What yarn to tuft with?
When it comes to tufting, your choice of yarn can make a big difference in the final look and feel of your project. Luckily, a good tufting machine is versatile enough to handle a variety of yarn types and weights, so you’ve got plenty of options depending on the texture and finish you want to achieve.
First things first: consider the purpose of your tufted masterpiece. Is it destined to hang on a wall, or will it be a rug that gets walked on daily? Beyond just aesthetics, think about how much wear and tear your piece will face when selecting your yarn.
Natural fibres like wool and cotton are the top contenders for tufting. They’re durable, long-lasting, and tend to shed less compared to synthetic fibres.
Synthetic fibres, like Acrylic, on the other hand are a great starting point, they usually have a lot more range in shade options and they are also more affordable than their natural cousins.
If your yarn comes in a ball, skein, or hank, do yourself a favor and wind it onto a cardboard yarn cone using a yarn winder. This will make it much easier to feed into your tufting machine. You can also explore yarn feeders to simplify the process even further.
When using thinner yarns, be mindful that they can create a thinner pile and might expose the backing cloth. To avoid this, we generally recommend threading your machine with two strands if you’re using Reflect Wool or Eco-cotton. For even thinner yarns, like Reflect Recycled Wool or Banana Silk, consider threading three or four strands. You can find more details about Reflect Yarns and our suggested yarn quantities below.
If you find that your pile is looking a bit sparse, try cranking up the speed on your tufting machine. This creates more tension and tighter spacing between tufts, resulting in a fuller, more luxurious pile.
And don’t be afraid to get creative! Experiment with tufting thin fabric strips, mixing different yarn textures, or even using alternative materials. Just a heads up: loop-pile machines tend to handle these experiments better than cut-pile machines, which might struggle to cut through anything other than yarn.
Finally, remember that high-pile pneumatic machines like the AK-III are exclusively compatible with yarn, so save your more adventurous materials for other projects.