Tips for Knitting with Variegated Yarn Variegated – or multi-coloured – yarn is widely available on the British market. It remains, however, a knitting yarn that UK buyers are sometimes reluctant to invest in, many being dubious to what effect the knitted colours will have and what the entire garment will look like when it is completed. There are some ways, however, to make venturing into the world of multi-coloured knitting yarn for UK knitting enthusiasts a little easier and offer more of a chance of ending up with a great looking finished item of clothing or accessory. The first tip on using variegated yarn is to search for items that have already been knitted with the yarn in question. You may find pictures of these on the package of your yarn or, alternatively, in a pattern book produced by the same designer that has created the yarn. There also may be numerous patterns out there on the internet that use your knitting yarn; UK knitters are advised to conduct a search on sites such as Pinterest, Ravelry and Etsy for inspiration, or even to buy knitting patterns that use your multi-coloured yarn of choice as an easy way to get started. A key thing to remember when buying variegated knitting yarn is that it is not uniform – some yarns may change colour every few inches whereas some may have yards of the same colour before changing into another shade. This makes all the difference when choosing your pattern. If you are making baby clothes, shorter colour changes are less likely to spread out through the entire garment – of course depending on how many different colours are used in the yarn – therefore possibly creating a gradient or striped effect.
This can differ for larger adult clothes, however, where short lengths of colour will create a wholly different effect on these bigger garments. In addition to this, longer colour changes can result in ‘pooling’, which is where a certain colour repeatedly appears in the same place on a garment. Consider how long or short the colour changes are and whether they are suited to the pattern you have in mind. If in doubt about how to choose your knitting yarn, UK suppliers are often happy to give advice on this matter. It is also worth remembering that if you are using a variegated yarn with many colour changes, stitch patterns can get lost in the dazzling display of colour, making for a garment that can look messy and too busy.
One solution to avoid stitch patterns and colours competing on your garment is to choose a simple stitch that instead shows off the beauty of your knitting yarn. UK knitters can again look online for simple or stylish patterns, or alternatively invest in a great pattern book with easy yet impressive knitting ideas. Multi-coloured knitting yarns can be especially suited to bright and colourful children's wear, with mixes of pinks and purples a great choice for little princesses and different shades of blue a favourite for boys. Variegated yarn is also often successfully used in adult accessories such is in hats, scarves and mittens to brighten up the cooler seasons of the year. Be aware, however, that too many colours can be too ‘childish’ for adult designs. Multi-coloured knitting yarns from UK suppliers that are especially suited to adults often include blends of paler colours such as creams and whites with sophisticated shades of pastel colours, brights and complementary dark tones.