So, you are in the middle of your pattern and you run out of yarn. You scream, pull your hair, and cry.....it's not a great situation. I've been there, I'm sure we've all been there. I've been there so many times that I now buy 2, 3 and sometimes 4 skeins too many. My happy little yellow knitting room is literally starting to look like a yarn shop. I LOVE IT IN THERE! If you are close by your yarn shop you can sometimes return the extra but if you're like me you hang onto them because it could come in handy later on down the road and besides I like fully stocked shelves ;)
The other situation, which is the one I'm in right now, is I desperately want to knit this sweater in particular in a specific color but in order to get the amount of skeins needed for my project I had to purchase from 2 different dye lots. Now, my OCD tendencies need to be pushed aside because it really isn't the end of the world.
Some dye lots can look very similar and some can look quite different. It's normal for hand-dyed yarn. It's what makes it so beautiful. It's unique and special and someone actually dye these skeins themselves. It's an amazing talent that I appreciate very much. I actually got very lucky because my dye lots look so similar I literally could not pick out one lot from the other.
I'm knitting another Throwback Cardigan by Andrea Mowry in the same color as my first one. My friend got my first one and I still NEED that cardigan in the same spectacular color combination! So once again I'm using Griffon in Lagoon with Vanilla, Caramel and Chocolate. I have Lagoon in 2 different dye lots. Like I mentioned they look very similar however whether they look like the same dye lot or not or even if they WERE from the same dye lot, you need to alternate skeins.
If your skeins are from the same dye lot you would just alternate the skeins, however, in the case of 2 different dye lots I will alternate dye lot 1 and dye lot 2. This way any differences in the skeins mesh together and can create such a beautiful looking garment. The slight contrasts that go through hand-dyed yarn is what made me love it in the first place, so having 2 different dye lots can intensify that a little and make for a really spectacular looking garment.
As you can see, the contrast of colors going through my cardigan are absolutely beautiful. You will see this contrast from same dye lots but perhaps a little more when using different dye lots. So, it's not a bad thing at all! And even though you may still purchase your skeins of yarn from the same dye lot whenever possible just keep in mind that if you have a project that you want in a specific color and can only get different dye lots, the outcome is still very beautiful!
Here is my finished Throwback cardigan. The only difference between this one and the first one I knit is that I used Griffon for the whole project this time. For the first one I used Hagrid for the color work and while I absolutely love the tweed color work against the Semi-Solid Lagoon color, I knit stranded color work at a tighter tension than the rest of my knitting so using a lighter weight yarn was a little more challenging for me. But it still worked out great and with some swapping of larger size needles I made it work. In saying that, I'm super pleased with this one as well! The color combination and the thick squishy yarn that is Griffon is really something special! This is a lovely thick yarn that is a pleasure to knit with and even more amazing to wear!
Have you ever found yourself having to use different dye lots in your project? Share your tips; I'm always eager to read you’re about your ideas and experiences!
Don't these adorable leather tags make a beautiful finishing touch? These will be available on Biscotte's website soon so stayed tuned to their social medias to hear about all things new and great!!
I also have to share with you a couple of new things I've found that I didn't realize I needed until I had them!
First up is my new Skein Coat! I use a lot of hand-dyed yarn as I'm sure it's not hard to tell! So I always have 2 skeins in use in my knitting bag. They always get tangled up and it's very frustrating when you have to take precious time from your knitting to untangle yarn. I purchased 2 of these adorable little Skein Coats and put one around each skein and pull my yarn from middle. It keeps the skeins from tangling and unwinding from the outside! They also come in different colors and adorable little prints! I LOVE THEM!!
Next up are these little Aromatic Knitting Pearls. They smell so delicious I honestly wish I could bottle it in lotion form! You can pop one in the middle of your skein or even in your closet or drawers. I have to say my knitting bag has never smelled so good!
Have you found any little knitting treasures that you didn't know you needed until you had it??