Every hand dyed skein of yarn is beautifully unique, even when multiple skeins come from the same dye pan. This uniqueness adds character to your projects but can also create challenges, especially when switching between skeins. Namely: The dreaded "line" and an overly tight edge. With a photo and video tutorial, this blog post will share a technique for alternating hand dyed skeins to avoid the dreaded "line" while ensuring the edge we are caring our yarn along is will have plenty of stretch. Keep this little trick in your knitting tool box to enhance both the appearance and functionality of your work.
You may be interested in this photo and video tutorial demonstrating the information found in this post: Knitting Tutorial: How to Alternate Skeins and Achieve a Stretchy Edge
on the SDK Blog.
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Why Hand Dyed Yarn Skeins Differ
Even when two skeins of yarn are dyed in the same pan, they often differ due to several factors in the hand dyeing process. The placement of the yarn in the pan can affect how evenly the dye is absorbed, with skeins in different positions experiencing variations in color saturation. Dye distribution may be uneven, as the pigment interacts differently with the yarn depending on its location in the pan. Temperature variations within the dye bath can also cause differences in how the dye bonds with the yarn, leading to slight tonal differences. Additionally, the rate at which each skein absorbs dye can vary, and manual handling during the dyeing process may result in uneven color application. Some of the factors contributing to the discrepancy between skeins dyed in the same pan can be controlled for with skill such as temperature and handling techniques.
A dyer's ability to produce consistent colorways is greatly influenced by their competence in mitigating the factors described above. However, even the most experienced dyers will produce a product with slight variation between skeins. These natural variations contribute to the unique character of hand dyed yarn but can pose challenges when knitting with multiple skeins.
The Problem: Color Lines and Tight Edges
When working with tonal or hand dyed skeins the colors within the skein (or different saturations of the same color in a tonal yarn) will appear in the fabric in a way that is dependent on how it was taken up by the skein. Colors are often grouped on the fabric due to stitches being created in the same color next to and in the rows above and below. This is called color pooling or just pooling. Observe the lighter, nearly white portions of the swatches in the third image above and compare them to the darker purple moving through the swatch. Each skein will have a different color pattern due to pooling.
In this sweater knit by Liz Stevenson in Bad Sheep Yarn's Nom De Plume the point at which they added in a new skein can clearly be seen due to the different way the colors pool. The skein used in the yoke and the skein used in the body both create lovely fabric - but they are different from one another, even though they were dyed together.
Because each skein is unique, it follows that each skein will create a unique fabric with slight differences in how the colors are grouped as stitches are made. A common issue is the appearance of a line that is visible due to the abrupt change in pooling patterns. As each skein is uniquely dyed, transitioning between them can create noticeable lines in a finished project, disrupting the visual flow.
The Solution: Alternating Skeins
There is a work-around to this problem in order to create a visually constant fabric with variegated and tonal hand dyed yarns.
The solution: to "stripe" between skeins, working one round/row in one skein and the next round/row in the other skein. This is called alternating skeins. With a heavily variegated yarn I may alternate skeins throughout the entire project. In a lightly variegated or tonal yarn I may only alternate skeins for the last 1/4 of a skein for a gentle transition.
You can see the pooling in this photo of my Bluster Biased Scarf - where the blues are dancing through the fabric. Because the scarf is three skeins long, I alternated skeins for about 1/3 of a skein between them to prevent a sudden change in how the colors moved through the scarf.
A PDF of the pattern is available by clicking the image below or visiting my shops on my website or Ravelry.
Achieving a Stretchy Edge
However, this solution may come with it's own all new problem! Changing skeins can lead to an overly tight edge due to the difference in stretchy factor between a single strand being pulled length wise (as it will be when carried up the side) and the stretchy factor of a whole stitch (which can borrow a bit from its neighbors if needed. This tension mismatch not only affects the overall look of your knitting but can also impact the drape and fit of your project. Understanding and addressing these issues is crucial for achieving a smooth, professional finish and ensuring that your finished piece has a seamless and aesthetically pleasing appearance.
The knitting technique I came up with to deal with this is quite simple: Begin each row with a yarn-over the needle! On the next row I drop that yarn over of the needle. Its that simple!
The tiny bit of extra yarn required for the yarn over is taken up by the edge stitch, preventing the appearance of a loop or loose bit of yarn along the edge. AND that edge stitch now has the little bit extra yarn it needs to contribute to a nice stretchy edge.
Interested in seeing this process in a step-by-step photo tutorial or a video? Check out this blog post on the SDK Blog.
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I would love to hear from you! Have you ever run into the dreaded line? Do you have experience alternating skeins? Share in the comments!
Happy Making! ~Sönna
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