Why Are They So Different?

What you see above are 18 skeins of the popular Aunt Gail colorway, in sock yarn. They 18 skeins were made from virtually identical hanks of blank yarn and dyed with identical recipes of dyes. Any two (or more) skeins worked together alternating one skein to the other would work completely well together, because the colors are the same in each hank.

But if they are identical yarns with identical dyes, why do they look so different?

1. I am a human, dyeing each hank individually. There will ALWAYS be minor variations one hank to the next, although I follow the recipes as closely as I can, especially when dyeing several in sequence.

2. The skein winder (which is manually operated by a human -- ME) is not calibrated to move at a consistent computer-controlled speed (my arm tires sometimes) and the way yarns wind onto the yarn winder changes with the speed of the winder, sometimes slightly stretching or relaxing. It is taken OFF the winder immediately so that any stretch in the winding is immediately released to avoiding permanently damaging the yarns, of course. This means that sometimes colors will seem to pool together (like the 3d from the left in the bottom row, you see all the light colors collecting, and all the dark colors collecting) and other times all the colors will blend into a marvelous mix

3. The nature of the dye process is inherently somewhat ambiguous when it comes to precision -- once I apply the dye, I seal it up for steam-setting the colors. The dye is a liquid. Liquid migrates. Even when I try to limit the liquid, the yarns are not dry and therefore the dye can migrate around in the steamer. There's nothing I can do about that.

But my yarns from the LYS all look the same on the shelf. Doesn't everyone do it the same way?

No. Large manufacturers dye massive quantities at a time, creating cones and cones of a colorway, from which individual hanks are then wound off. I due individual hanks. Also, the big companies have mechanized and computer-controlled equipment churning out one exact replica after another. They are producing mass quantities and their work is expected to be consistent within certain allowable tolerances. But even their yarns all come with a warning label: buy as much of the dye lot as you will need to ensure uniformity, so even their products aren't always identical every time they cook up the same recipe.

Their tolerances are more exact because they have the equipment and manpower to keep very tight control over such things.

I am not a mass producer. I am a single person using manual equipment. Every independent art yarn dyer has their own limitations and strengths. Some, for example, have power-driven skein winders so all their skeins look the same. Others dye in much larger quantities than I do. Still others have the luxury of hiring help for certain tasks.

Buying yarn from an independent art yarn dyer means you are getting something created especially for you, which isn't dyed until you request this or that colorway. Recipes are followed as closely as possible, and I am continually testing new techniques to bring a better product to you. But it will always come with the understanding that you are ordering an individual custom art yarn.

Why is that a good thing?

No one else will have *exactly* what you have!

What other factors are involved, if I want my yarns to look the same?

Ordering them all at the same time will absolutely ensure that I dye them together using the same dye recipes! Plus, if they are dyed together with the same dyes, they are also dyed under virtually identical temperature and humidity conditions, and I don't work in a controlled environment. Ordering some skeins this week and then some more next week will very likely result in getting two noticeably different batches of yarns, even if I use the same dye recipe, same temperature of water, same duration in the steamer, for the simple reason that I cannot control the temperature and humity.