Bamboo and Tencel: Knitting Properties
Bamboo and Tencel are both regenerated cellulose fibres — created by chemically processing wood pulp into a yarn. They share many properties: silky hand, excellent drape, antimicrobial, and machine-washable.
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Hand-feel
Silky and cool against the skin, similar to silk but at a much lower price point. Drapes heavily — even more than cotton or linen.
Best uses
Drapey summer garments, scarves, lightweight shawls. Often blended with cotton or wool for added structure. Excellent for projects worn next to the skin in hot weather.
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Limitations
No elasticity. Garments stretch with wear. The fabric is quite slippery, making it unsuitable for projects where stitch definition matters (cables and intricate textures get lost in the drape).
Sustainability
Bamboo is often marketed as sustainable but the chemical process used to convert bamboo to fibre is significant. Tencel (lyocell) uses a closed-loop process that recycles the chemicals and is genuinely more sustainable.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CYC | Craft Yarn Council |
Tips
- Choose bamboo or Tencel for drapey summer garments.
- Block lightly — these fibres drape so much that aggressive blocking grows the garment.
- Tencel (lyocell) is more sustainable than bamboo despite the marketing.
In depth
Regenerated cellulose fibres entered hand-knitting in the 2000s and have become popular for their silky hand at a low price point. They share most of cotton's properties (cool, drapey, machine-washable) with significantly more lustre and silkiness, making them a good choice for warm-weather garments where wool cannot be worn.