What to make with single ply yarn is a recurring question is the knitting world. Single ply yarn is very exciting because it’s so soft and squishy and the colors look so much brighter. But not all patterns are the best patterns to knit with single ply yarn.
What is single ply yarn?
So what does single ply mean?
For that, we need to define what ply stands for. Ply yarns are single strands of yarn twisted together. So single ply yarn is a single strand of yarn whose fibers are held together with a small amount of twist. (You can read more in depth information on the Britannica Encyclopedia.)
But what weight is single ply yarn?
This confused me a bit when single ply yarn started to be all the rage. Yarn weight is referring to the thickness of the singles plied together. So singles can range from thin to bulkier thickness. But the singles from most indie dyers (including our Fluffy Fox Singles base) are generally the same thickness as 4-ply yarn.
Single ply yarn uses:
This brings us to what you can make with single ply yarn. Single ply yarn is softer and has a poofy halo. That’s because the yarn strand has a soft fuzz around it. But it also means that it pills more. Single ply offers a lighter, fluffy feeling to your knits (while still offering warmth) but it means less stitch definition. Single ply yarn looks its best with plain stockinette stitch but can still looks good with uncomplicated cables patterns. But please, never use single ply for socks. The single strand isn’t sturdy enough to resist the friction and your beautiful socks won’t live a long life.
What to knit with single ply yarn?
Which knitting patterns are good for single ply yarns?
There are no good or wrong patterns for single ply yarn but keep in mind the fluffiness of the yarn so it won’t look as crisp as you are used to.
Colorwork look beautifully with single ply yarn. One of our personal favorites is the Sleeping Sun Sweater, designed by Roos Vlaskamp who used our Fluffy Fox Singles yarn.
For a good basic sweater that will show off these single ply skeins beautifully, you can go with the So Faded sweater by Andrea Mowry or the Dissolve Sweater by Marion Em Knits.
There are a lot of wonderful options out there for shawls and wraps. Lydia knitted a fun Wonder Woman themed wrap with the (free) pattern Wonder Woman Wrap by Carissa Knits. And of course, there is the Mary Shelley shawl that Lydia designed using our Fluffy Fox singles.
Best patterns for single ply yarn?
These patterns are only a few options, but we tried them all and they are great to emphasize the fluffy goodness of single ply yarn. Feel free to explore Ravelry or Instagram to find more patterns and share them with us. But remember, no single ply for socks or they won’t last!
If you want to try out our Fluffy Fox Singles, check out our shop!
