Knit Tip: What to do with mixed dye lots & kettle dyed yarns?

I have named my red vest project "Crimson and Garnet" and I have made a project page for it on Ravelry.  I ripped out the entire piece that I showed you in my Reentry post last month.

My latest photo shows my color blending in progress.

Garnet Lite Lopi & Garnet Létt-Lopi

The Garnet Létt-Lopi in my previous knitting was a bit lighter and pinker than the Garnet Lite Lopi.  And the Garnet Lite Lopi was a bit deeper red with a hint of purple.

I could not see these differences when I laid them out in the grass (approximately two years ago).

Two Reds (or was it Four?)

But it did show up in the knitting.

Two Dye Lots

"Knit Tip":  Whenever you DO need to knit with two or more skeins that are not from the same dye lot, knit two rows with dye lot ball #1, and then knit two rows with dye lot ball #2.

You could alternate with each round if you are knitting in the round.  But when knitting back and forth in rows, alternate knitting a right side and then a wrong side row from one skein and then from the other.  Just carry the unused yarn up the side.

I used this same technique when knitting my Color of Flowers pullover with the kettle dyed Canopy Fingering yarn.

Detail Kettle Dyed Canopy Fingering

From the Kelbourne Woolens website:  "The unique blend of fibers [in Canopy] are spun into a smooth yarn and then kettle dyed, and the different way the fibers absorb the dye creates a beautiful depth of color with subtle heathered tones."  And on the yarn label: "This yarn has been intentionally hand-crafted with subtle texture and color variances... In order to achieve optimum results, we encourage you to alternate skeins for an overall blended effect."

That is why you can see two balls of yarn in my work in progress photo.

And that is why the colors blend as well as they do in the finished sweater.

The Color of Flowers