Novelty Yarn

Can I purchase novelty yarns at Spotlight?

Yes, our large range of yarns here at Spotlight includes a selection of fun novelty yarns. Novelty yarn is the group of yarns that has been produced to provide extra texture, different length of fibre, or has embellishments such as small metallic elements, beads or even pompoms in the yarn. This means that with a straightforward stitch you can make a simple garment such as for instance a scarf look completely different. Novelty yarns are also often used in the making of toys and clothes for kids.

What types of novelty yarns are there?

It seems that every time you look, a new novelty yarn has arrived on the market, as with modern production techniques just about any combination of elements is possible. For this reason, this is not an exhaustive list but it will give you some idea of the different types of novelty yarn on offer.

• Boucle, or looped, yarns are created by loosely looping the second yarn around a first yarn, and thereby creating a bumpy effect. Usually made up of 3 strands of yarn wrapped together, this yarn must be handled carefully as it is easy to split.
• Chenille is the soft, fuzzy yarn that resembles pipe cleaners. It can be created by first creating a fabric, which is then cut into very narrow strips resembling yarn, or by trimming loosely attached fibres to create the fuzzy appearance.
• Eyelash yarn is made from a polyester fibre with a furry texture resembling eyelashes. It is not too dissimilar to fur yarn and produces a soft and hairy appearance.
• Ladder yarn, as the name suggests, gives the appearance of a ladder, with two flat threads representing the two sides of the ladder held together by a strip of material at the centre like the rungs. It may include beads or pieces of metal in the centre of the yarn.
• Metallic yarns are often classified as novelty yarn and are created by adding a metallic fibre or yarn to the blend. The metallic fibres give the yarn a shimmery appearance, often used for evening wear.
• Nub yarn is created by tightly twisting knots in the yarn that are called nubs. The nub is most easily identified when two different coloured yarns are used.
• Slub yarn features thick spots in the yarn at irregular intervals, created by switching up the tightness of the twist of the yarn in various places.
• Ribbon yarn is exactly what it sounds like - it resembles a ribbon with its flat appearance and can be made from natural or synthetic fibres.
• Self-striping yarn is dyed in a few different colours in long repeats, which will give your garment a subtle striped effect once complete.
• Pom-pom yarn again is self-explanatory in that it has small pom-poms included at regular intervals along the yarn.

What else is included in the novelty yarn range at Spotlight?

You will also find Rovings, or combed wool, in this range, which is used for many different types of crafting including needle felting. It is available in a number of different colours.