Charlotte's - Good to Know About Hand-Dyed Yarn
We dye the yarn when you place an order.
We dye the yarn on demand, which means we do not keep a stock of hand-dyed yarn (other than what is in the store) but dye it only when you place an order.
This also means that we dye in relatively small batches. No two skeins of yarn are the same, even if they come from the same dye pot.
There are many factors at play when hand-dyeing yarn, including:
- Water temperature
- pH level
- The amount of water in the pot
- How long the yarn is in contact with the dye
Even when careful about dissolving the dye in the pot, there tends to be a higher concentration of dye at the bottom of the pot, resulting in the yarn at the bottom getting a stronger color than the yarn at the top.
All these factors, along with many more, and certainly the moon’s position in the sky, make hand-dyed yarn so special, unique, and fun.
Knitting with Hand-Dyed Yarn
If, for example, you order hand-dyed yarn for a sweater, there is a risk of seeing transitions where you have switched between skeins in a knitting project like this.
One way to address this issue is by knitting with two skeins of yarn at a time.
This means that in a flat knitting project, you knit two rows with one skein and then two rows with the other skein – and so on.
If you are knitting in the round, you knit one round with one skein and then one round with the other skein, and so forth. This way, you “camouflage” the differences in the hand-dyed yarns.
Similarly, you can also be careful in creating “smooth” transitions when switching to the next skein. Avoid changing both skeins at the same time.
Washing Hand-Dyed Yarn
Please be aware that hand-dyed yarn may contain excess dye. Therefore, it’s a great idea to wash it separately the first time.
It is also recommended to hand wash the yarn. Washing machines vary, so it’s advisable to wash a small sample of hand-dyed yarn before tossing your entire hand-knit project into the washing machine… speaking from experience!