The Number One Rule When Purchasing Yarn

This meme could not be more true. Unless you are making something really small, you should rarely only be purchasing one skein of yarn at a time. For large projects, do not purchase skeins of yarn one-by-one. Always get enough for the entire project when getting your supplies.

The reason for this is how the yarn is made. Make sure each skein is from the same dye lot by comparing the lot numbers. A sample of what you should be looking for is provided to the right. Each number represents a different dye bath, and if the numbers are different, the dyes may not be the same in other yarn (of the same color) used in the project. It is easy to miss the difference in the yarn until the project is completed.

I learned this the hard way when I made my second blanket. I was fortunate enough that my mother provided me with all the yarn for the first blanket (she clearly knew what she was doing), but I was flying solo with the second blanket. I purchased 3 skeins one week, then got the other 3 about two weeks later. I was so excited that I had started and finished an entire project all on my own. I stepped back to admire my work and noticed there was something strange about this blanket. I then saw the strange stripe-like difference and was a little disappointed. Fortunately for me, the stripes were fairly symmetrical and it still looked good. So learn from my mistake and don't do what I did.

My Second Blanket