This week a customer came to see me in a bit of a state. She had purchased some yarn from us to knit a jumper for her adult grandson, and it was only when she cast off the front that she realised that one of the balls was the wrong dyelot. She says that because she was knitting in the evenings, under electric light, and on straight needles so that the knitting was all bunched up, she did not realise what had happened. But, as you can see from the photo below, it was a very noticeable difference. Luckily we were able to help her out and find some more yarn in the correct dyelot so that she will be able to complete the jumper in time. The incident focussed my mind on the importance of ensuring that all your yarn is the correct dyelot before you start knit, something about which we are usually very careful here in the shop. I am not sure how this one slipped through our fingers!
When yarn is dyed, commercially or by hand, it will be dyed in batches. In the context of commercial yarn the batch will be given a dyelot number, which you can find on the ball band (for example see the Knitting for Olive Merino pictured below). Even the biggest companies cannot exactly repeat a colour, so there will always be a (usually very slight) discrepancy between dyelots and this can be surprisingly obvious in a garment. If this is something that matters to you, it is advisable to ensure that you have the correct amount of wool for the garment that you are creating and that you purchase it all at the same time. It is also worth checking in the shop that the dyelots are the same before you purchase (if we have not reminded you) as sometimes there will be balls of the same colour with different dyelot numbers on the shelves.
Some people are happy to buy yarns for one garment in different dyelots. The best way to avoid any obvious discrepancies in the fabric is to knit rows alternately with different balls of yarn – so one dyelot for the first row, the other for the second row and so on. Sometimes brands will specifically recommend doing this – for example Lang suggest that their summer yarn, Vaya should be knitted this way, even when it is the same dyelot, to avoid what is called ‘pooling’, that is where you get uneven blotches or blocks of colour. Malabrigo yarns, which are kettle dyed, do not have dyelots, so again it might be worth knitting with alternate balls if you are concerned about having a more regular colour.
In the case of hand dyed yarn, it is not possible to repeat a dyelot exactly, and independent dyers are more likely to discontinue colourways regularly, so it is always advisable to purchase what you need all at the same time. Variegated hand dyed yarn will also ‘pool’ so many people will use the technique of knitting alternate rows with different balls described above to avoid it. Mandy and I, however, never bother as we both like the effect that ‘pooling’ creates.
If we do not have enough yarn in the shop for a garment we are very happy to order in enough for you that you will avoid the issue of not having enough in the right dyelot. We also offer a set aside service, where you can put a ball aside for up to three months just in case you need it. As always, we are happy to help and, I hope, avoid anyone having the scare that my poor customer did.