Another reason to make a swatch (trial run) before diving into knitting a project
There are some dyes that are notorious for being unstable. Indigo, used to dye jeans is one; other blue dyes and red are often unpredictable, also. Most often when you wash your swatch before starting your project you will be warned if the dye will bleed into a second colour. (That’s another reason why it is important to wash the swatch after knitting it – and before starting the project). Want a red and white sweater? Nice to know beforehand if it will turn into a red and pink sweater!
Taking this into account when designing my mosaic garment, I was still surprised at the extent of colour transfer. I had to reverse knit (tink), pull out, an unsatisfactory section – and look what I found…
Because I knew about this ahead of time I had taken the change into account and realised that the ultra pale blue I had chosen for the contrast to the red yarn was going to look slightly purple, and in some lights, light grey.
And yes, I unwound this section of wool into a skein, and steamed it in a colander above a pot of water, to get the kinks out, and let it dry before reusing it in the garment. (Watching those kinks unravel is like watching a handful of worms wriggle – such fun.)
For more information you might want to look at this website:
https://www.thespruce.com/set-and-stop-fabric-dye-bleeding-2146657
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