Journal

I love dyeing up long-repeat colourways.  I also love the way they look when skeined up.  However, knitting with them can be challenging.  The biggest issue is pooling, which looks fabulous for socks but can, for some people, be a problem in larger projects like shawls and sweaters.  This is where assigned pooling comes to the rescue!

So, how does assigned pooling work?  Basically, the shortest colour repeat is worked into a 'yarn hungry' textured-stitch pattern (i.e. bobbles/nups, wrapped stitches or even short rows) which gathers together this colour repeat in small clusters.  Every time you come to the colour change, this stitch pattern is worked.  The longest colour repeat forms the 'background' that is usually worked in stockinette stitch.  It's a very creative and interesting way to deal with yarns that pool.

So, what colours work best for assigned-pooling projects?  You want to look for yarns that have been dyed in two distinct sections: one will be long, and the second short.  Here's an example of our colour Aster that we developed especially for assigned pooling; it was used for our sample shawl (pattern is Calico by Dawn Barker).

If you are searching for assigned pooling projects, you must check out Dawn Barker who is the creative innovator behind this fabulous technique.  She has a ton of patterns developed especially for long-repeat colourways.  Here's just a few!

Fizz

Floriculture

Ramble

Have you tried assigned pooling before?  Is this something you are interested in trying? Let us know in the comments below!

Sweater-knitting season is in full swing here in Australia, so we thought it was a great time to talk about different methods used to alternate skeins during a project.  For this post, we are talking about alternating skeins of hand-dyed yarn that are from the same colourway.  When it comes to hand-dyed yarns, it is highly recommended that, for larger projects like tops and sweaters, you alternate skeins (see our post 'Should I Alternate Skeins? Yes, And Here's Why...').  When you alternate skeins, you are blending two skeins together which evens out any variation in colour between the yarns, breaks up colour pooling and evenly distributes the colour across the fabric.

You don't need to alternate skeins right from the start: it's totally fine to work a few rows of your pattern using one skein.  If you are knitting a top-down sweater that has short row shaping across the neck or shoulders, make sure you work all the short rows first before attaching the second skein.  It's impossible to alternate skeins while working short rows.  I usually knit the neck/neck band or, if it’s a bottom-up sweater, the hem, then the short rows and then I start alternating skeins.  If you are knitting flat, simply start the next row using your second yarn.  If you are knitting in the round, follow the steps shown in the video below.

Attaching The Second Skein In The Round

Now you are ready to to alternate skeins!  Below are a few of our favourite methods. 

Basic method for alternating skeins when knitting flat and in the round

This is a great 'all purpose' method that can be used for lace, cabled, textured, stockinette, garter and slipped-stitch patterns.  The only downside is some potential tension issues that can occur if you pull the yarn up too tightly from the back of the work.  Don’t worry, this will improve with practice!  The video below walks you through alternating yarns while knitting flat and in the round, and has has a few tips on how to prevent tension issues from happening. 

Alternating skeins in the round using the 'yarn forward' technique.

This method works best when the last stitch of skein one, and the first stitch of skein two are knit stitches (this will make more sense after you watch the video).  Now is a good time to mention that you can begin to alternate yarns anywhere in the row.  So for this method, if you are working a cable, lace or textured stitch pattern, make sure you begin alternating yarns where there are two knit stitches that are always together.  If you are working stockinette stitch, it won’t matter at all.  The benefit of using this method is that it's seamless (no visible seam on the wrong side) and it prevents tension issues that can occur when you swap yarns using the method above. 

Jogless or Helical Knitting

This our favourite method when working stockinette in the round.  It's seamless, easy to do and blends yarn beautifully.  The big downside is that its almost impossible to do when working any stitch pattern other than stockinette.  You can, if you are more experienced, tweak this method by slipping a few less/more stitches to make it work for your stitch pattern (we’ve done this for ribbed hems).

We hope you've found this guide useful, and we would love to hear what your thoughts on alternating skeins are.  Do you alternate skeins, if so what is your preferred method?  Let us know in the comments below.

Happy knitting xxx

Knitting with hand-dyed yarn is such a pleasurable, visual experience. Hand-dyed colours are complex and the fabric they create displays a wonderful depth of colour that can't be matched by commercial yarn. However, when choosing to knit larger projects using hand-dyed yarns without alternating skeins, you may be a little less than impressed with your finished object. And by 'larger' projects I'm referring to sweaters and cardigans or projects that require more than one skein of the same colour.  Truth is, knitting these types of projects using hand-dyed yarns takes much more work than its commercial counterpart, but the end results are stunning and well worth the extra effort.  Today we will be looking at the technique of alternating skeins when working on larger projects and why, when it comes to hand-dyed yarn, it is so important. I'll also be adding links to some video tutorials at the end on how to alternate skeins when working in the round and when working flat.

Colour Blocking

Colour variation within a dye lot is a very normal occurrence in hand-dyed yarn. There are various reasons why colour variations occur: fluctuations in temperature, water level, dye and mordant amounts to name but a few.  Sometimes these colour variations are obvious. For example, one or two skeins might be a lot lighter or darker than the others. However, there are times when these variations won't be visible until after you have started knitting with a new skein. Unintentional colour blocking is the term used to describe this kind of knitting dilemma, where one skein is either lighter or darker than the rest, which results in a colour-blocking effect.  I learnt the hard way (see the pic below), and ever since I alternate skeins ALL the time.

You can see that the bottom section of the cardigan is lighter and more purple than the rest of the garment.  If I had alternated skeins, the variation in colour wouldn't be noticeable. Alternating skeins solves the problem of unintentional colour blocking by ensuring an even distribution of colour and a much nicer finished piece (and happier knitter!). 

Mismatched Dye Lots

Because hand-dyed yarns are dyed in very small batches, you might find yourself in the predicament of having to buy mismatched skeins, whether it's because you've run out of yarn and need to order more, or the only skeins left to buy at your LYS are from different dye lots. Most dyers don't bother with dye lots because, as mentioned, our batch sizes are so small.  This means it's impossible to tell whether yarns come from the same batch, so alternating skeins becomes very important to ensure your yarns blend together nicely and will hide any dye-lot issues. 

Variegated Yarns and Pooling

Colour pooling can be a problem when working with variegated yarns. Importantly, however, not all variegated yarns pool. It all depends on whether the colour repeats are long, short or random (but that's another blog post!).  Pooling occurs when a colour that is repeated regularly in a colourway, knits up in the same area row after row, causing the colour to pool.  Sometimes pooling is desirable (see picture below): it looks particularly nice on socks, but when you are not expecting it, not so nice on a sweater.

By simply alternating skeins, you are shifting the order of colours around so that the same colours won't fall on top of themselves row after row. This will ensure an even balance of colour throughout your project and will prevent pooling.

Check out our recent blog post with video tutorials on how to alternate skeins.

Of course, there are lots of people who don't mind pooling or colour blocking and that is totally fine.  But those who are new to hand-dyed yarns need to be aware of their quirks and learn the best way to manage them.  Yes, it is a bit more work but, honestly, after years of alternating skeins it has just become second nature.

Happy Knitting!

xxoo

Variegated colourways are super fun to knit, especially when knitting patterns consisting mainly of stockinette or garter, because they keep you engaged with colour and add another dimension to your otherwise plain project.  It's a lot of fun to watch colours pop up in your fabric as you knit with variegated yarn; plus it takes your mind off the monotony that can arise from all those knit stitches!  It's a shame that a lot of knitters shy away from variegated colourways, because they think these colours are too bright or they worry about them pooling.  All of these issues can be easily avoided when you know how to 'read' and use variegated colourway; and, that is exactly what we are going to look at today.  Hopefully, after reading this post we'll have you itching to get some variegated yarn onto your needles!

Pooling And variegated Colourways

Pooling occurs when you knit with a yarn that has been dyed with long colour repeats, like those seen in dip-dyed yarns.

Here we can see that the yarn has large chunks of colour (one at either end of the skein); this will cause colour to pool when knitted.  Colours like this look great when knitted into socks because they cause micro striping.  Here's an example of the yarn above, colourway is called Rain, knitted into socks (check out the micro striping!):

Fun right?!  But, if you were to use this yarn in a large project, like a shawl or garment, you would end up with big pools of colour.  This happens because there is no random colour placement; the colours will stack up row after row and cause a big blob of colour to form on the fabric.  Sometimes this is the effect we are after,  but when you're not expecting it, it can be a bit disappointing!  Here's an example of colour pooling:

How To Avoid Pooling

• Check the skein for long repeats of colour.
• Check how your colourway will knit up by swatching it! 
• Alternate between two skeins of yarn, as this will break up any pooling

You can also cake up your yarn using a ball winder and check the yarn cake for signs of pooling.  If colours pool in the yarn cake, you can bet that they will pool in your project as well.  Here's what a yarn cake with pooling looks like:

See all those blobs of colour?  They are colours pooling together and the effect will be reproduced when you knit them. 

Variegated Colours That WON'T Pool

If you are after a hand-dyed variegated yarn that doesn't pool, this is what you need to look for.  Firstly, you want a colourway that has been dyed with random splashes of colour:

You can see the skein has a lot of colour that has been randomly splashed on.  The yarn cake has no blobs of colour; again, it's just one big wonderful mess of colour.  Now let's look at how this yarn has swatched up:

No pooling! Yipee.

Knitting With Variegated Colour

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, variegated yarn really brightens up plain projects.  By selecting a plain pattern, such as a stockinette cardigan or a garter-stitch shawl, you can let the variegated colours shine.  But what if you love knitting variegated yarns, but don't like wearing a ton of colour?  Obviously you can choose a subtle variegated, but why not try something a bit bolder and use these following techniques to tone down variegated colours?

1. Adding a Semi-Solid Colour

• By adding a semi-solid stripe to your variegated yarn, you can really tone down the mix of colour that is in the variegated colourway. 
• Select a neutral or match the semi-solid colour to a colour that is already present in the variegated colourway. 
• To make the stripes pop, choose a light semi-solid to contrast against a dark variegated or a dark semi-solid to contrast against a light variegated colourway.
  

Timely Cardigan by Libby Jonson

• Brioche stitch using a variegated combined with a semi-solid looks amazing and is a great way to use bold and bright variegated colouways.

Stripified by Stephen West

• Colourwork that involves a semi-solid paired with a variegated colourway look amazing as well!
  

Marvelous Mitts by karendipity

2. Using Different Stitch Patterns

• Small lace and eyelet patterns that are repeated over and over help to tone down bright, variegated yarn.

Pebble Beach Shawl by Helen Stewart

• Slipped stitch patterns actually alters the progression of colours, which in turn mixes them around and creates a more subtle mix of colour.
  

Majuga by Joji Locatelli

• Textured stitch patterns work in a similar way to slipped stitches, in that they alter the colour progression of variegated yarns.  Seed stitch, bobbles, textured patterns or cables over reverse stockinette stitch, even garter stitch really helps to tone down variegated colours.
  

Nelumbo by Asja Janeczek

Colour Is Key by AbbyeKnits

• Dropped stitches work in a similar way to eyelets and look fabulous when knit with variegated yarns.

 One & Done by Casapinka

Ready to cast on with some variegated yarn?  Check out our Pinterest page for more pattern ideas that we think would look fabulous with variegated colourways.

Yarn substitution is really easy once you're familiar with the process.  Firstly, what is yarn substitution?  Basically, it's substituting yarn that has been used in a pattern for another yarn.  For example, you might be planning to knit a pattern that calls for a specific yarn, but the yarn listed has been discontinued; or, you might want to use some of your own yarn that you've been eyeing off in your stash.  I remember when I first started knitting that I found this to be rather daunting, but over time I learned a few helpful tips that made yarn substitution a breeze.  I'm going to share these tips with you, and I'll be using the Portage cardigan pattern (by Melissa Schaschwary) that I recently knit to demonstrate how.

Locate the yarn information in the pattern

Every knitting pattern includes a description of the yarn that was used to knit the original design. Sometimes you might want to check which yarn was used before you commit to buying the pattern.  All the information you need can be found for free on the Ravelry pattern page.  When looking on Ravelry, you will  find this information to the right of the pattern page (see below).

This is pretty much the only information you will need to substitute yarn successfully.  The only time you need to know more is if a novelty yarn or a highly textured yarn has been used as they will effect the overall appearance and gauge of your final piece.  In these cases, it is best to match yarn texture (e.g. fun fur and boucle) as well as considering the following points.

Yardage

Comparing the metres or yards (i.e. the yardage) of the yarn used in the pattern to the yarn you wish to use, is one of the most important steps in substituting yarn.  In our example, the yarn listed on the Ravelry pattern page (see above) has a yardage of 227 metres in 100g.  I substituted this yarn for our Voyage DK, the label of which reads:

Our yarn is 210 metres in 100 grams, which is 17 metres less than the yarn that is called for in the pattern.  I normally allow around 20 metres difference (plus or minus) between yarns, so this one is a good match.  Basically, you need match or get close to the yardage of the yarn used in the pattern, for this will mean that your yarn thickness or weight will be similar and hence so will your gauge.  More on that later!

So, what happens if the two types of yarns have different weights per skein or ball?  For example,  the skein that you have is 115g but the yarn in the pattern weighs 100g?  What you need to do here is is to convert your 115g into 100g.  It sounds complicated, but it is really easy.  Here's how you do it.

Say the yarn we want to use is 280 metres / 306 yards in 115g BUT the yarn used in the pattern is 227 metres / 248 yards in 100g. Use the formula:

metres (or yards) per skein / grams per skein x grams needed

280 metres / 115g x 100g = 243 metres in 100g

We are wanting something close to the yardage of the yarn listed in the pattern: 227 metres in 100g.  Using the formula the yarn that we want to substitute works out to be 243 metres in 100g, which is 16 metres more than the yarn listed in the pattern.  Given that we can use yarn that is plus or minus 20 metres, our yarn looks to be a good fit!

Please don't rely on matching yarns using the allocated weight classification, and by that I mean matching a 'DK' to a 'DK' weight yarn.  A yarn company can add its own classification to a yarn label, which means that a yarn that has been classified as a 'DK' might actually be more similar to a Sport.  The only foolproof way to successfully substitute a yarn is by comparing yardages.  Also, be careful that you don't mix up metres and yards!  Make sure you are comparing metres to metres or yards to yards - don't mix them up!  And, of course, play close attention to the weight of each yarn. Like I have said yarn can come in 50g, 100g, 115g, 150g etc. skeins or balls, so make sure you are comparing the same weight of yarn per yardage. If needed, use the formula above to convert the yardage so that each skein is equal in weight.

Fibre Content

In our example, the yarn used for the design is a mix of 70% merino, 20% alpaca, and 10% silk.  I used a 100% merino and it worked well.  My general rule of thumb is to match the yarn blend as closely as I can.  I could have also used a merino and alpaca blend or a merino and silk blend, as long as the merino content was around 70%.  When I started knitting this really used to throw me.  I thought that I had to precisely match the yarn blends to the exact percent!  Please don't let these percentages scare you; close enough is usually good enough. 

Matching fibre types as closely as possible is important because different types of fibre do affect drape and structure of the finished piece.  Yarns that contain silk do drape differently than, say, cotton.  Cotton and linen yarns have quite a bit of structure when knitted up so substituting these yarns with merino or alpaca will dramatically effect the finished shape.  Basically, look for yarns that have similar fibre types.

What about superwash and non-superwash yarns, do they differ and should this be a consideration when substituting yarns?  You can substitute a non-superwash yarn for a superwash yarn (and vice versa); however, keep in mind that superwash yarns do tend to stretch more after washing than non-superwash yarns.  So this is more an issue that relates to gauge (see below).  Also, think about who you are knitting for: is this project for you or are you giving this to a non-knitter who may not know how to care for hand-knitted items?  Generally substituting a non-superwash yarn for a superwash yarn (and vice versa) is totally fine.

Checking the amount of yarn needed

When substituting yarn, how do you know how many skeins you'll need?  OK, I get asked all the time: 'how many skeins of yarn will I need for such and such pattern'?  Firstly, you need to check the pattern to see how much the total yardage was for the design in your size.

Using our example, I knit size 35.  The total yardage for this size is listed as 1850 yards or 1700 metres.  The yardage listed on the Voyage DK yarn label (see above) is 230 yards / 210 metres. Here is the formula you would use:

Total pattern yardage / total yardage per skein = number of skeins needed

So calculating in metres you divide 1700 metres / 210 metres = 8.095 skeins.  I would round this up to 9 skeins just to make sure I had enough yarn.  You can also calculate this in yards which would be 1850 / 230 = 8.043 skeins.  So, again around 9 skeins just to be sure.  Just remember that for the formula to work you need to work in either metres or yards.  Otherwise you may be playing yarn chicken - yikes!

Gauge Swatch

Gauge swatches are critical for knitting a garment that fits, but that is a whole other blog post!  In regard to yarn substitution, your gauge swatch is a great indicator of how your yarn knits up.  Does the fabric look good when knitted at the recommended gauge?  Does the fabric have the right feel for you?  Is the yarn showing off the stitch pattern nicely?  These questions are all answered with the gauge swatch, so don't skip this step!  You might knit the gauge swatch and find that the yarn isn't working out how you imagined, which means looking around for another one to use.  It's much better finding this out on a small gauge swatch than after days of knitting on a larger project.

Still unsure?  Then check out these sites

Sometimes we just need a little more reassurance before we dive in to substituting yarn.  Here are a list of online resources that can help make your decision easier:

• Yarn Sub - this is an online yarn database that will actually search for yarn substitutions for you.  Just type in the yarn that you want to substitute and it will give you a list of similar yarns.  The only drawback is not every yarn brand (especially indie dyed companies) are listed, but the major ones are.
• Ravelry pattern pages - these are a wealth of information.  You can actually click on the  'Yarn Ideas' tab at the top of the page to see what yarns other knitters have used.  Most of the yarns used by Ravelers have been substituted.  You can also click on the link under each yarn to see what the project looks like in that yarn.  It's such a great resource, so don't forget to use it!.
• If you are unsure if a yarn will work for a specific pattern, just ask.  Post a question on Ravelry, email the yarn company or indie dyer, or ask at your LYS.