It happens to the best of us. You're in the middle of a project, you run out of yarn and need to buy more. But when you start knitting again, you see it straight away- a small, annoying difference in shade. Welcome to the dye lot problem.
Don't worry. There are solutions!
What exactly is a dye lot? On the label of your skein or ball, alongside the colour number, you'll often find another number, the dye lot number, sometimes called a batch or lot. It tells you which round of dyeing your yarn came from. Since only a certain amount of yarn fits into a dye bath at a time, and since natural fibres are never completely identical from one batch to the next, two skeins with exactly the same colour recipe can still end up slightly different in tone. Sometimes you can barely tell. Sometimes it's painfully obvious, especially in simple stockinette stitch.
What can you do?
- Alternate skeins The simplest and most effective trick: knit one row with skein A, the next row with skein B. Keep alternating for about five to ten centimetres. The shade difference gradually blends out and the eye doesn't pick up a clear join. This also works brilliantly with hand-dyed yarns, which naturally vary a little between skeins.
- Place the mismatched yarn in cuffs and edges Ribbed cuffs, button bands, collars, pockets, the texture in these details makes a small colour difference virtually disappear. If you have enough of the original dye lot for the body and sleeves, use the mismatched skein for the cuffs. It looks intentional, not improvised.
- Add a stripe A single stripe in a contrast colour right at the transition zone works wonders. The eye reads it as deliberate and accepts the difference. Bonus: it can look really great.
- Change stitch pattern at the join Switch from stockinette to a simple textured pattern, such as a purl row, moss stitch, or a small stitch repeat, right at the transition point. The eye reads the contrast as texture rather than a colour shift.
- Avoid an abrupt change The one thing you really shouldn't do is just swap skeins mid-project and hope for the best. In stockinette stitch especially, it always shows. If you've already done it, unravel and start again using the alternating method. It's worth it.
Tips for your next project Always keep the label until the project is finished, that way you know exactly which dye lot to buy if you run out. And when you shop: buy one skein too many rather than one too few. Leftover yarn always becomes a hat or a scarf. Double-check in the shop (or if you've ordered online when you recieve it) that you're getting the right dye lot before you bring it home.
Have you had your own dye lot adventures? Share in the comments!