classics and our yarns create simply fantastically beautiful pullovers or triangular shawls.

Other manufacturers often offer gradient yarns with very bright colors, hard contrasts and hard transitions. It is of course a matter of taste whether you like it better. With these yarns, however, you should be very economical with patterns.

At Chiemseegarn , we try to make every single color gradient unique and particularly harmonious, so that every bobble becomes something very special and practically develops its own life! As a handmade one-off, our bobbles are always unique and offer you very individual handicraft fun. Our color combinations are individual creations, inspired by nature, cuisine and colorful life in general. Discover Bobbel as optical delicacies like the yarns

strawberries with cream or raspberry vanilla or folkloric combinations such as Chiemsee dirndl and Chiemseeperle.

What defines good quality gradient yarns?

If you get a yarn that is of lesser quality, you will quickly notice this when working. The yarn unravels. One thread is longer than the other and you cannot compensate for this yourself. Knitting and crocheting becomes a challenge that you eventually give up. If a yarn is not wound well, you will not enjoy it.

At Chiemseegarn, we make sure that our yarns are wound relatively tightly so that each thread has the same tension. This is the only way to create an even stitch pattern.

The composition of the Bobbel also makes a big difference! The individual yarns used must be compatible with one another. It's not that easy to combine different yarns, but it makes sense. Because the properties of the individual yarns can complement each other perfectly, as with our blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyacrylic. This mix makes our gradient yarn particularly durable, tear-resistant and absorbent. It is easy to wash and therefore easy to care for. The biggest plus is the comfortable fit. For example, if you only used cotton, you would have significantly more weight in the finished pieces, they would tend to stretch out and lose their shape.The advantages of Chiemsee yarn at a glance:

• Particularly hard-wearing and easy to work with
• Tearproof
• Absorbent, therefore easy to wash and care for
• High wearing comfort due to light weight
• Eco-friendly mix
• All the threads are plied tight enough to make any pattern successful

Special wish fulfillments - Chiemsee yarn makes it possible

I like to play magic fairy for my customers and make seemingly impossible dreams come true! We can manufacture our yarns individually according to customer requirements and are absolutely open to new and unconventional ideas. After all, we don't have a large warehouse with shelves full of yarns waiting for you, but we manufacture every yarn you order from scratch. Just a week later you have your individually plied gradient yarn and you can get started!

Your wishes - our service:

• Order the bobbles we put together from the shop or get creative yourself!
• All products are available with 3 - 8 threads, as desired, in running lengths between 600 and 1200 running meters. Or maybe you have a completely different request like a special yardage or a different thread count?
• Make a wish! You can also send us your personal color gradient yarn without registering, by PM via Facebook or by phone.
• You have the fantastic choice of over 100,000 possible combinations!
• If you have any questions or problems, simply contact us.
• Our large Facebook community with over 3,500 members is also available for exchange and inspiration.

• We're going to re-fold the yarn!
• It will be delivered to you within a week.
• Shipping is free for orders over €39!

For our community - the bobble box for individual use

Our handicraft community is very important to us and so we are always finding new extras to respond to the wishes of knitting and crocheting friends. Of course we know that not every work can be made from the finished bobbles. And yet our fans want to be able to produce children's clothing, sweaters, jackets or even socks individually. With the finished bobbles, this can only be done with a lot of calculations or precise instructions, which you can download free of charge from our shop.

But with the bobble boxes you can also use other instructions, because the bobble boxes allow you to create the thread course yourself.

The boxes contain 9 bobbles in perfectly matching colors.

We wish you a lot of fun working with our colorful bobbles and great instructions! Feel free to become part of our community and send us pictures of your work - we'd love to hear from you!