At Blackwattle, all our yarns—except for our natural colours—are hand-dyed by Angela and her team in her dye studio, located in our farm shed. Hand-dyed yarns are unique and stunning works of art, with complex colours that create fabric displaying wonderful warmth and depth when knitted or crocheted, unlike what you may achieve with commercial yarns.

Due to the nature of hand-dyeing, even yarns from the same batch will not be identical. Colour variations within a dye lot are normal in hand-dyed yarn. Many factors contribute to these variations, including the temperature and pH of the water, different batches of yarn bases, the amount of mordant used, slight changes in dye quantities, and how the yarn absorbs dye based on its position in the pot and proximity to the heat source, just to name a few.

When knitting or crocheting, it is highly recommended to alternate skeins with each row, especially for larger projects such as sweaters and cardigans. While alternating skeins with hand-dyed yarns may take extra time, it is time well spent. You will be glad you used this technique as it helps the colours blend more smoothly, preventing colour blocking or pooling in your finished garments. Sometimes colour differences in hand-dyed yarns are immediately noticeable, while at other times, they only become apparent once you start knitting or crocheting. Therefore, alternating rows with different skeins is essential for your projects.

At Blackwattle, like many other indie dyers, we do not track incoming yarn base lots or dye lots. This means it's impossible to guarantee that yarns are from the same batch after they leave the dye studio. Alternating skeins is crucial to ensure your yarns blend together nicely and to minimize any differences in dye lots.