4 skeins, 3 types, 1 dyebath

The above photo shows four skeins of three different types of yarn that were all dyed in the same dyebath. Pretty crazy huh?

From left to right: two skeins of silk lace, one skein of 100% silk, single ply DK and the aforementioned 50% silk/50% merino DK.

It's fascinating to me to see how different yarns take dye completely differently. Most of the differences come from how varying fibers react with the dye and how the yarn is spun. For example, I frequently dye batches of superwash merino sock yarn and silky merino sock yarn together. The silky merino always comes out much lighter and more muted than the 100% merino, while the superwash sock takes the dye in a way that is very vibrant and rich.

Another factor is just where the skein is, physically, in the pot while the dyeing is happening. Did it get poked and stirred a lot? Did it remain relatively untouched by me? Was is at the bottom? The top? Stuck in the middle somewhere? Skeins at the bottom of the pot tend to be much lighter than skeins at the top, so I try to rotate them frequently during the first part of dyeing, before the dye has had a chance to completely set.

Sometimes, who really knows why two skeins came out so differently! The two skeins of silk lace above, for example. Yeah, they're pretty close. But far from identical! This is why when a customer orders multiple skeins of one color from me, I make sure to go through the whole batch and pick the ones that most closely match each other.

I, for one, love the variation. Indie dyeing doing what it does best - being unique!