A Dozen Ways to Use Sashay

Most knitters know about Sashay and similar fabric yarns that are most commonly used to stitch up quick frilly scarves (I used a similar lace yarn to knit a scarf, and you can find a video tutorial on how to work with the yarn.)

Of course there are other things that can be done with this funky yarn, and a recent Donna’s Dozen over at the Red Heart website covered different kinds of projects using the yarn.

There’s knitting, crochet, finger knitting, even just decorative knotting included in this roundup, so if you have some balls of this novel yarn laying around that you aren’t sure what to do with, check these patterns out. My personal favorite is the pictured Mesh Pillow Cover, which offers a completely different look to what we’re used to from this yarn, and it’s a great way to dress up a plain pillow.

Have you ever used this sort of yarn? I’d love to hear what you did with it!

[Photo via Red Heart.]

Sashay knitting is a technique used to create a ruffled or frilly edge on a knitted fabric. It typically uses a specialized type of yarn called “sashay yarn” or “ruffle yarn” that has a mesh-like texture and is often made of a lightweight, stretchy material such as rayon or nylon.

To knit with sashay yarn, the yarn is passed through a series of loops created along the edge of a knitted fabric. The loops are then pulled to create a ruffled or frilly edge. The technique is usually used to create decorative edges on scarves, shawls, and other similar items.

Sashay knitting is a simple technique that is easy to learn, but it does require a bit of patience and attention to detail. The key is to ensure that the loops are pulled tight and even, so that the ruffles are neat and consistent. With practice, it is possible to create a variety of different ruffled effects, from delicate and lacy to bold and dramatic.

It’s important to note that sashay yarn can be tricky to work with because of the mesh-like texture and stretchiness, but it’s a fun way to add a unique and decorative edge to your knitted projects. It can be used in combination with other yarns to add a pop of texture and color to plain knits.

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If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.

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