Yarns labeled “No Dye Lot” are supposed to be the same color no matter when you buy them. If you’ve been yarncrafting a while you know that’s not always the case. New crafter or not, join me as I debunk the “No Dye Lot” myth.
The “No Dye Lot” myth
Just to get everyone on the same page, I’ll do a quick overview of this. Some yarns are labeled as “No Dye Lot” yarns. Red Heart Super Saver and Caron Simply Soft are two I’ve used.
All other yarns are dyed in batches and the color can vary, sometimes a lot, from batch to batch. So a “No Dye Lot” yarn is supposed to be different. It’s supposed to stay the same regardless of which batch it was dyed in.
My disappointment
Let me take you back to earlier this week. I ordered more Red Heart Super Saver (a “No Dye Lot” yarn) for one of my Moogly crochet-along blankets. Earlier than expected, a box of yarn shows up. I eagerly open the box around the kids, as in literally reaching around them as they “help,” and as I pull out the skeins I notice something.
Even without holding them side by side, I know the new “Bright Yellow” color I ordered is NOT going to match the other skeins I have. It’s also going to throw off the bright spring color palette I picked for our March birthday girl’s blanket. The color is just a little too muted to match the other bright colors.
It’s a little easier to see if the light isn’t as good. (The new color is on the right on the top and on the left on the bottom.)
As shown in the picture, the new yarn is a bit darker shade of yellow. Mustard is the name that came to mind, as the new color is yellow with a hint of black. Yes, the other skeins I bought were from 2019 but up until that point they were very consistent from year to year.
Perhaps the change in ownership or other international incidents drove the color change. Whatever the reason behind it, the change has left me wondering what to do now. I have multiple projects using the Bright Yellow color and I may be able to shuffle skeins around and give all the truly bright ones to the Moogly blanket.
So you can see how the “No Dye Lot” myth can lure unsuspecting crafters into not stocking up on yarn. That and being on a budget.
Seven ounces of prevention
I wanted to share my experience so you can learn from it, too. It wasn’t fun being reminded the hard way that you just can’t count on yarn to stay the same color over time, even from large brands like Red Heart and Caron (the same company now). I had seen this happen to other people before but it hadn’t happened to me yet.
Perhaps you’re saying, “But I can’t afford to get all the yarn at once!” I understand shopping on a budget. I’ve been there several times. So I’m talking to future me as much as I am to you.
So here’s how to combat it. If you’re getting only one of each color, then go ahead and buy your yarn one skein at a time. Otherwise, it would be best to save up and buy all the yarn of each color you need at the same time.
For temperature blankets you can get a sample skein of each color, especially for your temperature range pictures and records. Then you can buy more of the color when you get to that temperature range later in the year. This is with the understanding that the color might change a little. Since temperature blankets rarely have huge strips of color (the link is to my big exception) then color changes wouldn’t be as noticeable unless they change it a lot.
The extras habit
While we’re on the subject, a habit I’ve picked up is getting one or two skeins more than I need for a project if possible. So a pattern calling for two balls of Knit Picks’ Dishie will lead me to buy three. Before this week I also would estimate if the project would use close to the full yardage. If I thought it didn’t I’d probably not get an extra one. Now I’ll probably get more either way.
When I was making the Bubble Bathmat to test out the Bernat Home Dec yarn I only bought what the pattern called for. I ran out of yarn at the end of the project. Not doing the border didn’t make it look bad to me.
There are projects I wouldn’t get an extra ball for, however. These are patterns that call for a single ball of yarns like Shawl in a Ball (or whatever they’re calling it now) that would be hard to join a second ball in. The color play in projects like this shawl by Tamara of Moogly makes it hard to join in a second to finish it. Besides, who wants to get a whole ball started and use just a little bit?
For temperature projects, I’d be sure to get extras, especially of the slot colors that represent the temperatures used a lot in your area. In my most recent blanket I overbought with all of it by at least one skein except the bottom color. That slot I hardly ever use unless Indiana gives us the cold shoulder that year. (Bad joke, I know.)
Other benefits to stocking up
Stocking up also helps if you tend to set projects aside, even for a little bit. You might pick it back up and find you need more than the pattern called for and then you can’t find the yarn anymore. This could happen with a break of even a few months.
I ran into this issue last year. For one of my blankets I accidentally picked a limited edition yarn color of Caron One Pound. I set the project aside for a few months and found I would be short when I picked it back up again. Luckily I was able to find a couple of skeins of it on Joann’s website since it wasn’t on the manufacturer website anymore. I had quite the time tracking the color name down, too. Normally I save my labels but I’d balled that one up and somehow lost the label.
If you’ve heard of my Project Clean Queue you know I set projects aside a lot. One I stopped working on long enough for the manufacturer to stop making altogether. Sad, because I like how the yarn feels and how it looks when it’s worked up.
To wrap up
So to conclude, don’t fall for the “No Dye Lot” myth and buy more yarn. Lots of it. Enough to fill your bathtub and your bed.
Share this article to your husband if your “but you buy that much in tools” excuse is wearing thin. You can show him that over-buying yarn is a good thing and it’s not just you. Then maybe he’ll approve of your purchases. (It’s a joke, before people jump on me.)
Have you fallen prey to the “No Dye Lot” myth? Let us know your experience in the comments!
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