The Yarn Sub site has an interesting feature that explores the colors of a skein and how it can work up depending on stitch counts per inch. It also shows how colors can vary whether projects are knitted in the round or a panel. Look in Techniques and scroll down to Capturing the Colors of a Skein. Fun to check out. It's more educational rather than practical.
This is a great knitting pod cast…not attempting to sell your merchandise or personal beauty products…or talking about your life….. just knitting ….excellent and you have a new follower
I had a beautiful gorgeous heart stopping skein of yarn that was horrid when I started knitting it up in a stockinette stitch sweater. I unraveled the whole thing and decided to try it in a weaving pattern. Perfect!! So I think the thing with variegated yarn is to find the right project for it which is the huge challenge. This is a great video to help you do that. Dawn Baker makes many patterns that embrace various types of variegated yarns. I love all her stuff.
I've been knitting (and crocheting) forever, but never had the information you provided in this video. I've had some disasters with variegated yarn. Thank you for the information. 💜
Thank you for such an analytical and objective take. I have been such a sucker and have dropped major $$ on indie-dyed and handpainted yarns that look gorgeous in the skein but end up looking like hot muddled crap when knit up. I gave myself a stern talking-to a couple years back and have successfully refrained from buying any more. I DO use a lot of tonal yarns in my work. I find they give depth and richness to the project. Incorporating the variegated yarn into stranded colorwork socks to use up my unfotunate impulse purchases has yielded nice results, so thanks for calling that out.
Hi! Indie dyer here. I wanted to address something you said. Indie dyers CAN make solids. I myself make semi-solids, but I know several dyers who can make actual solids. Just an FYI for you.
I've seen a pattern on ravelry for a geode cowl that I've been eyeing for a while, and this has inspired me to look for yarn for it! The original sample of the pattern is blue and purple, but if you used the orange and cream yarn you showed you would knit the orange stitches and purl the cream stitches, and it makes a very cool texture for a two color skein!
Thanks for a great tutorial Tonya!! Learning the vocabulary was so helpful. I realized I was calling ALL multicoloured yarn “variegated” and discovering tonal, hombres, self-striping etc was so helpful!
Took me a hot minute to be able to finish watching because “life happens”. So happy to catch up on all my favorite vlogs. Especially this one. I’ve been so excited for you to discuss. Often newbies to crochet or knit see beautiful self striping or variegated yarns in box stores or indie dyers but don’t understand how they work up. After 1-1/2 years in the hobby I’ve learned 2 things. 1) if a project isn’t working to my satisfaction, I am now more prone to frog and try different stitches. A small swatch isn’t always going to show me how it works up. 2) Just because it’s beautiful, doesn’t mean I need to buy it. For my personal taste, accessories such as shawls, scarves, hats, etc are reserved for colorful items. Solids for sweaters, t shirts, cardigans etc. Alternating works beautifully in blankets. Sorry for the long response. I am a huge fan of Ravelry for seeing how my yarn may work up. I don’t recall hearing you mention color controlling long self striping fibers. A lot of people believe yarns like LB Mandala were made for this technique. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that theory. Have a beautiful and blessed week.
Very helpful indeed. It's probably easy to purchase yarn and find it doesn't make up how you'd like. This is a clear outline to help get your ideas in order before purchasing and to really enjoy seeing the item grow. Thank you so much. This article is valuable; you've done a great job!
Great information! Right now I’m using Hawthorn white and the variegated yarn in a Tunisian in the round hexagon. The white in the forward and the variegated in the reverse. With the stitch in brings out beautiful patterns.
Anyone remember the 50's & 60's? The 3rd yarn shown as a tonal, it was greenish /orange ish/yellowish looks like every home I ever went into! the 50s & 60s!! Thank you for your helpful video! As a beginner, it was very informative!! Thank you!!
Variegated yarn is some of the first I’ve ever worked with and I love it for contrasting pops of color on cuffs, heels, toes for socks with a solid color base!
This was a very helpful video. Thank you. I see so many beautiful hand dyed yarns and usually shy away from them. I’m a very black and white thinker so my creativity when I see these beautiful yarns is very limited particularly for larger projects like sweaters.
I've seen flashing before, but never knew what it was called! Thanks for all of the valuable information. I don't mind pooling in socks or hats, but if I want to use variegated yarn in sweaters, I use helical knitting alternating two or three skeins to offset the color sections.
I never thought to use reverse stockinette till recently I was working up a cute basic sock with some pretty Manos Del Uruguay yarn I had and I went to turn it inside out and was like WOAH this side looks cool too! It gives it a neat TV static effect look versus the nice layered colors on the stockinette side.
i find variegated yarns are my go to any time i’ve run out of scraps and want a mindless project. i’ll make a granny blanket or garter blanket and key it fall as it falls. they almost always looks a little funky but they’re some how the coziest
I like variegated yarn for socks; sometimes I use a variegated for the heel and toe whilst using a solid for the leg and foot. More often you see it the other way around so my finished socks tend to be unique.
Thank you so much! This is the video I’ve been looking for, for ages! So much beautiful yarn, an so many ways to pick the wrong pattern to show it off with.
I loved this episode so much because I learned allot starting with the terminology 😅 In case of colour pooling, I cut out some of the yarn that I don't like, tie a nod and hide it on the back side, I did it to a few sweaters because they kept forming a lightning ⚡ shape
Great topic. When I had variegated yarns, I used them as the contrast colour for mosaic crochet. I was unsure what to use them for in knitting projects. I have a couple variegated one-of-kind fingering skeins which I think I'll use held together as the secondary colour for a brioche cowl. I like the idea of a colourwork yoke too. Many thanks and look forward to the next in this series.
I often make a traingular-shaped shawl (like Martina Behm's Hitchhiker) with variegated yarn so that the pooling and striping changes as it grows. When worn, the item is usually bunched or rolled up around the neck, so any wonkiness is not noticeable. I'm also a big fan of reversing the stitch for a certain color when doing stockingnette. The Bright Side by Lori B is a great one for this, especially when you have micro-striping or just 2 main colors in the variegated skein..
Thank you for all the information on variegated yarn, very interesting. I am currently crocheting a mosaic afghan, and I see all your suggestions. Great ideas.😊
Another knitter Nora knits divided and cut the yarn from one skein into 6 and then did helical knitting with mini skein 1 and 3, 2 and 4 or something like this and the results was a consistent color change through the entire slipover, I would like to try this one day ...
I just used Ravelry to look for projects of a certain sweater pattern. The yarn used in the pattern was a bit too expensive for me, so I looked for projects using different yarns. There were a lot! I quickly saw how some yarn didn't work well, and picked a yarn where the project looked good.
I think the project pics are the BEST part of Rav! Whether you're looking at the pattern, the fit, or the yarn - they are just invaluable to me! I'm so happy she mentioned this for those who haven't thought of this before.
when thinking of projects for variegated yarn, I go onto Ravelry also, but I go into the specific yarn, then go to the specific color way I am looking to use. Usually you can see just what happens with that color way in different projects.
I knew there had to be science behind variegated yarns. I have a recent purchase from Vogue Knitting Live that I was drawn to, but couldn’t figure out what project to choose. I looked on Ravelry, but nothing yet. Thanks for the tips.
What a good video idea! I have shyed away from variegated yarn because even though I like the yarn, and enjoying knitting with it, i find that the finished object often doesnt get used. Listenimg for tips to avoid that!
I'm currently knitting with a very variegated fingering yarn, I like the random stripes, and I've chosen a very simple model, I'm using stockinette stitch, garter stitch and ribbing for the borders! If I have some more delicately variegated yarn, I might go for simple cables, but the difference should not be too much, otherwise the cables do get lost. Thanks for the explanations on pooling and speckles, I always appreciate learning new things!
Looking forward to the stitch pattern video. You inspired me with the shawl "festival of stitches", I decided I will make my own festival. I'm therefore on the hunt for stitch patterns for the variegated yarn I've chosen. I will alternate with a solid gray and also play with 2 color slip stitches or deep stitch patterns. I'm a little concerned about gauge, though (I will sample, of course)
I just used a cake of blue and white hand dyed variegated sock yarn I wasn’t sure I really liked held together with white DK fuzzy alpaca , And just made the most beautiful hat with it. With your guidance, I had more of a sense of what it would look like, and it turned out beautifully! Kind of spiraled and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this episode and how much it helped me. Thank you so much, I’m saving this as a reference to watch again.
I use blended color yarn for mittens and I use double strands. Lately though they come out two different mittens. Very agravating.. I have done one mitten then start my second mitten from the inside of the skein but it still doesn’t work well .
I think there a few other things that can break up pooling and still allow you to use those beautiful variegated, hand dyed skeins. You can use helical knitting with two skeins or pulling from both end of a skein. Picking projects that have rapid stitch count changes will help break-up your pooling. One of my favorites is the hitchhiker scarf. You are always increasing on one end but you bind off some on the other. That changing stitch count will move your colors around.
When you’re in Ravelry and you search for the yarn, there’s an option to select specific colorways. Then, you can filter by the type of project you’re making. Saves a lot of scrolling time.
I just love that Chroma gradient cowl. Can you tell me the name of the colorway of that ball of Chroma you were holding? I don't see it on the website. thx
I didn't know how to handle varigated yarns for my very first sweater project. I ended up with the most delightfully chaoticly striped nonsense and I love it so much it's very unique and almost looks intentional lol. Think a mix of TV static and a tiger's fur pattern. Happy little accidents :D
Please don't pull the skeins apart in the store. I worked in a yarn store and watched many women pull the skeins apart and then put them back on the shelf, not buying any of them.
Hard disagree. It just isn't hard to twist it back up again. Obviously, you shouldn't mangle it, but the lovely people at my LYS will untwist to let you see the yarn and how it might behave
Yeah I wouldn't pull apart a skein, but I would move around bits in the hank to see how it's different. But with indie dyed yarns, I tend to find random splashes of color I never expect when I start to cakebit or use it. Sometimes I like and sometimes I don't. You never know.
Thankfully my LYS encourages it. She constantly encourages us to look at it and make sure we are happy with our selection. If we have difficulty twisting back up she takes the time to show us or do it.
Personally, I think most of these types of yarn work the best with a complimentary solid yarn to break up the colours and avoid flashing/pooling. I’m looking forward to seeing your samples.
I find this so negative. Look for the book, the Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques, by Margaret Radcliffe, it is full of positive and enjoyable aspects of color.
The Yarn Sub site has an interesting feature that explores the colors of a skein and how it can work up depending on stitch counts per inch. It also shows how colors can vary whether projects are knitted in the round or a panel. Look in Techniques and scroll down to Capturing the Colors of a Skein. Fun to check out. It's more educational rather than practical.
Thanks for the tip! I've used Yarn Sub in the past but didn't know about that part of the website - thank you!
Didn’t know that and I use that site often.
I am unable to pull up anything other than yarn substitutions. Any suggestions?
@@Helens.crochet389 Here's the link - yarnsub.com/articles/techniques/taming-multicolored-yarns/
@@NerdyKnitting Thank you for this! I wasn't aware of this area either!
This is a great knitting pod cast…not attempting to sell your merchandise or personal beauty products…or talking about your life….. just knitting ….excellent and you have a new follower
I love how variegated yarns can give such different effects project to project!
This was just the type of info I was looking for! Spent such a long time staring at the huge wall of yarns at my LYS not knowing how to pick.
I had a beautiful gorgeous heart stopping skein of yarn that was horrid when I started knitting it up in a stockinette stitch sweater. I unraveled the whole thing and decided to try it in a weaving pattern. Perfect!! So I think the thing with variegated yarn is to find the right project for it which is the huge challenge. This is a great video to help you do that. Dawn Baker makes many patterns that embrace various types of variegated yarns. I love all her stuff.
I've been knitting (and crocheting) forever, but never had the information you provided in this video. I've had some disasters with variegated yarn. Thank you for the information. 💜
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful.
Thank you for such an analytical and objective take. I have been such a sucker and have dropped major $$ on indie-dyed and handpainted yarns that look gorgeous in the skein but end up looking like hot muddled crap when knit up. I gave myself a stern talking-to a couple years back and have successfully refrained from buying any more. I DO use a lot of tonal yarns in my work. I find they give depth and richness to the project. Incorporating the variegated yarn into stranded colorwork socks to use up my unfotunate impulse purchases has yielded nice results, so thanks for calling that out.
Hi! Indie dyer here. I wanted to address something you said. Indie dyers CAN make solids. I myself make semi-solids, but I know several dyers who can make actual solids. Just an FYI for you.
Thanks for sharing! I didn't realize that was a possibility with smaller batch dyeing.
I've seen a pattern on ravelry for a geode cowl that I've been eyeing for a while, and this has inspired me to look for yarn for it! The original sample of the pattern is blue and purple, but if you used the orange and cream yarn you showed you would knit the orange stitches and purl the cream stitches, and it makes a very cool texture for a two color skein!
I am also interested in knitting the Geode Cowl. I'd love to find just the right yarn for it
I’ve been looking forward to this! I’m more than a bit addicted to variegated yarns 😂
Very useful tip-- checking yarn and projects on Ravelry. Thank you.
Thanks for a great tutorial Tonya!! Learning the vocabulary was so helpful. I realized I was calling ALL multicoloured yarn “variegated” and discovering tonal, hombres, self-striping etc was so helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
Took me a hot minute to be able to finish watching because “life happens”. So happy to catch up on all my favorite vlogs. Especially this one. I’ve been so excited for you to discuss.
Often newbies to crochet or knit see beautiful self striping or variegated yarns in box stores or indie dyers but don’t understand how they work up. After 1-1/2 years in the hobby I’ve learned 2 things.
1) if a project isn’t working to my satisfaction, I am now more prone to frog and try different stitches. A small swatch isn’t always going to show me how it works up.
2) Just because it’s beautiful, doesn’t mean I need to buy it. For my personal taste, accessories such as shawls, scarves, hats, etc are reserved for colorful items. Solids for sweaters, t shirts, cardigans etc. Alternating works beautifully in blankets.
Sorry for the long response. I am a huge fan of Ravelry for seeing how my yarn may work up.
I don’t recall hearing you mention color controlling long self striping fibers. A lot of people believe yarns like LB Mandala were made for this technique. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that theory.
Have a beautiful and blessed week.
So many good tips here! I agree with you about frogging and trying something else if it just isn't working.
Very helpful indeed. It's probably easy to purchase yarn and find it doesn't make up how you'd like. This is a clear outline to help get your ideas in order before purchasing and to really enjoy seeing the item grow. Thank you so much. This article is valuable; you've done a great job!
Great information! Right now I’m using Hawthorn white and the variegated yarn in a Tunisian in the round hexagon. The white in the forward and the variegated in the reverse. With the stitch in brings out beautiful patterns.
Anyone remember the 50's & 60's? The 3rd yarn shown as a tonal, it was greenish /orange ish/yellowish looks like every home I ever went into! the 50s & 60s!! Thank you for your helpful video! As a beginner, it was very informative!! Thank you!!
Variegated yarn is some of the first I’ve ever worked with and I love it for contrasting pops of color on cuffs, heels, toes for socks with a solid color base!
Thanks!
Thank you for the Super Thanks!
This was a very helpful video. Thank you. I see so many beautiful hand dyed yarns and usually shy away from them. I’m a very black and white thinker so my creativity when I see these beautiful yarns is very limited particularly for larger projects like sweaters.
Glad it was helpful!
I've seen flashing before, but never knew what it was called! Thanks for all of the valuable information. I don't mind pooling in socks or hats, but if I want to use variegated yarn in sweaters, I use helical knitting alternating two or three skeins to offset the color sections.
Totally forgot to mention helical knitting - that's a great tip!
I never thought to use reverse stockinette till recently I was working up a cute basic sock with some pretty Manos Del Uruguay yarn I had and I went to turn it inside out and was like WOAH this side looks cool too! It gives it a neat TV static effect look versus the nice layered colors on the stockinette side.
Lots of helpful advice, thank you for this! Looking forward to your future videos on this topic.
Very informative. Looking forward to the next segment on verigated. Thanks😊
Good information. Thank you.
i find variegated yarns are my go to any time i’ve run out of scraps and want a mindless project. i’ll make a granny blanket or garter blanket and key it fall as it falls. they almost always looks a little funky but they’re some how the coziest
A really useful series! Thank you
I like variegated yarn for socks; sometimes I use a variegated for the heel and toe whilst using a solid for the leg and foot. More often you see it the other way around so my finished socks tend to be unique.
Great tip!
Thank you so much! This is the video I’ve been looking for, for ages! So much beautiful yarn, an so many ways to pick the wrong pattern to show it off with.
I loved this episode so much because I learned allot starting with the terminology 😅
In case of colour pooling, I cut out some of the yarn that I don't like, tie a nod and hide it on the back side, I did it to a few sweaters because they kept forming a lightning ⚡ shape
Great topic. When I had variegated yarns, I used them as the contrast colour for mosaic crochet. I was unsure what to use them for in knitting projects. I have a couple variegated one-of-kind fingering skeins which I think I'll use held together as the secondary colour for a brioche cowl. I like the idea of a colourwork yoke too.
Many thanks and look forward to the next in this series.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great information 🫶🏼
I often make a traingular-shaped shawl (like Martina Behm's Hitchhiker) with variegated yarn so that the pooling and striping changes as it grows. When worn, the item is usually bunched or rolled up around the neck, so any wonkiness is not noticeable. I'm also a big fan of reversing the stitch for a certain color when doing stockingnette. The Bright Side by Lori B is a great one for this, especially when you have micro-striping or just 2 main colors in the variegated skein..
Great tips!
Thank you for all the great info!
I've been crocheting for about a month and had no idea what variegated yarn was (I have some ironically) so this video was very insightful. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for all the information on variegated yarn, very interesting. I am currently crocheting a mosaic afghan, and I see all your suggestions. Great ideas.😊
Thank you!
Thanks so much for this video! Can't wait to see the rest of the series :)
Another knitter Nora knits divided and cut the yarn from one skein into 6 and then did helical knitting with mini skein 1 and 3, 2 and 4 or something like this and the results was a consistent color change through the entire slipover, I would like to try this one day ...
So informative! I look forward to seeing your other videos on this
Fantastic information. Thanks so much. ❤
I just used Ravelry to look for projects of a certain sweater pattern. The yarn used in the pattern was a bit too expensive for me, so I looked for projects using different yarns. There were a lot! I quickly saw how some yarn didn't work well, and picked a yarn where the project looked good.
I think the project pics are the BEST part of Rav! Whether you're looking at the pattern, the fit, or the yarn - they are just invaluable to me! I'm so happy she mentioned this for those who haven't thought of this before.
when thinking of projects for variegated yarn, I go onto Ravelry also, but I go into the specific yarn, then go to the specific color way I am looking to use. Usually you can see just what happens with that color way in different projects.
That's a great way to get some ideas!
Great video! Looking forward to more on this topic!!!
I knew there had to be science behind variegated yarns. I have a recent purchase from Vogue Knitting Live that I was drawn to, but couldn’t figure out what project to choose. I looked on Ravelry, but nothing yet. Thanks for the tips.
What a good video idea! I have shyed away from variegated yarn because even though I like the yarn, and enjoying knitting with it, i find that the finished object often doesnt get used. Listenimg for tips to avoid that!
Hope you enjoy it! There are a lot of stitch patterns you could try that will work with variegated yarns. 🧶
I'm currently knitting with a very variegated fingering yarn, I like the random stripes, and I've chosen a very simple model, I'm using stockinette stitch, garter stitch and ribbing for the borders! If I have some more delicately variegated yarn, I might go for simple cables, but the difference should not be too much, otherwise the cables do get lost.
Thanks for the explanations on pooling and speckles, I always appreciate learning new things!
Looking forward to the stitch pattern video. You inspired me with the shawl "festival of stitches", I decided I will make my own festival. I'm therefore on the hunt for stitch patterns for the variegated yarn I've chosen. I will alternate with a solid gray and also play with 2 color slip stitches or deep stitch patterns. I'm a little concerned about gauge, though (I will sample, of course)
Sounds like a lovely design idea!
Thank you for this video. It is very instructive
Thank you, this was really informative and helpful 😊
Thank you for this video!
Hi! New to your channel. Love it! Thank you for sharing your research 🌼
Welcome! I'm glad you found the channel!
Me too!
Thanks so much, very useful information 😀
Great video. I have various variegated skeins but never sure what to make with them
Yay 🎉 I’ve been waiting for this one. Thank you so much ❤
You are so welcome!
I'm glad to know more about the yarns but I'm never buying variegated yarn again
Why?
Thank you!!! I needed this!!!
I just used a cake of blue and white hand dyed variegated sock yarn I wasn’t sure I really liked held together with white DK fuzzy alpaca , And just made the most beautiful hat with it. With your guidance, I had more of a sense of what it would look like, and it turned out beautifully! Kind of spiraled and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this episode and how much it helped me. Thank you so much, I’m saving this as a reference to watch again.
I use blended color yarn for mittens and I use double strands. Lately though they come out two different mittens. Very agravating.. I have done one mitten then start my second mitten from the inside of the skein but it still doesn’t work well .
I have variegated yarn fhobia 😂, so thanks for your great explanations ❤
Very helpful.
I think there a few other things that can break up pooling and still allow you to use those beautiful variegated, hand dyed skeins. You can use helical knitting with two skeins or pulling from both end of a skein. Picking projects that have rapid stitch count changes will help break-up your pooling. One of my favorites is the hitchhiker scarf. You are always increasing on one end but you bind off some on the other. That changing stitch count will move your colors around.
Those are fabulous tips! Thank you!
When you’re in Ravelry and you search for the yarn, there’s an option to select specific colorways. Then, you can filter by the type of project you’re making. Saves a lot of scrolling time.
Thank you - that's a great tip!
Just photograph the skein and copy paste photos to show repeats (?) maybe- just an idea
Great idea!
I just love that Chroma gradient cowl. Can you tell me the name of the colorway of that ball of Chroma you were holding? I don't see it on the website. thx
The cowl uses Cousteau and the ball is Pegasus.
I didn't know how to handle varigated yarns for my very first sweater project. I ended up with the most delightfully chaoticly striped nonsense and I love it so much it's very unique and almost looks intentional lol. Think a mix of TV static and a tiger's fur pattern. Happy little accidents :D
I love happy accidents!
First of all, I love your videos. Would you share the pattern you used for the top you are wearing today. Thank you.
I try to always post that in the video description box. It's the Westbound by Elizabeth Doherty - www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/westbound
@@NerdyKnitting Thank you!
What is that orange and white yarn? Name? Weight? Fiber content? Does it come in other colorss?
Everything shown/mentioned is linked in the video description box.
Did you mention helical knitting?
No, I didn't but that would work really well too!
Please don't pull the skeins apart in the store. I worked in a yarn store and watched many women pull the skeins apart and then put them back on the shelf, not buying any of them.
I wasn't recommending that, I guess I should have been more clear - that's something I would only do with yarns I have purchased.
Hard disagree. It just isn't hard to twist it back up again. Obviously, you shouldn't mangle it, but the lovely people at my LYS will untwist to let you see the yarn and how it might behave
ok for LYS staff to pull apart a skein; NEVER for potential buyer
Yeah I wouldn't pull apart a skein, but I would move around bits in the hank to see how it's different. But with indie dyed yarns, I tend to find random splashes of color I never expect when I start to cakebit or use it. Sometimes I like and sometimes I don't. You never know.
Thankfully my LYS encourages it. She constantly encourages us to look at it and make sure we are happy with our selection. If we have difficulty twisting back up she takes the time to show us or do it.
I am not a fan of variegated yarns for the exact reason you state. I love tonals, speckles, and self striping, but not variegated.
❤
Personally, I think most of these types of yarn work the best with a complimentary solid yarn to break up the colours and avoid flashing/pooling. I’m looking forward to seeing your samples.
Speaking of terminology, what you’re referring to as skeins are really hanks. Common mistake.
I know! I tend to just say skein for everything! 😁
@@lynteneycke5043 yarn that is rewound at the manufacturer
Toe up socks for men. Video please, work boots socks.
I have lots of toe up sock patterns and all of them come in a wide range of sizes.
I find this so negative. Look for the book, the Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques, by Margaret Radcliffe, it is full of positive and enjoyable aspects of color.
My intention wasn't to be negative, sorry you thought that.
I didn't find it negative AT ALL! I thought it was full of useful tips and ideas, which I always love. Sorry that that was your perspective.