Pipe cleaners

Dear users, dear authors,
what are pipe cleaners and what do you do with them?
Thank you for your informative answers.

I’d be interested to know that, too.
I looked it up online and saw that it’s actually what I know as a “pipe cleaner.” Or am I mistaken?
Is it just a modern term for a tried-and-true craft supply?

Or is it actually much more than that???

It must be the latter—a new word for something that’s been around forever. Even I used to make things with it as a kid. But I would never have come up with “Biegeplüsch.” ;-)

I’m constantly collecting keywords and topics for material threads, which I then gradually post here in the forum. The reason for this is that I want users to always find plenty of useful information here in the forum and in the “Materials and Techniques” thread. If you search for “Biegeplüsch,” you’ll find several patterns in the shop, and I actually took the term from the product description of one of those patterns.

Yes, “Biegeplüsch” refers to pipe cleaners, though they’re sometimes also called chenille wire. Why do we need three different terms for the same thing?

How funny! When I was recently writing the pattern for my monsters, I was torn about what to call this stuff. “Chenille wire” practically screams “typo,” and “pipe cleaner” isn’t politically correct anymore ;-)
And now there’s a third word for it. Wow!

I assume we “need” this third word because it simply sounds better in the world of crafts ;-)

“Biegeplüsch” somehow sounds cuter than “pipe cleaner”... and “chenille wire” is just an absolutely awful word.

Whatever you call it, it’s often indispensable in the world of amigurumi.
Chenille wire is often used in the arms or legs of amigurumi (so usually smaller ones that can’t be washed afterwards)
. But it’s also used in crocheted decorations, for example. I’ve used chenille wire in the stems of my tulips.
By the way, pipe cleaners aren’t the same as chenille wire! Real pipe cleaners are much stiffer and bristlier :-)

Best regards, Marion

@roticanai

Politically correct? Why, because the fools among human beings might feel addressed? *grin* ;-)))

:-D Ah! I was just about to ask why pipe cleaners aren’t politically correct.

But I actually find it quite interesting that “Biegeplüsch”—or whatever you want to call it—apparently is needed.

I just use some really cheap craft wire off the roll. :-D

I think what Steffi meant was that smoking is now considered less “socially acceptable”: There are more and more places where smoking is banned, cigarette packs carry warnings about serious health consequences, cigarette advertising is prohibited, etc., and from this perspective, children probably shouldn’t be making crafts that sound like smoking accessories. That’s how I’d explain the name change.

Oh my gosh, this is all so complicated. Somehow things used to be simpler back in the day—we didn’t have to constantly pay attention to whether terms were correct. And we still managed to survive. ;-)))

Yep, that’s exactly what I thought—I mean, the smoking part. Although the pipes (well, the idiots ;-)) are, of course, a good explanation too... hehe. You made my day, Wollness-Oase!

But back to the pipe... uh, chenille stems: I like them better than wire because they already add a bit of volume. I usually use them doubled and twist them lightly. The ends can be wrapped pretty well with tape—probably because of the plush, too—which helps make the tips “less sharp.”

@ Schneckenkind: I think I haven’t had real pipe cleaners in my hands for what feels like decades. I didn’t even realize there were differences (although: with chenille stems, you probably really wouldn’t get very far inside a pipe stem). But that’s interesting—who knows, maybe I’ll need fairly stiff wire sometime :-)

Since I have a little Beagle mix at home, I immediately read “Beagle plush” and was completely confused about what a dog has to do with bending..... Well, if you read carefully, you’ll know more!

I like to use it to stiffen crocheted little animals. The plush covering in particular makes it a perfect fit for thin crocheted arms that you can still bend nicely afterwards.

It completely passed me by that there are other names for it besides pipe cleaners.
Thanks for the clarification.

“Biegeplüsch” is a modern German term, “Pfeifenreiniger” is colloquial German, and “chenille wire” is the technical term
—all refer to the same product, though “Biegeplüsch” is more commonly used for thick, fluffy chenille wire (12 cm in diameter and larger). Chenille wire comes in all sorts of colors (including striped, gold, and silver) and sizes, with the standard size being 50 cm long and having a diameter of 8 mm. A standard-quality chenille wire costs between 0.15€ and 0.19€.
The cheaper varieties have the disadvantage that the plush fibers on the wire come loose quickly, leaving annoying lint everywhere.
When using it for amigurumi, it’s recommended to fold the ends over so they don’t poke through the stitches, thereby minimizing the risk of injury. For amigurumi intended for play, this type of wire should be avoided.