DIY Q&A: Shaggy Knits

Dear Andrea,

I am desperate beginning knitter in need of "yetti coat". But i cannot for the life of me find any instructions for how to knit shag? Back in 2005 your blog posted this post, where you describe making a yetti type shag rug. Are their any references for where you learned this method of construction ? What is the method?

DESPERATE KNITTER


Dear Desperate Knitter,

I hope knitting is nothing to get too desperate about! It should always been enjoyed, and some times challenging.

Actually, creating shag is only one part knit, the other part involves a bit of what rug hooking must be like. The trick is you must create a stable knit base out of a chunky yarn using a seed stitch pattern. You would then cut strips of "thick and thin" yarn. Selecting an appropriated yarn is most important for this type of project, you want something that has a consistent thick and thin pattern through out the yarn, and you want the thick part to be fairly puffy. Otherwise if you use regular bulky yarn, you need to shape the ends. I used Louet "Bouffant", but I think it's been discontinued. Cut the yarn in the middle of every other thin part so that the middle part of the strand is thin. Then using a crochet hook, fold the yarn strand in half and pull the "loop" through the purl stitches of the knitted base, pull the ends through the formed loop. Continue to do this until the knit based is completely covered.

Using this method, you could create things like home furnishings like rugs or throws, shaggy handbags like the Fendi one, or a yetti fur coats like Balenciaga.

Good luck and happy knitting!

Andrea