1 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,040 Hey there, yarn Busty. It's Jeff from Hobby here, and 2 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:13,840 you are listening to skiing until the podcast that unravels 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:15,680 it all. Today's episode. 4 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:21,880 Well, we are zooming in on something tiny but mighty die 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,280 lots. You know that little number 6 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,640 hiding on your yarn label? It might not look like much, but 7 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,320 believe me, it can make or break a project. 8 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:38,160 Now, this sneaky number that has the power to turn your dream 9 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:42,280 sweater into a patchwork nightmare or save you from a 10 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,360 crafting meltdown is the subject of today. 11 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,440 So grab your whip, pour yourself a cup of something cozy, and 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,960 let's unravel this colorful mystery together. 13 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:04,680 Now, I want you to imagine this. You've been working for weeks on 14 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,680 the coziest cardigan or sweater or blanket. 15 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,680 And you know, let's, let's just for the sake of keeping things 16 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,080 simple, let's just say it's a cardigan. 17 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,880 The fit, you know, it's perfect. The yarn feels like a warm hug. 18 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,920 And you're already picturing how fabulous you will look when the 19 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,400 first chilly day of fall arrives. 20 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:32,120 And you walk into the office or your job or wherever wearing 21 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:34,040 that beautiful, beautiful cardigan you've made. 22 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,840 You know, so you're just, you know, you're knitting along 23 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:42,880 happily or crocheting along happily when suddenly disaster, 24 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:45,440 you run out of yarn, but no problem, right? 25 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,680 You, that's nothing. You just, you know, you go on 26 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,120 the Hobie website, you order more of the same color, right, 27 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,800 same brand, everything right? But when it arrives a few days 28 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,760 later and you decide, OK, let's let's get going, you know, take 29 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,680 the label off. Bam, you're you know, you attach 30 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:06,520 that new scheme and after a few rounds, or actually not rounds 31 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:10,520 because it's a cardigan, back and forth, something feels off. 32 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,840 One sleeve is exactly, you know, dusty rose. 33 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,240 You know the dusty rose color you started with. 34 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:26,360 And the other one, well, it's more like dusty Raspberry or 35 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:32,160 dusty dahlia. So instead of 1 perfect dreamy 36 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,440 cardigan, you've got an accidental color block 37 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,000 experiment. And sure, you know, you could 38 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,200 pretend it's intentional. You might think to yourself, I'm 39 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,720 just going to wash this and the colors are going to blend or 40 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,760 something. But let's be real, sometimes it 41 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,280 just, it's just a mistake. It just looks like a mistake. 42 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:56,920 And that, my fiber bestie is the chaos that dye lots can bring 43 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:03,120 into our lives. So let's let's look at this, 44 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:08,320 let's dive a little deeper and understand what a number of a 45 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:12,120 lot actually means. And what what, what is it 46 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,240 exactly? You know, let's let's look into 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:23,460 it. So this mysterious lot number, 48 00:03:23,460 --> 00:03:28,740 basically it's like a yarns family tree. 49 00:03:29,140 --> 00:03:35,340 Every time a yarn company dies a batch of yarn, that batch gets a 50 00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:39,040 number. Think of skeins with the same 51 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,320 lot number as siblings. You know, they grew up in the 52 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:47,320 same house, they share the same snacks, they went through the 53 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:53,520 same dye bath together, and they are, well, 99% identical. 54 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,240 You know, skeins from a different lot. 55 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,200 Well, they're cousins. You know, they might have the 56 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:05,360 same last name, but one of them inherited grandma's red hair and 57 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:10,120 the other one, well, didn't. So even when the color name and 58 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:13,640 the number on the label are the same, like ocean blue, you know, 59 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,640 a new dye batch might, it might just be a little bit more 60 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:20,680 turquoise or a little bit more Navy. 61 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,920 You know, the human eye is extremely sensitive to those 62 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,280 subtle shifts, and in a big project like a sweater or a 63 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:33,360 blanket or a cardigan, those tiny differences can stand out 64 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,400 more than you'd expect. It's kind of like baking 65 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,520 cookies. You can use the same exact 66 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,960 recipe, but sometimes one tray just comes out a little lighter 67 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,320 or a little darker. You didn't do anything wrong. 68 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:53,200 It's just the magic of dying, and I think we should just take 69 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:58,840 a moment to actually look at why colors can shift from one dye 70 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:03,760 bath to another, because I feel like that's also something that 71 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,680 is a must. We must consider this in order 72 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:16,440 to understand the dye lots. Now, why do these differences 73 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:21,240 happen? Dyeing yarn is obviously part 74 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:26,600 science, obviously part art, but also a big part chaos. 75 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:33,720 There is honestly so many little variables that can affect the 76 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,600 outcome. It is absolutely insane. 77 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,600 And it's really, really, really small things. 78 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:41,920 So take for instance, temperature, the temperature of 79 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:48,480 the water right for once, or consider also the humidity in 80 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:53,720 the air on that specific day or how long the yarn sat in the dye 81 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,840 bath. Even 10 seconds too much or 30 82 00:05:56,840 --> 00:05:59,360 seconds too much can change the outcome. 83 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:03,800 And for the sake of simplicity, even the sheep. 84 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,640 And like I said, you know when when yarns are made from fibers 85 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,480 from different animals. So even that can have a huge 86 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:16,320 impact because some, sometimes some fibers from some sheep take 87 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,960 very, very differently than other sheep. 88 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:25,600 So when you hear that your skein of dusty rose looks more like 89 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:30,560 dusty beige this time around, it's not because the yarn, the 90 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:32,800 yarn producer decided to troll you. 91 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:41,120 You know, it's just the reality, reality, reality of working with 92 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:45,320 fiber and with color. Sometimes the differences are, 93 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,240 like I said, so, so, so, so subtle. 94 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,280 You'd never even notice until you held the schemes side by 95 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:57,680 side, or even worse, until you actually start working with that 96 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,520 yarn. And sometimes it's super 97 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:06,200 obvious, right? But we can outsmart the dye 98 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:10,760 lots, the dye lots gremlins. So let's talk a little bit about 99 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,040 strategy. Is we have to have a strategy. 100 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:20,960 If you want your project to look seamless, obviously the safest 101 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,560 move is to buy all the yarn you need all at once. 102 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,240 And yes, that means planning ahead, even if you're not sure 103 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,160 exactly how much you'll need and even though you might end up 104 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,480 with a skein or two extra laying around. 105 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,120 So always, always, always add an extra scheme or two. 106 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,160 Think of it like buying snacks for a road trip. 107 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:46,120 You rather have too many snacks then run out halfway and having 108 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:48,280 to make another stop at the gas station. 109 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,760 And then you get there later and right. 110 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,080 So when your yarn arrives, don't just dive right in. 111 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:58,880 Take a moment to compare those lot numbers, make sure they 112 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:03,080 match before you start your project and keep those labels 113 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,560 somewhere safe. I cannot stress how many times 114 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,680 it made a huge difference to my project when I was running out 115 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:17,000 of yarn. And then I figured, well, now I 116 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:19,040 need to find a label. Where is the label? 117 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,080 Where did I put the label? Oh, it's in the trash because of 118 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:29,040 course I am a smarty pants. So I think that, you know, take 119 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,559 a moment to make sure that you don't throw away the label right 120 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:34,799 away until you have at least finished the project. 121 00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:38,679 That's definitely a must, must, must do. 122 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,200 Also, write it down. If you don't want to keep the 123 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:46,000 label, write it down. You know, just a little maybe on 124 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,880 your on your project sheet or something, write it down, write 125 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,200 the the lot number because the little yarn journal with notes 126 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,960 about the brand, the color and the lot number can save you so 127 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:02,400 much heartache later. So those are definitely must 128 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:07,440 do's, I think if you don't want to end with, you know, color 129 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:11,240 blocks. So keep them in mind. 130 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:16,960 Make sure you buy enough yarn, add an extra scheme just to make 131 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,640 sure, if not 2, just add that extra scheme. 132 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:24,320 If you're just oh, just right there and you're thinking to 133 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:31,560 yourself, OK, I'm going to have you know, 20 feet left of yarn, 134 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,600 20 yards left of yarn or 20 meters or whatever system you 135 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:41,560 you are using. Do keep in mind, please, please, 136 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:45,720 please just add that extra skein because it's going to make a 137 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:54,480 huge, huge, huge difference to Yeah, just making sure that that 138 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,480 you don't run out of yarn from the same lot. 139 00:09:56,560 --> 00:10:00,800 And hey, if you have that extra skein laying around and you, you 140 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,920 think to yourself, Oh my God, Jay, seriously, why did you tell 141 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,000 me to buy the extra skein? My gauge is always perfect. 142 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,960 And here I am now with a leftover skein of yarn. 143 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,400 Well, then in that case, babes, in that case, you're going to 144 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:21,920 make yourself a nice little tiny scarf or a headband out of it or 145 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,200 even turn it into granny squares. 146 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:30,520 So like I said, don't forget also about the little journal 147 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,760 notes, whatever you want to call it all, add it on your phone. 148 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:35,800 Take a picture. Take a picture of the of the 149 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,800 it's even easier so that you have it because if you do run 150 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,800 out and say, for instance, you go on the hobby website to buy 151 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:47,960 more, but that lot number is different, then maybe some of 152 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:51,200 your friends have it or maybe somebody in your community has 153 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,040 it and and that can save you a lot of headaches. 154 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:04,680 So let's look actually at just a little bit more creative fixes 155 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:08,200 for mismatched lots. Let's say that that yarn doesn't 156 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:11,600 exist, they don't produce it anymore and you ended up with 157 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:20,640 five schemes of lot number 0025697 and 0025698. 158 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:26,600 So if it's too late, you've you've got yourself already 159 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,880 mismatched die lots. And yeah, you just have to go 160 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:31,640 through with it. You don't have time also to 161 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,480 maybe order more. You have to get this done. 162 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,880 There's options. OK, don't panic. 163 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:42,080 There's options. One approach is to fade the 164 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,760 schemes together. So that means that you alternate 165 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,240 between them every couple of rows, you know, so you're 166 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:53,360 blending the color so the shift looks intentional. 167 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:56,040 And then suddenly, you know, it's not a mistake. 168 00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:01,120 But what if I'm almost, what if, what if you're almost, almost at 169 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:05,120 the end of the project and you're missing, you know, you're 170 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:09,800 missing 20 rows and now you have to start the new scheme. 171 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,400 But it's a different lot. And when you don't, you don't 172 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:16,480 want that ombre effect. And well, another approach is to 173 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:21,920 turn the, the, the, the new dye lot into a design feature. 174 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:28,880 Use it maybe 4 cups using maybe four colors or maybe the border 175 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:31,640 of your blanket. That way the difference is 176 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:33,960 framed as maybe part of the style. 177 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,600 I mean, it's not ideal. And I know some of my friends 178 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,360 would be like, what are you even talking about? 179 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,880 I would never do that. But you know, honestly, hey, 180 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,640 it's, you know, it's just the name of the game. 181 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,880 And maybe even some people might think, wow, that's really, 182 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,720 really cool that, you know, there's just a subtle difference 183 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,320 between your, your border or your edges or your cuffs and the 184 00:12:56,320 --> 00:13:00,840 rest of the of the piece. And if you're feeling bold, of 185 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:03,640 course, you can pivot. Maybe that big throw blanket 186 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,080 becomes a stylish slap size version, you know, or the 187 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:13,600 sweater that has mismatched sleeves, or it's cropped, or you 188 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,400 know, you turn it into a kids sweater or you just frog 189 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:18,600 everything. I'm just joking. 190 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,520 But you know, remember that crafting is creativity. 191 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,240 It's not not perfection. I cannot stress enough how 192 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:32,880 important it is to just remember that crafting is creativity, not 193 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,560 perfection. And sometimes the quirks end up 194 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:39,120 being the best part. Sometimes it's the quirky parts 195 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:45,360 that make you stand out from the crowd and make others actually 196 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,920 notice you. I mean, after other crafters 197 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:52,080 might notice that something is handmade when it's mismatched, 198 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,440 when it looks a little wonky, chunky. 199 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:58,600 You know, I think that really, really need to remember that 200 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,440 crafting is creativity, not perfection. 201 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:07,560 And also remember a little bit that back in the days before all 202 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:11,880 this modern dye technology appeared, you know, mismatched 203 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:14,480 dye, lots were even more of a nightmare. 204 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,200 People dyed yarns with natural materials like matter, rude, you 205 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,120 know, for red or indigo, for blue. 206 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:24,920 And the problem was that those colors could swift wildly 207 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,760 depending on the season. So the soil, even the weather, 208 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:33,200 of course, influenced how the dialogue looked that year. 209 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:38,800 So imagine working on a massive shawl in 1850 and halfway 210 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:43,760 through your red, beautiful red yarn, suddenly it kind of leans 211 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,360 more towards brown because I don't know the matter. 212 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:52,040 Harvest changed that year. There was no checking lot 213 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:56,440 numbers back then, no ordering an extra scheme, just vibes and 214 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:00,760 disappointment I guess. So honestly, as frustrating as 215 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:06,760 it is when asleep doesn't match, we modern crafters have it 216 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,680 pretty easy I would say. So the bottom line on dialects, 217 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,520 obviously, is that yes, yes, you don't want to deal with two 218 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:16,680 dialects, but they're not scary, you know? 219 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,600 They're just something to be aware of. 220 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:25,080 So if you want consistency, buy enough yarn from the same lot 221 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,520 right from the beginning, right from the start, check your 222 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:29,840 labels. Just do it. 223 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,600 Just take all your labels and check them as soon as your order 224 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,120 arrives. Keep a little yarn journal or 225 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:39,240 take pictures. And if you end up with 226 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:45,840 mismatched schemes, try to have them changed, Try to swap them. 227 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,240 Maybe somebody in your community has the old dye lot that you 228 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:53,320 need, but know that you're not doomed, you know? 229 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,440 You're just being handed more of an opportunity to get more 230 00:15:57,440 --> 00:15:59,440 creative. Because at the end of the day, 231 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,600 your project is still a piece of art, and you made it with your 232 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:09,120 own 2 little sweet hands, so no little number on a label can 233 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:13,160 take that away from you. So Bessie, I hope this episode 234 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,720 helps you feel a little bit more prepared and maybe a little less 235 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:20,880 panicked next time you're squinting at yarn labels. 236 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,640 Oh, that tiny little lot number. Remember, every dialogue tells a 237 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:30,080 story, and you are the one weaving it into your stitches. 238 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,920 So yeah, that's pretty much it. If you enjoyed this episode, 239 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:38,240 share it with the fellow yarn lover, leave, review a comment 240 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:44,120 or subscribe to our sweet little channel on Spotify, on YouTube, 241 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:48,760 on Amazon Podcasts, on Apple Podcast, wherever you're 242 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:55,160 listening from so that you never miss out on another, you know, 243 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,640 cozy, shoddy chaos. Until next time, keep your 244 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:03,320 colors consistent, your skins untangled, and your projects 245 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:08,480 full of love and joy. OK, I love you, bestie. 246 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:08,560 Bye.