I get asked this question often. For many of use knitting stores are closer to home than a needlepoint shop and the prices and large size of skeins of knitting yarn make them very attractive to stitchers. Today I’ll show you some examples, both good and bad of knitting yarns and explain why they work or don’t work for needlepoint.
Many needlepoint threads are actually relabeled and dyed yarns used for knitting or crochet.
In terms of packaging and marketing there are a couple of differences to keep in mind. Yarns for knitting come in much larger packages than the exact same yarn when it’s packaged for needlepoint, so when you use them you’ll end up with lots, so they tend to work better for backgrounds.
Second, knitting is a fashion industry, needlepoint is an heirloom craft. This means that color selection in knitting yarns is smaller and changes with fashion. If orange is out, it will be hard to find orange knitting yarn, but it will still be easy to find orange needlepoint yarn where the color range is bigger and doesn’t change much.
This color chart of Lana Grosso’s Baby Alpaca shows how small a single yarn’s color range can be. But even 30 colors is a big range for a knitting yarn. It’s extremely small for needlepoint.
Having said this you CAN use knitting and crochet yarns for needlepoint. You need to look for certain things that will make the yarns easy to use:
1. The yarn should be even in width. Yarns with big slubs, tons of fringe or large variations in width won’t go through canvas. A yarn such as this recycled silk yarn (picture from Yarndex) has too many variations in width to work for needlepoint, even though it’s great for knitting.
2. The yarn should be about the width of a thread you would use for needlepoint on that mesh of canvas or easily split into threads that width. If it can’t be split and is too thick, it’s likely to be too fragile to go through the canvas without shredding.
Happily knitting yarns come in standard sizes that can be a great help to stitchers. Baby weight, sock weight, or fingering are all names for a yarn that works well on 18 mesh. Lace weight usually is thin and would need to be plied up. DK is heavier and would work on 13 or 14 mesh unless plied down. Sport weight or light worsted would most likely work on12 mesh. Worsted is a bit thicker than tapestry wool and would work best on 10 mesh. Any yarn heavier than worsted would need to be plied down to use for needlepoint.
The picture shows size comparisons of several weights of yarn with a penny for size. It’s from this article, which explains weight really well. Fingering weight is at the top, the others are increasingly fine lace weights.
3. It shouldn’t be too stretchy. This is a characteristic of some knitting yarns. It’s a good thing in a garment. but a bad thing in needlepoint where there is more tension when you stitch, and that both stretches and weakens the yarn.
4. It should have a clear twist. Many knitting yarns are very loosely spun and have little twist. Because of the sizing in needlepoint canvas, all yarns gets abrasion as it is stitched, loosely spun yarns just shred.
You can see clearly in this roving yarn from Ming Sheng how the three strands are loosely twisted. This yarn will not work for needlepoint unless it was couched on the front of the canvas.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Hi Janet,
I’m so glad to see this post. Knitting yarn has been a huge resource for me for years when I’ve run dry on options from my own stash or just couldn’t find what I wanted in the my local store. Your encouragment to “think outside the box” of what is labeled as needlepoint thread is fabulous! Thank you for a great resource on what makes for a good thread.
Christa
Dear Janet:
Thanks so much for the information on knitting yarns. I work overseas; now I am in a small city in Asia. Great knitting yarns are available; good needlepoint fibers are not as easy for me to find. So it is good news to learn that there is so much flexibility and creativity.
Mary
I just ran across this today since I have been in a quandary about some wool yarn I found in a local non-crafting store. This store has a small stash of Paton’s worsted wool and I was temped to buy some for a background needlepoint but was hesitant… thanks for the reassuring message about interchangeability for needlepoint and knitting projects. I bought 2 skeins and the thickness is perfect for the background mesh I have… so lucky to have found it at $1.79 per 3.5 oz skein… ready for winter now 🙂
VERY helpful article!!!
Thank you so much…
YAAAY, Absolutely perfect info for my new project. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome. Good Luck!
Keep stitching,
Janet
That you for the information. It was just what I needed to know in order to proceed with a project. And considering that the yarn for needlepoint can only be bought in the US, I was even more pleased to know that it can be substituded. Too bad I did not know this sooner or I could have saved myself a lot of money.
Hello, I was just wondering about substituting knitting yarn for tapestry wool and found this website! Just great! I am already a fan of Patons yarn and have knitted very nice things with that yarn. Why I was wondering about the needlepoint question regarding substituting the yarn, I am planning to make some Christmas ornaments and did not wanted to do this in cross stitch, the tapestry way might be quicker and this project does not have to be a heirloom project ?. Thanks again for all the helpful information!
I think doing your ornaments in needlepoint is a great idea. You might want to experiment with knitting yarns for cross stitch. I’m thinking even lace weight yarns would be too thick by themselves, but there are knitting yarns that can be plied down. I’d try this with some of your leftovers to see if it worked.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Thank you Janet!
I tried the Patons Worsted yarn and that is too heavy for the 14 count. I am going to check about some thinner yarn like you mentioned or try to split some strong yarn. Otherwise I might still have to do it with DMC and in cross stitch. Which would be just fine, but I thought the tapestry route might safe me some time.
Thanks again!
Madeleine
Worsted weight is too thick for 14-mesh. I have used sock weight very successfully on 13 and 14 mesh. It also works for straight stitches on 18 mesh.
Keep stitching,
Janet
I have often used knitting wool for backgrounds when doing tapestry. Its so much cheaper. I found that 4 ply sock wool works well on 7/8 holes per inch canvas when doing cross stitch. It doesnt stretch as much as some of the other wools and is harder wearing. Its also available in a good range of colours.
Fro small areas I prefer to use tapestry wool but just look out for job lots.
I really cant tell the difference on the finished tapestry.
Sock wool also works well for tent on 13 & 14 mesh and for straight stitches on 18 mesh.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Interested in specific yarn brand names from knitting yarn to canvas holes per inch.
Knitting Yarns have specific sizes that are standardized. Using the sizes is better than going by names because those change. From my experience;
sport-weight yarns work for straight stitches on 13
sock-weight yarns work for straight stitches on 18 or diagonal stitches on 13
lace-weight yarns work for diagonal stitches on 18
Because sock knitting is very popular these days, these are very easy to find. A great thing to use for needlepoint are mini-skeins of knitting yarns which have 10 to 20 yards in them. That’s very little for knitting but perfect for needlepoint.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Doesn’t answer the question. If you don’t know say so.
The question of what size of knitting yarns work for specific canvas mesh was answered in my previous reply. Your experience may differ by a size or so because your tension might be different from mine. All thread & yarn suggestions should be considered suggestions only because of this; they make good starting points and work for most stitchers.
In terms of specific brands and yarns to use, I don’t make brand-specific suggestions for several reasons. First, the knitting market has thousands of yarns and even the best knitting shops only carry a fraction of them. In addition, this market changes all the time, so what might be available today will not be available tomorrow. I have successfully used several widely-available yarns for needlepoint. Two of these are Koigu in sock weight and Peaches & Cream which is a common crochet yarn sold in mass market shops.
Your best approach if you want to explore this is to go by size and the recommendations for types of construction in the article and go to your local yarn store. Buy mini-skein, sample skeins, or skeins on sale of the yarns that are the suggested sizes for your preferred technique and mesh size. Knitting yarns come in very large package sizes from a needlepoint point of view, so using them for backgrounds, buying mini skeins, or buying on sale is your most cost-effective approach.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Keep stitching,
Janet
Very good thank you janet
I bought a lovely kit that includes canvas and all yarn. Canvas is 14 mesh. The yarn is wool. Should I separate the strands before using it? It has been many years since I did needlepoint but I am interested in getting back into it but I can’t remember if I’m supposed to separate the strands. Thank you.
Do you know what kind of wool it is? If it is Tapestry (looks like knitting yarn) or Crewel (very thin) Wool, then no. If it is Persian Wool, which has thre easily-separated two-ply strands, then yes, you separate out one of the two-ply strands.
Keep stitching,
Janet
I plan on doing a simple bargello flame stitch for a seat cushion. I have such a large stash of cotton yarn, I would to get your opinion on using this on 13 count mono canvas. Thank you for your consideration!
This post is so very helpful!
My question is similar, but I am mostly interested to know the answer in terms of durability.
Lots of knitting “yarns” are just acrylic, or synthetic material– if looking for durability (needlepoint seat cushions or church kneelers for example) should I stick with wool, or wool/silk blend? Or does it really matter?
I would not use anything in this case except wwol. Acrylic feels unpleasant and will not look good. Wool/silk, because it is a blnd, often can pill.
Kep stitching,
Janet
Interesting thought, those recycled silks would be GREAT couched in areas where a unique texture is wanted. Now I am off to my knitting stash to see if I have any recycled silk to try!
I have a needlepoint sampler worked in Anchor tapestry yarn on 10 mesh. The background yarn that came with the kit is horrible. It is thinner than the Anchor and has no fuzz; it will not cover the canvas. Can you please recommend a good knitting yarn to use instead for the background? Thank you so much.
I can’t recoomend a particular knitting yarn because they change often. The best thing to do is to take some of your Anchor Wool to a knitting shop and ask for yarns that weight.
You also might consider buying Appleton Tapestry Wool. Many shops carry it.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Exactly the walk-through I needed, thank you! I have a huge knitting yarn stash that I’d like to use in trying needlepoint, and now I know what to look for when choosing what to use.