We knitters are a crafty bunch! We love our hand-dyed yarn so much, we've figured out ways to make it look its best, even when it's not on its best behavior.

As we talked about in our last post, color changes in hand-dyed yarn can stack up in an unattractive way in pools and unwanted stripes. Here are some ways to put it in its place!

First, you can add design elements that change your stitch count. In a small project with a thin yarn, like socks, just one stitch can cause the striping sequence to change, taking care of any pooling issues. Try adding or subtracting a stitch in an inconspicuous location to see the effect. In a larger project where gauge is not as important, changing a needle size can do the trick!

Monika figured out the best widths for her Brat Pack Headband that kept the yarn from randomly pooling. Take a look:




Lace is also a good solution. It changes the gauge of the knitted project and adds an element of visual interest that can distract the eye from and pooling problems you may be having. Heather used an eyelet pattern in her Bodacious beret to keep pooling out of the body of the hat, so it's contained to the top as a more controlled design element:




An asymmetrical shape helps with pooling, too! Rachel used this technique in her Cell Block Shawlette (top of page), along with purposely placed drop stitches, to control pooling issues. Kristen also used the asymmetrical shape trick and some simple eyelets to keep her Claire Shawlette looking neat:




Finally, Leanne took things up a notch and paired her hand-dyed yarn with a coordinating solid color to bust up color stacking and pooling in her Scrunchy Heart Legwarmers- so cool!



These are just a few tips - do you have more? Share them in the comments!

Happy Knitting!

Heather

[Yarns shown in photos are Lorna's Laces Limited Edition colorways '15 June - The New Black (still available in Helen's Lace) and '15 July - Brat Pack]

Hoards of Hand-dyes! Chris's Glacier Sweep Shawl, Monika's Avenger Cape in Craigh na Dun, Baah La Jolla Yarn, swatch of Rachel's Outlander MKAL 2015 Shawl, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Christmas at Downton, Kristen's Edith's Secret Shawl, Phydeaux Soie in Mon Amour, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Devon

Exciting things are afoot...or a-needle, we should say: we're kicking off a celebration of hand-dyed yarns at Jimmy Beans Wool, and you're invited to the party!

Just don't be tardy.

For the party.

Yes, I just wrote that.

Along with a series of instructional articles in our next few Newsletters, we'll be taking and in-depth look at each type of hand-dyed yarn we carry and how to get the most out of it. Now that's something to celebrate!

Monika's Avenger Cape in Assemble!

And what better way to get our party started than with Lorna's Laces? It was Lorna Miser herself who inspired Laura to start her own yarn shop, so one could say that JBW wouldn't exist without Lorna's Laces. Together, we've created a series of Limited Edition yarns that celebrates everything pop culture, from our favorite TV shows to current events around the world.

Rachel's Outlander MKAL 2015 Shawl in Craigh na Dun

Though they dye solid and tonal colors, Lorna's is best known for their variegated yarns, especially the bright, saturated colorways that knit up into amazingly colorful, one-of-a-kind creations! One look at a garment and you can tell it's Lorna's - there's just no other yarn quite like it out there! You can see what I mean in the garments pictured above.

Lorna's Laces yarn gets its distinct look from the special hand-dye process: the dyers plan a colorway down to the last detail, including the sequence in which the colors will appear on the skein. Then, the hanks of yarn are painstakingly dyed section by section. The final result is a circular hank with an almost color-blocked look, but when it's wound into a ball and knit up, the colors appear in the knitted item in the same sequence they were dyed on the skein, giving that fun, variegated effect we love so much!

Autumn's Magrathea Shawl

Now, as gorgeous as these yarns are, they have their challenges - most notably, when your project varies in size or shape, the colors line up differently in each row, sometimes causing unwanted striping or "pooling", which looks like irregular "blobs" of color on your project. Some people love this effect - it is quite artistic, after all! - but sometimes it can detract from the look you're going for.










An example of pooling in the Outlander Shawl - in this case, the symmetry makes it an appealing design element!


So, how to solve it? Wouldn't you like to know! And we'll be telling you in our next post :)

Let us know your other favorite variegated hand-dyes! We love Baah Yarn, Lotus Yarns, Becoming Art, and the list goes on! What's on your list?

Happy Knitting (with Hand-Dyes!)!

Heather

Top: Monika's Deep Sea Shrug/Wrap; Bottom: Diagonal Drop Stitch Shawl, Drop Stitch TShirt, Drop Stitch Scarf

We've been dropping stitches left and right lately...and loving it!

No, we haven't lost our minds. Not THAT kind of dropped stitch - we mean "drop stitches" - the kind you drop on purpose for an artistic effect!

It's like lace...with a little cheat. Kind of like how when I'm reading a book that I hate, I speed-read to finish it faster, and my husband calls it "cheating at reading".

But you didn't really need to know that. :)

Drop stitches create an open, airy fabric that's great for shawls, scarves, and even sweaters that can be worn over tank tops. So drop some stitches and let that breeze flow through!

But where to start? Well, here's a place:

Erika's Outlander Shawl in Fable Fibers Novel and TML; Rachel's Moebius Braid Cowl

Suddenly, we can't get enough of reversible cables.

And why not? They're pretty awesome. Just take a look.




As anyone who had the pleasure of knitting Rachel's 2015 Outlander Mystery Shawl (above, in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Limited Edition color Craigh na Dun) knows, they're not hard to execute, but the results are amazing - beautiful cables that look as good on the back side of the fabric as they do on the front! Which comes in mighty handy when you want both sides of your project to be equally gorgeous (and who doesn't?). Scarves, cowls, and shawls that wrap around your neck or get tossed over a shoulder certainly fall into this category.

Like the Moebius Braid Cowl Rachel designed for Knitty, below:





Want more? This great video from Rachel explains the ins and outs of this handy trick, and shows you how to do it, too! Keep that one in your back pocket. You're welcome.




Let us know what sorts of projects you've used reversible cables in. We'd love to see them!

Happy Knitting,

Heather

The Game of Thrones Mystery Knit-along has officially begun! Kristen posted the first clue on Ravelry on May 3rd, and Ravelers grabbed their needles and cast on for this bulky-weight mystery project inspired by Tyrion Lannister. Using Lorna's Laces Cloudgate in our April 2015 Limited Edition color, Casterly Rock, the first clue flew by and we soon had the beginning of something special on the needles! Take a look at some of the progress Ravelers have made:

Jennilynn's Mystery Project in Casterly Rock

Hmmm...is that eyelet lace I spy in there? It's making that hand-dyed yarn look great!

moonrevel's Game of Thrones Mystery project is looking nice!

Those of you who follow our Lorna’s Limited Edition Colors know that we’re fans of sci-fi in general and especially of Star Trek - a feeling that many in the knitting world share. (What, knitting and nerdiness go hand in hand? I didn't know!)

Shepherd Sock

Honor

Fit for a Feast is back and better than ever!!!! 

Thirteen amazing companies have come to join in the festivities #justatjimmys, and we couldn't be more excited (or hungry for yarn ;) wink, wink)!!!!! 

Lorna's Laces is kicking off the smorgasbord with Wild Turkey in Shepherd Worsted!!!! 

We've also got Jade Sapphire with scrumptious Cream of Mushroom Soup!!

Koigu with Pickled Pumpkin in two variations!!! 


Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in my favorite side dish: Sage Stuffing!!!