Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Bamboo Yarn

Bamboo is a naturally eco-friendly fiber that requires no pesticides or fertilizers to grow. It is also extremely replenishable. Bamboo is strong as steel, but when spun into a fiber, it becomes as soft as silk. It is a natural luxury yarn ideal for knit and crochet garments. Bamboo yarn is made by processing the stalk and combing the fiber strands. It has a cool and silky soft touch that knits and crochets with a beautiful drape. It is itch-free, naturally hypo-allergenic and anti-bacterial and is three times more breathable than cotton.

Colors

It can be hard to find, but most specialty craft stores have at least one color, and you can always order it from Amazon.com or other online retailers.

Bernat seems to be the only brand around me, and they put out 8 different colors. All pastel I'm afraid, but when mixed together they can have some quite lovely effects.

The current colors are:

Wicker

, Linen

,
Corn

, Ginger

,
Water

, Lotus

,
Rosehip

, and Dill

.

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Pros, Cons, and Tips

Pros:

Bamboo is a renewable resource. It can be harvested without killing the plant, and only takes a few months before the plant is ready to be harvested again.

The yarn is biodegradable when not mixed with unnatural fibers.

It is often dyed with natural dyes that are safer for the environment.

Bamboo fabric is naturally antibacterial.

Fabric made from bamboo is more breathable than cotton.

Bamboo has a wonderful luster.

Bamboo is strong and flexible, yet becomes softer than silk when spun into yarn.

Bamboo fabric is also more wrinkle-resistant than cotton.

Bamboo absorbs dye faster and more thoroughly than cotton.

Growing bamboo improves soil quality and helps rebuild eroded soil.

Cons:

Bamboo yarn loses strength when wet and can swell considerably in water.

Not all bamboo yarn has the same cohesiveness. Some brands split much more than others.

Bamboo garments must be hand-washed, so it isn't the best choice if you wash often, or dislike hand-washing.

Tips:

To get the most out of the anti-bacterial properties, look for yarn that is a minimum of 70% bamboo. 100% is of course best.

Use blunt-ended needles to cut down on the chance of splitting.

If you need the fabric to be strong, but only have fine yarn, knit with two strands held together instead of a single strand.

Projects done by Flickr users using Bamboo Yarn

Based on, er, one of the lace patterns in the Harmony lace and eyelets stitch di...

Using the hand-dyed Abyss bamboo yarn. Theoretically, this was my Ravelympics pr...

Finished, finally! The color in this shot looks way too purple on my screen, but...

I had not fully realized quite how long a necktie is. It's currently at 36 inche...

Made from South West Trading Company Bamboo yarn.

I designed this as my staff project for the spring 2007 Interweave Crochet. I fe...

Mittens and matching hat for toddler by Breibeest

Mr. Toddler has worn these for approx. 0.29 seconds. Sigh ;-) Pattern: basic mi...

HP Griffindor Scarf showing off the tassles scarf details: needles: US #8...

Just a simple summer scarf, made out of Wendy's Happy in the Pisces colourway. ...

Yarn is Great Adirondacks Bamboo Silk

Crocheted from handspun merino and bamboo.

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More Fun Facts

Did you know bamboo is actually a grass? It's also one of the fastest growing grasses. Bamboo can grow a yard or more every day. It also matures fast, at only 4 years old it's ready to be harvested. Bamboo doesn't need to be replanted because of the vast root network. Continually sprouting new shoots, it replants itself, and it even puts out 35% more oxygen than the equivalent amount of trees.

PATONS-Silk Bamboo Yarn. Content: 70% Bamboo/30% S more...0 points

Bamboo Yarn on eBay

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People blogging about Bamboo Yarn

Trading yarn: I made some good trades: I got bamboo yarn to make Alex's girlfriend a sweater, some cotton Sugar N Cream yarn to make a tote bag for my friend Francesca, some of the bamboo yarn I'm using for my lace kimono, and some of the yarn I used ...
Bamboo yarn test piece: Made with 100% Bamboo Yarn and a 3.5mm bamboo crochet hook. This bamboo yarn I'm using is lightweight and very very very soft to the touch. I suppose it would be very cooling too. Here I'm making a test piece for a flower throw of sorts ...
Bamboo Yarn: Those of you who have used Bamboo yarn. What did you think of it? Was it easy to use? Did it make a nice product? What kind of patterns would you recommend it for. Thanks.
In Stitches » Bamboo brilliance: Even more important, this South West Trading Company Bamboo yarn is amazing to work with. It's soft and smooth, and it drapes well. Also, it's slippery, so that it slides quickly from one needle to another. For speed demons like me, ...

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Thoughts?

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please feel free to link your own crafty lens while you're here.

Lensmaster

CreativeArtist wrote...

Cool lens on bamboo yarn. Makes sense that it'a available as yarn now too. I've lensrolled you to my lens on Soft Bamboo Towels. http://www.squidoo.com/softbambootowels

Posted March 05, 2009