Working in a knitting shop has inspired/forced me to learn the answers to all kinds of random knitting questions and since I’m feeling kind of random this Monday I thought I would answer one I hear a fair bit: What is colour pooling and how can I avoid it?

When you hear those in the knitting know speak of colour pooling you may be picturing a swimming pool full of paint but this is not quite what they are talking about. Colour pooling is something that happens sometimes when you knit with hand painted yarns. Let’s say you have a skein of hand dyed yarn that is purple, blue, and yellow. This yarn might do a number of things depending on the width or circumference of your knitted piece. If the width or circumference of this knitted piece changes, so too might the pooling pattern. Sometimes the yarn appears to stripe a bit. Usually short repeats of colour will have this kind of effect. Pooling is what happens when these stripes of colour start to line up. This can create a patch or pool of one colour. You might have a purple and blue sock with a yellow pool at the back. This is colour pooling.

This piece has no pooling, just flashes of each colour.

I have sometimes heard people saying things like ‘oh, that yarn pools terribly!’ but I say not so! The colour pooling is dependent on the length of colour repeats in the yarn and the width or circumference of your knitted item. If the yarn pools terribly in one project, it does not mean it will pool in a different project. Colour pooling is not a feature inherent in the yarn, it depends. If you have a yarn with 4 inch colour repeats and your sock is 4 inches around, you won’t have pooling, you’ll have more of a stripe. If you are  using a yarn and you don’t like the way the colours are lining up, it might be wise to adjust the size of your project or to pick one with different dimensions.

Sometimes, as in the case of a sweater for example, different parts will have different widths so colours might pool in some areas and blend or stripe in others. For me, this is part of the beauty of knitting. I embrace these shifts in colours and move on. I don’t think this is a particularly common notion though so many of you are probably looking to avoid colour pooling! The best way I know of is to either use 2 balls or wind one ball into two and alternate every other row. You are much less likely to get colour pooling this way because you are mixing up the 2 balls. It can be a real pain but if you hate colour pooling it’s totally worth it. Some people cut their yarn every once in a while and start up at a different point. This seems like a lot of ends and no gaurantees so I don’t particularly recommend it.

The other options is to love colour pooling! Sometimes it works beautifully in a project. So beautifully in fact, it’s nearly impossible to replicate… like the Simple Yet Effective cowl featured above. I don’t think I’ll ever have anything colour so idealy again. That’s just the beauty of knitting though!

–Alexa–

Just wanted to remind everyone about our Silent Auction which is currently in progress.  We now have about 80 items to bid on, with more promised to arrive tomorrow for the Grand Finale.  Our most recent donation is a romantic night’s stay for two at a local B&B and includes a catered dinner brought to your room as well as a two-course gourmet breakfast in the morning.  Please join us from 7-9 pm at our Point Grey location, 4437 West 10th, for lots of fun and games, including appies and beverages.  All proceeds go to the BC Cancer Foundation in support of our team Ride to Conquer Cancer. 

And another reminder that this is the last week to enjoy Pop Up Vancouver’s fabulous selection of items from local artists with 10% off all items if you ask for the Pop-Up Vancouver special! 

The Ride to Conquer Cancer is fast approaching and the Urban Yarns team is working hard to prepare for the ride that takes place June 19th and 20th from Vancouver to Seattle.  Not only are we putting in lots of miles on our bikes, but we are also fundraising both individually and cooperatively.  With our team of 22, we have already raised over $70,000 and are still going strong.  Our next fundraising event will be a Silent Auction at our new Point Grey location, 4437 West 10th Avenue, starting this coming Monday, May 24th.  We are open on the holiday Monday from 12-5.  The Grand Finale will be Friday, May 28th from 7-9 with appies and beverages provided.  We have lots of items to bid on ranging from knitting supplies (of course), to jewellery, restaurant and spa gift certificates, Lulu lemon groove pants, a fabulous counselling package, a dermatologist developed skin care package, wine, a cake decorating class, the gorgeous bike currently in our window,  and much, much more.  So, come visit us next week and place your bids!  All proceeds go to the BC Cancer Foundation.  

Or, if you would like to make a donation to the team please visit: http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Vancouver2010?pg=team&fr_id=1331&team_id=26510

You can either select an individual team member to donate to, or, if you’re feeling really generous, you can donate to more than one! 

Below are photos of our car wash and bake sale fundraisers, both of which were tremendously successful. Thanks to everyone for their incredible support!

Also, a reminder that Sunday is the last day of our sale so take advantage of the terrific deals before it’s too late!

By far the most common sale question is: what can I make with this? Everyone loves a deal and it’s nice to get yarn with a project or purpose in mind. I hate when I go to my stash and I have a few skeins but not enough to make what I want. So, that being said, here are a few sale tips.

If you want to make a garment there are some basic guidelines for how much yarn to buy. Then get an extra ball or two. Sale items are final but it’s worth it. Seriously. There is absolutely nothing worse (in the world of knitting) than getting to the end of a large project and finding out you are a half a ball short. To figure out how much you will need, even if you don’t have a pattern yet you can either pick up a copy of The Knitter’s Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements and borrow a calculator, or just ask someone. We’ll be happy to do a little math for you!

If you are looking for some pattern inspiration I have a few ideas:

1. Cashmerino Chunky: This is a 15 stitch gauge yarn that is super soft! This yarn is perfect for the Owls sweater. A popular pattern with the cutest cabled yoke. I also love any excuse to use that many buttons! You can get the pattern here and it takes  8-12 balls.

The Shalom Cardigan is lovely for those Spring/Summer nights. It’s done top down, with quite enjoy. You can get the pattern here and it takes 6 balls. The pattern is written for sizes small and medium, otherwise you have to make your own alterations.

For a smaller knit you can make Bella’s Mittens (3 balls) or my Antler Mittens (3 balls), or the Burberry Inspired Cowl (3 balls).

2. Cashmerino Aran. There are too many aran weight sweaters to count! The Central Park Hoodie is a lovely one, I love a little cable to spice things up. The pattern can be purchased from Interweave here and it takes 13-20 balls depending on the size.

Cashmerino Aran is also perfect for a nice pair of Fetching fingerless gloves. One ball makes a pair so you can start on your Christmas gift knitting now! Or you can whip up a pair for convertable summer driving.

3. Donegal Tweed Chunky. You can knit up a charming little hat from Knitty called Shroom. The pattern can be found here and it takes 2 skeins. There are also lots of Debbie Bliss patterns for this yarn, just check out a couple of her books.

These are just a few of the lovely yarns that are on sale and just a few of the patterns they go with. Come in and check it out! The sale is still going on!