True chenille consists of a backing material and tufted with continual rows of fluffy yarn. This process is called ‘Tufting’ and is done by hundreds of needles side by side, creating a fabric with a fluffy face and row upon parallel row of yarn stitches on the back. These rows are how chenille derived its name. Chenille, French for caterpillar, connotes those rows of yarn as seen from the back. No lines of tufted yarn means not real chenille. Tufting chenille is a slow and laborious process, and many decide to neglect the process, but adopt the name. The term chenille has come to be used by many to represent any number of fluffy fabrics, regardless of their composition or process. Currently, Canyon Chenille is the only manufacturer of true chenille remaining in North America.There are two main measurements that are important to the quality and feel  of chenille: gauge and knap. Gauge is the distance between needles and therefore between the rows of tufted yarn. Gauge can be used to create different looks and feel from tight gauge to have a dense, uniform finished side, to wide gauge to have the rows more distinct on the finished side. The second measurement is knap, which is the length of yarn above the fabric backing. Foreign produced chenille will have both a wide gauge and a short knap resulting in a lightweight fabric that lacks the look and feel of Canyon Group’s higher quality chenille.