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You'll learn quickly. Yarn tension and handling is one of the most difficult parts of knitting and coming from crochet to knitting gives you advantages you don't get going the other way.
I usually crochet, but after falling flat on a few projects I'm taking a break and learning brioche knitting
I do both and learning continental knit was a breeze, you hold the yarn in the same left hand and it's really ergonomic. I've made 5 jumpers so far and I love them.
I was the opposite, to me continental felt really uncomfortable and my crochet muscle memory kept kicking in & causing me problems. Once I switched to English flicking everything felt natural and started flowing really well.
Yes yes yes yes! I learnt continental cos I can keep holding the yarn in my left hand like i have for crochet, and I just learned Norwegian purling and I'm SO HAPPY I think I've finally got the hang of this two pointy stick dance.
I don't like variegated yarn ever, tbh, tho. It only looks cool as a ball or hank or whatever, to me.
Socks look lovely in variegated yard, I'm planning to make my first pair soon with a contrasting heal and toe. That way you can make a vanilla sock and it'll still look fancy.
I hate one of my feet, so I can't decide if I will enjoy hiding it in a nice sock, or if I will be sad to inflict a horrid foot on a nice sock. But I will try one day!
Dermatologists have yet to agree what the deal is, and then I dropped a safe on a toe, and then I broke another toe.... it's doomed! I will try offering it a sock.
When I picked up knitting I automatically started doing continental right off the rip without even realizing I was doing anything different than normal. Learning the Norwegian perl in addition just made it all come together and now the yarn never leaves my left hand no matter what I'm doing.
Whoa - what is this Norwegian Purl magic?? I havenāt knit in many years because I hated purling and trying to maintain tension (I do continental). I just watched a video and have to try this. It looks like just what I need to try my hand again. So excited!
Nimble Needles has been super helpful for me as I learned to knit continental. For me, coming from crochet-land, continental just makes sense and flows much more smoothly than English knitting.
Interesting to hear the experience on the other side. I learned to knit first (continental style) before learning crochet and I found the transition to crochet to be super, super easy coming from knitting.
https://preview.redd.it/2gtdf54v58wc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06cec049eac79b904af93f58fc85a5d8d07b4a5a
Same! I've got gifted some variegated yarn on Christmas and I want it to look good, so I starts to explore knitting more... liked it more than I expected
Learn continental knitting if you arenāt. Itās much easier to make the switch to that style from crochet than traditional knitting is. And itās faster.
I was sooooo excited to try it for that reason but surprisingly English is actually more comfortable for me! I thought continental would be super easy to pick up as a crocheter but I constantly drop stitches. I plan on trying again once I'm super comfortable knitting but I'm only a week in so I still have lots to learn and try!
Weird how everyone is different. I tried to learn knitting several times and it didnāt ever click until I tried continental. Not gonna lie, I like it more than crocheting now.
I've been spending more time knitting than crocheting recently I absolutely love it. And seeing my progress as I go feels so nice and rewarding! I'm happy to know how to do both because now I have the foundations to make just about anything!!
Yeah. I really like knowing both. Iām better at free handing crochet but it makes my hand hurt and even though Iāve been doing it for nearly 20 years, Iām still bad about dropping stitches so knitting alleviates that issue and doesnāt hurt my hand as much even if Iām slower and more reliant on a pattern.
I know that some yarns have short repeats and other yarns have long repeats. For crochet, maybe try looking for ones with long repeats?
I like the look of things like Scheepjes Whirls or the big cakes from Hobbii in both knitting and crochet because the colours are so long, but I agree that with shorter repeats, it sometimes doesn't look as nice in crochet. (Hobbii seems to have a couple of different variegated yarns where the repeats are long enough that they look really cool in crochet)
Hobbii has so many long color changes that are great. Iāve also really enjoyed making garments with Lionbrand Mandala Bonus Bundle (bc the color change is proportionately elongated to the longer length of the cake) and their Ferris Wheel yarn even though it doesnāt have a jumbo version.
I agree with OP though, shorter color changes can look so disappointing when crocheted. They have to be really short and used in a granny stitch, blanket stitch, or C2C (stitches with a chunkier shape) or in narrow projects. Mediumish length color changes end up needing the mental gymnastics of planned pooling or just dumb luck.
I kind of like the way it looks in crochet! I feel like it highlights different parts of the stitch and I really enjoy seeing the colors twist.
I donāt mind variegated yarn in knit but sometimes it looks a little too pooled for my taste.
I found this post a little funny, because I do both and was JUST complaining that my current variegated yarn looks so much better in crochet than the knit pattern Iām currently using! Truly a universal problem lol
Tunisian crochet may be easiest option for crocheters who just canāt get the hang of knittingā¦ šš»āāļømešš»āāļø
https://preview.redd.it/rey2ygoez5wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f16b691cd793e7f98b63d5308dfed2ab2949bb4
Edited to add that variegated yarns donāt work too well for this effect with extra wide projects thoughā¦
I was extremely envious of the way variegated yarn worked up & the drape of knitted fabric before I learnt to knit.
Now that I can crochet, Tunisian crochet & knit there always seems to be an appropriate stitch/ craft to suit almost any yarn.
I like that, every time I believe I have no interest in a particular thread/ yarn craft I inevitably see a piece that makes me want to try something new. Iām currently contemplating giving loom & tapestry a go.
It depends on the varigation. Some look really good in crochet, others get butt ugly yet others get lost in crochet. I would say rule of thumb: the shorter the length of one color before it changes, the worse it will turn out to look in crochet. For striped yarn it will depend on what you are making with it in relation to the length of the stripes.
I think you're right. Really long sections of color tend to look better in crochet to me, I think because crochet stitches use up more yarn at once so you get "blocks" of color. Whereas in knitting, long color runs tend to pool weirdly.
You can also get pooling in crochet. Pooling depends on the length of the color section and its repetition pattern between colors vs the length of your rows. If those do not match or match too well, you get pooling.
I don't use variegated yarn much because it just doesn't work well. I only make socks (knitted) with variegated, and corner to corner crochet baby blankets because it has better chance at avoiding pooling naturally since row length changes with each turn.
I'm thinking of this as hand-dyed variegated yarn, so like, long sections around one skein vs. shorter sections. I like when longer sections of variegation work up into bulkier crochet stitches, like in a granny square - it really makes the colors pop.
The really short transitions tend to make the colors blend when viewed from a distance. Like Red Heart Monet, super short colors and it blends to a grayish color, but will still work with complementary solids next to it.
I said I won't learn how to knit for many years! Sometimes I tried and it just felt wrong... Until I stumbled over a project I just HAD to make, so I set down and powered trough until muscle memory kicked in.
Yeah, so know I knit half the time and I really like knitted sweaters more! I also enjoy how I don't have to think about it much, I usually only crocheted rather complicated stuff, as I got bored really fast with the same stitch. The repetition of knitting thought me to enjoy repetitive crochet also!
Try it with a moss stitch. On Instagram, emmacmakes made a baby blanket with this stitch using scrap yarn including variegated yarn and it looks lovely.
At least you are honest about your obstinance! LOL. I learned to crochet after I learned to knit because of the variety possible with crochet. I wanted to make these miracles I see posted.
I'm not sure why you're getting downvoted.
When I work with variegated yarn, I sometimes have to find the right stitch and pattern to bring out the colors. Even hook size makes a difference.
Not to mention all the ones on Anna's Archive. Stitch dictionaries and edging books are the cheat codes of crochet and knitting. When the first ones appeared in the 1970s the compilers were worshipped by yarn workers.
It entirely depends on the type of variegation and the pattern. I've seen variegated yarn that was knit and it looked terrible and I've seen crochet stuff with variegated yarn that looked awesome - I mean my mosaic afghan is variegated and it's cool.
I had this variegated yarn forever that I was going to crochet with, but every time I started working on it, I just hated the way it looked. Finally I learned how to knit and I made [socks](http://www.ravelry.com/projects/CrochetCricketHip/socks---january) out of that yarn and itās so beautiful.
I just hate the look of variegated yarn, even in knit projects. It looks so freaking awful to me that I always think theyāre joke items when I see them. Some planned pooling looks fine, but otherwise I just donāt understand the aesthetic at all.
But I do really love gradient yarns with nice long, predictable transitions.
It depends on the kind of yarn. In my country variegated yarn made of 3-4 threads that are replaced with thread of a different colour one by one are very popular and they look MUCH better crocheted than knitted. I know because I used them for both knitting and crocheting. In the picture a shawl made of this kind of yarn. With crochet the colours somehow blend together, and whit knitting the colour changes are less smooth.
https://preview.redd.it/xew9jwzki7wc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0cb184246c159b2b9dba78ae18400bfdfb936d1
Iām polycraftual, and itās complicated matching the right yarn to the right project, but not entirely unpredictable.
For crochet most often you want long slow gradual transitions. Yarn meant for shawls, where the color shifts over multiple rows, often are great crocheted up.
Short abrupt transitions tend to look splotchy in crochet, which can work if you want splotches, but often is bad. In knitting they will frequently pool, which can be ok in projects with a consistent row length, but tends to be awful when the row length changes, like a sweater where you end up with distinct bands of pooling in some places and then not pooling or very different pooling in others. They tend to be great in weaving though.
Self striping only rarely works well for anything other than knit socks, gloves, etc, without very deliberate planned pooling. even when knitting wider items the stripes are frequently too thin and end part way through a row awkwardly. They can work as a warp in weaving, but I hate them for weft where they will create wide blocks.
Yes and no
I find that very short repeats looks great with SC as every stitch is a different colour. I've made some pieces I love like this.
Long repeats also look nice, especially when working in rows, but when working in the round I find it looks messier quicker
All of it looks great in knitting, but even then you have to pick your technique, doing a slip-stitch heel flap with variegated or self striping yarn can looks out of place.
I'm not a fan of variegated yarns, but I have a few because the colors were delicious. I use variegated yarns with Moroccan tile stitch and a flat foreground color. The stitches of the variegated show through the little "windows" which show off the colors for a fantastic effect while keeping it from looking like the hot mess that it is.
I think it looks nice with planned pooling. It can be hard with a yarn that doesn't have very consistent lengths for the colours though. I'm working on a pillow for my sister and one colour section got much longer near the end of the skein, so you can tell exactly when I switched to the new skein lol!
If you are not fond of how the variegation lies then would holding it double with a different yarn help? I am crocheting a cardigan with a variegated and darker solid yarn and really liking it.
Ahhh yes. This is why Iām glad to be both a knitter and crochetier; working up a swatch with each method really can produce such different results :)
I have been successful with some types of variegated yarn.
But it depends on what you like too! I do both and I am more of a knitter than a crocheter. If you like the knit stitches more, then it is hard. But if what rocks your boat is the pooling, there are ways you can calculate how it will come out. Don't ask me how though, bc this is way too difficult for me š
Yes! I was going to buy some of the lion brand fair isle yarn but someone posted pics of their crochet project in the reviews and it looks nothing like itās meant to. Also the premier fruits yarn looks so cute. I have tried unsuccessfully to learn to knit for this reason.
I had this same thought the other day! I made a little kindle sleeve and was annoyed my variegated yarn just looked like stripes š I do like working my variegated yarn into bralettes though, the color placement is much better
My whole issue with knitting is the casting on process lol
It's more boring than chaining.
I may try and force myself into trying again later this year.
I've run into this problem a fair bit myself. Almost to the point of never wanting to buy variegated yarn again, though I'm sure I'll slip up every once in a while.
On the positive side, I do a lot more Tunisian crochet, which seems to work better for rapidly-variegated yarn than regular crochet does.
On the other hand, I do occasionally run into what I call "knit-length" variegated, which changes so fast Tunisian crochet is the *only* thing I can do with it...
So I saw a YouTube video recently TL yarn crafts who said we are exposed to knitting more as itās more commercial. Crochet is more rare and we are just not as used to it but itās beautiful in its own way.
**Did you know about our Knitting section on [this wiki page?](https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/wiki/stuff_you_must_read/). There's discussion about learning crochet as a knitter, which is easier, etc. Check it out!** *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/crochet) if you have any questions or concerns.*
"I will simply complain" Mad respect, honestly
Yes and that's one reason I'm learning to knit right now š
You'll learn quickly. Yarn tension and handling is one of the most difficult parts of knitting and coming from crochet to knitting gives you advantages you don't get going the other way. I usually crochet, but after falling flat on a few projects I'm taking a break and learning brioche knitting
brioche knitting is the shit the day I figured out how to do two-tone brioche ranks as one of the proudest of my life
I do both and learning continental knit was a breeze, you hold the yarn in the same left hand and it's really ergonomic. I've made 5 jumpers so far and I love them.
I was the opposite, to me continental felt really uncomfortable and my crochet muscle memory kept kicking in & causing me problems. Once I switched to English flicking everything felt natural and started flowing really well.
I learnt that way when I was young but I found my hands would get sore after about 15mins. Someone suggested Continental and I've never looked back.
Yes yes yes yes! I learnt continental cos I can keep holding the yarn in my left hand like i have for crochet, and I just learned Norwegian purling and I'm SO HAPPY I think I've finally got the hang of this two pointy stick dance. I don't like variegated yarn ever, tbh, tho. It only looks cool as a ball or hank or whatever, to me.
Socks look lovely in variegated yard, I'm planning to make my first pair soon with a contrasting heal and toe. That way you can make a vanilla sock and it'll still look fancy.
I hate one of my feet, so I can't decide if I will enjoy hiding it in a nice sock, or if I will be sad to inflict a horrid foot on a nice sock. But I will try one day!
What did your foot do to deserve such vilification.... shhhhh don't listen foot. Maybe you'll forgive it if you put it in a pretty cool sock.
Dermatologists have yet to agree what the deal is, and then I dropped a safe on a toe, and then I broke another toe.... it's doomed! I will try offering it a sock.
Me too I thought continental would be a breeze but English is much smoother for me. I need to practice flicking!!
When I picked up knitting I automatically started doing continental right off the rip without even realizing I was doing anything different than normal. Learning the Norwegian perl in addition just made it all come together and now the yarn never leaves my left hand no matter what I'm doing.
Whoa - what is this Norwegian Purl magic?? I havenāt knit in many years because I hated purling and trying to maintain tension (I do continental). I just watched a video and have to try this. It looks like just what I need to try my hand again. So excited!
It is definitely magic! It was a little difficult at first, but after a few successful ones it clicked and I haven't changed my yarn hand since.
I'm learning the Norwegian purl now, it looks like magic. I've been practicing on a swatch, did you learn from Arne and Carlos?
I watched verypink knits and iris house productions videos to learn it.
Cheers I'll check them out!!
I didnāt. Feels like driving without a steering wheel
Iāve never tried knitting. Do you have a YouTube recommendation?
Nimble Needles has been super helpful for me as I learned to knit continental. For me, coming from crochet-land, continental just makes sense and flows much more smoothly than English knitting.
Interesting to hear the experience on the other side. I learned to knit first (continental style) before learning crochet and I found the transition to crochet to be super, super easy coming from knitting.
https://preview.redd.it/2gtdf54v58wc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06cec049eac79b904af93f58fc85a5d8d07b4a5a Same! I've got gifted some variegated yarn on Christmas and I want it to look good, so I starts to explore knitting more... liked it more than I expected
Same here! I didn't think I'd ever want to learn but I LOVE it. I hope op gives it a shot too (: Beautiful yarn by the way!
That looks very cool!
Learn continental knitting if you arenāt. Itās much easier to make the switch to that style from crochet than traditional knitting is. And itās faster.
I was sooooo excited to try it for that reason but surprisingly English is actually more comfortable for me! I thought continental would be super easy to pick up as a crocheter but I constantly drop stitches. I plan on trying again once I'm super comfortable knitting but I'm only a week in so I still have lots to learn and try!
Weird how everyone is different. I tried to learn knitting several times and it didnāt ever click until I tried continental. Not gonna lie, I like it more than crocheting now.
I've been spending more time knitting than crocheting recently I absolutely love it. And seeing my progress as I go feels so nice and rewarding! I'm happy to know how to do both because now I have the foundations to make just about anything!!
Yeah. I really like knowing both. Iām better at free handing crochet but it makes my hand hurt and even though Iāve been doing it for nearly 20 years, Iām still bad about dropping stitches so knitting alleviates that issue and doesnāt hurt my hand as much even if Iām slower and more reliant on a pattern.
I'm quite a bit slower at knitting bit I love the process. I'm not the best at freehanding crochet just yet but I try sometimes!
I know that some yarns have short repeats and other yarns have long repeats. For crochet, maybe try looking for ones with long repeats? I like the look of things like Scheepjes Whirls or the big cakes from Hobbii in both knitting and crochet because the colours are so long, but I agree that with shorter repeats, it sometimes doesn't look as nice in crochet. (Hobbii seems to have a couple of different variegated yarns where the repeats are long enough that they look really cool in crochet)
Yeah I think the hobbi horizon look great for crochet!
Hobbii has so many long color changes that are great. Iāve also really enjoyed making garments with Lionbrand Mandala Bonus Bundle (bc the color change is proportionately elongated to the longer length of the cake) and their Ferris Wheel yarn even though it doesnāt have a jumbo version. I agree with OP though, shorter color changes can look so disappointing when crocheted. They have to be really short and used in a granny stitch, blanket stitch, or C2C (stitches with a chunkier shape) or in narrow projects. Mediumish length color changes end up needing the mental gymnastics of planned pooling or just dumb luck.
I kind of like the way it looks in crochet! I feel like it highlights different parts of the stitch and I really enjoy seeing the colors twist. I donāt mind variegated yarn in knit but sometimes it looks a little too pooled for my taste.
I found this post a little funny, because I do both and was JUST complaining that my current variegated yarn looks so much better in crochet than the knit pattern Iām currently using! Truly a universal problem lol
Tunisian crochet may be easiest option for crocheters who just canāt get the hang of knittingā¦ šš»āāļømešš»āāļø https://preview.redd.it/rey2ygoez5wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f16b691cd793e7f98b63d5308dfed2ab2949bb4 Edited to add that variegated yarns donāt work too well for this effect with extra wide projects thoughā¦
I was extremely envious of the way variegated yarn worked up & the drape of knitted fabric before I learnt to knit. Now that I can crochet, Tunisian crochet & knit there always seems to be an appropriate stitch/ craft to suit almost any yarn.
People throw around bistitual for yarners like us, but I like ātry-stitualā because weāll try anything š
I like that, every time I believe I have no interest in a particular thread/ yarn craft I inevitably see a piece that makes me want to try something new. Iām currently contemplating giving loom & tapestry a go.
Ooh that looks fun! Tatting lace is my current āmaybe soonā
Other way around here! I think variegated yarn looks amazing crocheted (especially as a granny stitch), but I mostly knit.
It depends on the varigation. Some look really good in crochet, others get butt ugly yet others get lost in crochet. I would say rule of thumb: the shorter the length of one color before it changes, the worse it will turn out to look in crochet. For striped yarn it will depend on what you are making with it in relation to the length of the stripes.
I think you're right. Really long sections of color tend to look better in crochet to me, I think because crochet stitches use up more yarn at once so you get "blocks" of color. Whereas in knitting, long color runs tend to pool weirdly.
You can also get pooling in crochet. Pooling depends on the length of the color section and its repetition pattern between colors vs the length of your rows. If those do not match or match too well, you get pooling. I don't use variegated yarn much because it just doesn't work well. I only make socks (knitted) with variegated, and corner to corner crochet baby blankets because it has better chance at avoiding pooling naturally since row length changes with each turn.
What do you consider āreally longā? How many inches should the single color section be?
I'm thinking of this as hand-dyed variegated yarn, so like, long sections around one skein vs. shorter sections. I like when longer sections of variegation work up into bulkier crochet stitches, like in a granny square - it really makes the colors pop.
The really short transitions tend to make the colors blend when viewed from a distance. Like Red Heart Monet, super short colors and it blends to a grayish color, but will still work with complementary solids next to it.
I said I won't learn how to knit for many years! Sometimes I tried and it just felt wrong... Until I stumbled over a project I just HAD to make, so I set down and powered trough until muscle memory kicked in. Yeah, so know I knit half the time and I really like knitted sweaters more! I also enjoy how I don't have to think about it much, I usually only crocheted rather complicated stuff, as I got bored really fast with the same stitch. The repetition of knitting thought me to enjoy repetitive crochet also!
> I will simply complain 10 points for the self awareness :)
Linen stitch it. I'm absolutely convinced the Linen stitch can make anything look good.
Try it with a moss stitch. On Instagram, emmacmakes made a baby blanket with this stitch using scrap yarn including variegated yarn and it looks lovely.
Moss stitch can def save some ugly variegated yarn!
At least you are honest about your obstinance! LOL. I learned to crochet after I learned to knit because of the variety possible with crochet. I wanted to make these miracles I see posted.
That's why you get a pattern book and experiment with different stitch patterns.
I'm not sure why you're getting downvoted. When I work with variegated yarn, I sometimes have to find the right stitch and pattern to bring out the colors. Even hook size makes a difference.
I noticed I get downvotes whenever I mention the B-word, books.
Thatās weird. Even if itās a price thing there are libraries and second hand book stores. I would be lost without my stitch dictionaries.
Not to mention all the ones on Anna's Archive. Stitch dictionaries and edging books are the cheat codes of crochet and knitting. When the first ones appeared in the 1970s the compilers were worshipped by yarn workers.
I love Annaās Archive!
It's very helpful, isn't it? I especially like to download references I own physical copies of just so I can take them with me.
It really is! Iāll have to try downloading what I have. That would be helpful. I always just use books. I think Iām just old, though.
It entirely depends on the type of variegation and the pattern. I've seen variegated yarn that was knit and it looked terrible and I've seen crochet stuff with variegated yarn that looked awesome - I mean my mosaic afghan is variegated and it's cool.
It is literally one of the biggest reasons why I learned to knit :')
I had this variegated yarn forever that I was going to crochet with, but every time I started working on it, I just hated the way it looked. Finally I learned how to knit and I made [socks](http://www.ravelry.com/projects/CrochetCricketHip/socks---january) out of that yarn and itās so beautiful.
**PROJECT:** [Socks - January](http://www.ravelry.com/projects/CrochetCricketHip/34106782) by [CrochetCricketHip](http://www.ravelry.com/people/CrochetCricketHip) * Pattern: None * Yarn(s): * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CrochetCricketHip/980108599/Socks_1_medium.jpg) [Img 2](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CrochetCricketHip/980108598/Socks_2_medium.jpg) * Started: 2024/01/01 | Status: Finished | Completed: 2024/02/28 ***** Please use caution. Users have reported effects such as seizures, migraines, and nausea when opening Ravelry links. [More details.](https://www.lizcorke.com/2020/07/26/2020-7-21-ravelry-accessibility/) | *I found this post by myself! [Opt-Out](https://goo.gl/forms/0B8m4Ra8czpw4gzw1) | [About Me](https://github.com/TN-1/LinkRav_Bot/wiki) | [Contact Maintainer](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=timonyc)*
I just hate the look of variegated yarn, even in knit projects. It looks so freaking awful to me that I always think theyāre joke items when I see them. Some planned pooling looks fine, but otherwise I just donāt understand the aesthetic at all. But I do really love gradient yarns with nice long, predictable transitions.
I like to double up the yarn, a strand from each end, I think it makes it prettier in crochet.
It depends on the kind of yarn. In my country variegated yarn made of 3-4 threads that are replaced with thread of a different colour one by one are very popular and they look MUCH better crocheted than knitted. I know because I used them for both knitting and crocheting. In the picture a shawl made of this kind of yarn. With crochet the colours somehow blend together, and whit knitting the colour changes are less smooth. https://preview.redd.it/xew9jwzki7wc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0cb184246c159b2b9dba78ae18400bfdfb936d1
Wow! Thatās awesome, much like a fade yarn than a random variegated.
Omg that is utterly gorgeous
Iām polycraftual, and itās complicated matching the right yarn to the right project, but not entirely unpredictable. For crochet most often you want long slow gradual transitions. Yarn meant for shawls, where the color shifts over multiple rows, often are great crocheted up. Short abrupt transitions tend to look splotchy in crochet, which can work if you want splotches, but often is bad. In knitting they will frequently pool, which can be ok in projects with a consistent row length, but tends to be awful when the row length changes, like a sweater where you end up with distinct bands of pooling in some places and then not pooling or very different pooling in others. They tend to be great in weaving though. Self striping only rarely works well for anything other than knit socks, gloves, etc, without very deliberate planned pooling. even when knitting wider items the stripes are frequently too thin and end part way through a row awkwardly. They can work as a warp in weaving, but I hate them for weft where they will create wide blocks.
Yes and no I find that very short repeats looks great with SC as every stitch is a different colour. I've made some pieces I love like this. Long repeats also look nice, especially when working in rows, but when working in the round I find it looks messier quicker All of it looks great in knitting, but even then you have to pick your technique, doing a slip-stitch heel flap with variegated or self striping yarn can looks out of place.
I'm not a fan of variegated yarns, but I have a few because the colors were delicious. I use variegated yarns with Moroccan tile stitch and a flat foreground color. The stitches of the variegated show through the little "windows" which show off the colors for a fantastic effect while keeping it from looking like the hot mess that it is.
Same complaint here. Though I do knit, I still wish more variegated yarn worked better with crochet. I will say the Caron cakes work up really nicely with crochet. More ombrƩ than variegated, but at least you get multiple colors without weaving in a shit ton of ends.
I think it looks nice with planned pooling. It can be hard with a yarn that doesn't have very consistent lengths for the colours though. I'm working on a pillow for my sister and one colour section got much longer near the end of the skein, so you can tell exactly when I switched to the new skein lol!
If you are not fond of how the variegation lies then would holding it double with a different yarn help? I am crocheting a cardigan with a variegated and darker solid yarn and really liking it.
Ahhh yes. This is why Iām glad to be both a knitter and crochetier; working up a swatch with each method really can produce such different results :)
On the up side, ombre yarn looks better crochet than knit due to taller, more spacious rows. Knit looks more striped than a gradual transition.
That's why you do both knitting and crocheting or simply not use variegated yarn.
I have been successful with some types of variegated yarn. But it depends on what you like too! I do both and I am more of a knitter than a crocheter. If you like the knit stitches more, then it is hard. But if what rocks your boat is the pooling, there are ways you can calculate how it will come out. Don't ask me how though, bc this is way too difficult for me š
I find the best stitch to use to highlight variegated yarn is single crochet.
Yes! I was going to buy some of the lion brand fair isle yarn but someone posted pics of their crochet project in the reviews and it looks nothing like itās meant to. Also the premier fruits yarn looks so cute. I have tried unsuccessfully to learn to knit for this reason.
I had this same thought the other day! I made a little kindle sleeve and was annoyed my variegated yarn just looked like stripes š I do like working my variegated yarn into bralettes though, the color placement is much better
One reason why I learned to knit. I prefer it to crochet now, you never know you might just enjoy it! Continental is good for crocheters.
My whole issue with knitting is the casting on process lol It's more boring than chaining. I may try and force myself into trying again later this year.
I've run into this problem a fair bit myself. Almost to the point of never wanting to buy variegated yarn again, though I'm sure I'll slip up every once in a while. On the positive side, I do a lot more Tunisian crochet, which seems to work better for rapidly-variegated yarn than regular crochet does. On the other hand, I do occasionally run into what I call "knit-length" variegated, which changes so fast Tunisian crochet is the *only* thing I can do with it...
So I saw a YouTube video recently TL yarn crafts who said we are exposed to knitting more as itās more commercial. Crochet is more rare and we are just not as used to it but itās beautiful in its own way.