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The Trick of Variegated Yarn: Different Looks in Different Crafts

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variegated yarn in different craftsI know a lot of knitters are multi-crafters, doing knitting as well as crochet or weaving or other yarn (or non-yarn) crafts.

And of course yarn looks different when we use it in different crafts, but I’ve never done a side-by-side comparison before.

Fresh Stitches has a great post all about how variegated yarn looks when you knit with it compared to crochet or weaving. And, as you might expect, the results are quite different.

Some of that has to do with the texture of different stitches, but they also use yarn at different rates that can make a big difference depending on the length of yarn between each color change.

This is a big lesson for me that if I’m not loving the way a yarn looks knit, maybe I should try crochet or another craft instead. You might even get some planned pooling you like that you wouldn’t have seen if you used a different yarn craft.

Have you ever done this switch between knitting and crochet with the same yarn? I’d love to hear about it.

[Photo: Fresh Stitches.]

Comments

  1. This was a very interesting post, Sarah. Thank you so much. It never occurred to me that this was even a possibility.

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Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.