The Horrors of Velvet Yarn

Several years ago someone got me velvet yarn for Christmas…This was before I knew much about textiles or yarn (maybe more than most but the obsession was at its roots). It’s a beautiful product, very shiny, very girly pop but I have slowly come to realize it is useless. I might be being dramatic, but I’ll walk you through years of beef.

The first thing I did was use it in a blanket for an installation at the artist ran gallery in Halifax; Hermes. Thankfully the whole thing was meant to look organic and like a forest because that is when I leaned the term “worming”. Worming happens a bunch of different ways. Velvet yarn in particular has no friction against itself and so with almost any movement after knitting it starts to roll up from the stitch like a worm shape and the weave becomes incredibly uneven. You can try this with just about any sized knitting needles or crochet needles the same thing will happen. It looks like shit.

I eventually figured out one use, you can chain it on the edge of a blanket and make shag. I don’t believe this is a good enough reason for it to exist. I think it’s primary purpose as a product is for people who collect craft supplies, not for people who actually craft. In art school I took an entrepreneurship in the arts course and the first thing we learned about consumers is that sometimes you aren’t advertising or making things for someone who will use it, but making it for someone who wants to signal their interest in something for status etc. For example someone who doesn’t cook having the nicest kitchen or mixer….. or someone having a very nice camera. That doesn’t make you a cook or a photographer but it certainly makes you feel/look like one. It’s about how buying it makes you feel. Maybe it’s a bit of hope for something you might do. Maybe I’m too invested in yarn.

I haven’t tried knitting it with another yarn in with it, which may work, but I think that would take away from the purpose of velvet yarn…… the texture …. again WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY

Anyways, sorry to any velvet yarn users and lovers (I doubt you exist)