A few months back, a friend was stitching a chart that was part of a kit. I know the floss was included - not sure about the linen but the chart called for one skein of floss; one skein of floss was provided. She ended up needing two skeins and in the couple of years between the time this project was kitted and she got to the point of knowing she needed a second skein, the colors on that particular skein had totally changed - not even really close to being the same.
In one of my projects, I realized I'm going to need a second skein of floss. I kitted this one up myself in late 2020. Last night I went through my floss stash to see if I had an extra skein and I had several, the exact same brand and the exact same color, yet every skein was somewhat different!
The skein on the right is the one I've been using. Not a single one of the other skeins is a 100% match. The skein, second from right is close but not as variegated as the one I'm using. The middle skein is more solid than the one I've been using. The skein that's second from left is darker but has a bit of variegation. The skein on the far left is way too dark. I think I'm going to use the middle skein for a bit of the green stitching, the second from right on some and the one I've been using on some and hope it isn't too obvious what I'm doing.
I'm not knocking the hand dyed floss people. I've heard a lot has changed with the dye the dyers are getting. What I am saying is that we need to pay attention to what we're stitching and, before we start stitching, if there's a chance we MAY need more than one skein, get both before you start stitching and make sure they both match before you take the first stitch!
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I’ll add to this. If you’re purchasing for an older chart, the called-for color may no longer look anything like the cover photo. Ask me how I know 😁!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that reminder! I've heard a lot of people say that but I haven't encountered it. I need to be sure to remember to check before I start stitching with something that may not be close to right, even though the numbers are the same.
DeleteThat’s one of the reasons I’ve decided to just use DMC for the most part. It’s cheap enough that I just buy double whatever the pattern needs.
ReplyDeleteYes, good advice. I often use DMC because I can get it at Hobby Lobby instead of ordering and if I run out (or a sweet puppy destroys a skein), I can run get more without having to wait for a mail order. But other times, I get a kit or order the whole package from 123 Stitch and that's usually when I end up with overdyes.
DeleteHi, Judy. Been there, done that! I stitch with 2 strands of floss, so when I've run into this problem, sometimes I will use 1 strand from the skein I've been stitching with and 1 strand from the skein that's closest. It kind of eases in the color change. I seem to think you stitch with 1 strand but I thought I'd share anyway.
DeleteI picked up Betsy's Autumn this morning, a piece that I hadn't stitched on in probably a year. It has a big tree done with Hickory Sticks and I had stitched about halfway down the trunk before I stopped. I guess I had borrowed that floss for something else and I got one from my stash but when I started stitching again it was obviously lighter than the one I had been using. Well, I am not ripping out that huge tree so I'll just live with it and use this as a lesson!
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