Terrifying variegated yarn

A variegated yarn is one yarn among many I shied away from years. Splashes of multiple colors and seemingly complicated techniques freaked me out. Not to mention the brain freeze I got when I thought about what on earth would I knit with it (I do love a decent amount of cable and lace in knitting patterns).

As it turns out variegated yarn is not so bad after all. In fact, that is an understatement. You will learn to love it, I promise (as I did).

Difference between variegated and self-striping yarn

But first, let’s talk about the difference between variegated yarn and self-striping yarn. Is there a difference or is there just fancy words for saying things? Well, there is a difference.

The variegated yarn has shorter sections of color, and it’s more random (like the one I’m using below).

Self-striping yarn, on the other hand, has longer sections of each color forming stripes often over multiple rows. Usually, colors of self-striping yarn are number specific (like 45 sts per color) and they can even have a specific pattern.

In my opinion, self-striping yarn is pretty self-explanatory and usually comes with directions while variegated yarn can leave you utterly confused and baffled. What to knit? We’ve all heard that we should not use cables. Nor should we use lace. Any stitch patterns other than Stockinette should be avoided, really.

Oh, come on. Where is the fun in that?

Lace knitting with variegated yarn?

I’m here to tell you that you can use a bit of pattern. Sure, you can’t go overboard and do an intricate Estonian lace, but you can try lace patterns that have a bit of Stockinette stitch too.

I’ll show you. But before I do that, I would like to talk about the yarn I’m using. I must throw in a disclaimer though and use this fancy word: “sponsored post”. It’s because I received the yarn for free to try it out from a lovely lady named Meiri. Everything is the same as always – opinions are mine, thoughts are mine and everything else for that matter.

Yarn from Meiri @ Tuuleluud

Meiri is a hard working mom who officially is a hairdresser but keeps a yarn shop called “Tuuleluud” (translated into English it’s “Windbroom” – isn’t that awesome?) as a side gig (that’s how young people talk today). And if that’s not enough, she’s coloring her yarns by herself. She was taught to knit by her grandmother like me.

Of course, curious as I am, I asked her a few questions about yarn dyeing and love for knitting. Here’s how it went:

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Mari-Liis: What brought you to selling your own yarn and why hand-dyed yarns?
Meiri: I love colors and great yarns, and dying is a fascinated process.

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Mari-Liis: Do you think of some special project when you’re dying? Lace shawl knitters, sock knitters, etc…
Meiri: Actually variegated yarn is fantastic for various projects. Most of my yarns are sock yarns, so anything you would knit with sock yarn you could knit with this.

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Mari-Liis: I learned to love variegated and hand dyed yarn because of (their versatile nature), but what do you think why hand dyed yarns are better than mass production?
Meiri: Hand-dyed yarn is unique. I color 2 to 4 skeins at once and there will be no exact same color next time. In addition to that, it’s very exciting to knit this yarn. The pattern differs and depends on the stitch count. It’s fascinating and addictive.

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Mari-Liis: Where do you get inspiration for the colors you choose?
Meiri: From nature. And the feeling I get when I look at all the colors.

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Mari-Liis: Which yarn and color is your favorite from your shop and do you have a pattern recommendation to go with that yarn?
Meiri: I think my favorite at the moment is a sock yarn with the cotton blend. It’s so soft. Perfect for mittens or hats (check out this hat she knitted: http://tuuleluud.blogspot.com/2017/03/kevadine-muts.html).

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Mari-Liis: What’s your favorite thing to knit?
Meiri: I think my most cherished knitting projects are hats, gloves and baby items.

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Mari-Liis: How should we wash those items made with your yarn? Is there anything we should know and take account in?
Meiri: Best is hand washing. Hand-dyed yarn might bleed a bit on your first washing – if that happens, add some vinegar into your washing water.

(Side note – if you use vinegar then make sure you don’t use sewing pins for blocking. They will rust and ruin your knitting project. How do I know that? Don’t ask… I still don’t want to talk about that)

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Mari-Liis: In terms of hand-dyed yarns, is there anything special we need to know before ordering from you for a project?
Meiri: All my hand dyed yarns are unique and made in small amounts. Make sure you have enough for your project.

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Mari-Liis: What are estimated shipping and delivery times?
Meiri: I’ll try to post all orders on the next day after receiving the payment (if it’s not a custom order). Everything else is in the hand of postal service. All custom orders will be finished within a week.

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You can find out more and make an order on Meiri’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Hand-Dyed-Yarn-by-Tuuleluud-1536399116387684/
If Facebook isn’t your cup of tea then she also has a blog: http://tuuleluud.blogspot.com/ (her blog is in Estonian, but you can contact her through Google+ here: https://plus.google.com/115203290858079604202)

Here is a selection from her Facebook page, but NOTE – that’s not all:

Ladies – I’m drooling.

Now, the yarn I’ve got (it’s perfect, by the way). It’s 100 g (420 m) of sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon). It’s notably soft. And yummy.

With this in mind, I’m using it to show you how fun variegated yarn can be. Ready? No, it’s not only Stockinette stitch (nor Garter stitch).

Lace stitch pattern with the chart and written instructions

I want to show you this simple lace stitch which I think is perfect for variegated yarn (fantastic stitch pattern for knitting an easy scarf). Needed stitch count is 10 + 20. For a simple scarf, I would cast on 50 stitches, knit 5 rows and start with the pattern, repeating the main pattern for 3 times.

Abbreviations:

• Yo – yarn over;
• k – knit;
• ssk – slip, slip, knit together through back loop;
• * * – main pattern repeat;
• Wrong sides – purl;

Row 1 (RS): (Yo, ssk) x 2, k6, *(yo, ssk) x 2, k6 ; work from *, (yo, ssk) x 2, k6. (30 sts)
Row 3: K1, (yo, ssk) x 2, k5, *k1 (yo, ssk) x 2, k5 ; work from *, k1, (yo, ssk) x 2, k5.
Row 5: K2, (yo, ssk) x 2, k4, *k2, (yo, ssk) x 2, k4 ; work from *, k2, (yo, ssk) x 2, k4.
Row 7: K3, (yo, ssk) x 2, k3, *k3, (yo, ssk) x 2, k3 ; work from *, k3, (yo, ssk) x 2, k3.
Row 9: K4, (yo, ssk) x 2, k2, *k4, (yo, ssk) x 2, k2 ; work from *, k4, (yo, ssk) x 2, k2.
Row 11: K5, (yo, ssk) x 2, k1, *k5, (yo, ssk) x 2, k1 ; work from *, k5, (yo, ssk) x 2, k1.
Row 13: K6, (yo, ssk) x 2, *k6, (yo, ssk) x 2 ; work from *, k6, (yo, ssk) x 2.
Row 15: K7, yo, ssk, yo, *ssk, k6, yo, ssk, yo ; work from *, ssk, k6, yo, ssk, k1.
Row 17: Yo, ssk, k6, yo, ssk, *yo, ssk, k6, yo, ssk ; work from *, yo, ssk, k6, yo, ssk.
Row 19: K1, yo, ssk, k6, yo, *ssk, yo, ssk, k6, yo ; work from *, ssk, yo, ssk, k7.

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Try these stitch patterns as well

You could also try these lacy stitch patterns with variegated yarn:

• https://pattern-duchess.com/easy-reversible-lace-stitch-pattern/
• https://pattern-duchess.com/wave-stitch/
• https://pattern-duchess.com/crawling-vines/

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Oh, I also received a yarn with a gift bag (which I’m saving for a special project…):

What to knit with variegated yarn

Now, to finish this post, I would like to give you a few ideas on what to knit with variegated yarn. For example:

• Pincha shawl by Pinpilan Wangsai (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pincha-shawl) – I’m knitting this at the moment;
• Close To You by Justyna Lorkowska (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/close-to-you)
• Stole Dunes by Svetlana Gordon (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stole-dunes)
• Ruffled Shawl (horizontal ridge) by Gail Tanquary (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ruffled-shawl-horizontal-ridge)
• Fox Paws by Xandy Peters (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fox-paws) – use a solid yarn with that one too;
• Ellington Socks by Cookie A (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ellington-socks)
• Basic Ribbed Socks by Kate Atherley (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-ribbed-socks)
• Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-skyp-socks)

Few knitting tips for using variegated yarn:

• Tip #1: If working on larger projects, alternate the skeins as you knit to avoid light and dark areas as well as color pooling.
• Tip #2: Try your variegated yarn with a solid color that coordinates with it and knit them together.
• Tip #3: Using 2 strands of variegated yarn together will give you a tweedy look.

Now it’s your turn. Try it out and let me know what are some of your most preferred knitting patterns for variegated yarn leaving a comment below?