Thing the First

Well, there had to be something to sparkle up the knitting of a great big white thing, and here we are, right out of the gate with the first glitch.  I wound the first skein of the yarn, and something was bothering me. The yarn looked… different.  Not the yarn itself, that looks the same, but I’ve just finished knitting that layette out of this same stuff, and it looked to me like a different colour.

Now, the yarn I’m using is The Loopy Ewe Solid Series in the artfully named colour “White”.  (It isn’t really. It’s more like a cream. I like it.) It doesn’t have a lot number, so there’s no way I screwed up that part, but when I put the new yarn beside the old yarn?

alternaing 2015-05-21

I’ve got them alternating here, old and new, and I think even with a computer monitor between us, you can see it’s not the same.  It’s totally not the same. I showed it to Joe last night and usually when I engage him in knitting stuff, he does his best, but can’t see what I’m talking about. He’s good at the math stuff, but questions like “Is this lace too open?” or “Do you think this increase looks funny?” are usually met with this particular look.  He does his best to answer, because I love knitting and he loves me, and pretending to care about the process of knitting is a smart deposit in the love bank for him, but right before he answers, there’s this flicker of fear that crosses his face. Not real fear, not like, how I feel about spiders or anything, just that briefest moment of alarm that we all feel when we find out there’s a test, and realize there’s no way you’re going to pass. Usually right after that he searches my face to try and figure out what I think, and then says that.

So, last night I show him two skeins of yarn, and I say “Do these look the same to you?” and Joe glances at them, and then says “Hell no. Are they supposed to?” I mumbled something foul, and he asked “Do you have a knitting problem now?” and I mumbled something foul again. Yes, indeed, I have a knitting problem now.  Since there are no lot numbers, the problem is time. I bought the other skeins over a year ago. More like two years ago, and there’s no reason to expect that the yarn I buy now will be just the same. I was hoping though, that it would be closer than this. I was hoping the inevitable difference would be tiny, and I could cover it by using the different lots for different sections. You know- knit the middle and border out of one, and then knit the edge out of the other, something that would disguise the slight difference.

sidebyside 2015-05-21

(You see it, right? Tell me you see it.)

This difference though is more than slight though, it’s obvious, even to a non-knitter who’d only pretending to care,  and I think it would be too obvious for that kind of fix. That leaves me with two choices. I have eight skeins of the original, and I could just right now decide that come hell or high water, that blanket won’t take more than eight skeins. That’s about how much yarn I used for Lou’s blanket. It could be done. it would be risky, but it could be done. There’s be no way to get more if I ran out – and I don’t know if I want to play that particular game of chicken again. The other choice is to haul off and order more of the new white – and really, it turns out that I like the new white better than the old white – so that’s what I’m going to do.

This decision has its own set of risks. I can’t wait for the yarn to get here before I start knitting. The Loopy Ewe is great about shipping, but they can’t magic away the border, so it’s going to take a little bit. I’ll start knitting now with the four skeins I have, and when the new ones arrive, they just have to match. They simply have to. There’s no reason to think that they won’t – there’s only about a week between orders, and really, there is no dye lot. It should work. It should.  If it doesn’t, I’ll have to figure something else out.*

So, that’s where I am. Getting ready to knit my swatch, waiting for my order to ship, and feeling a little sweaty about my knitting. Pretty much a regular Thursday.

*I’m thinking that by then, a chunky lap rug is going to make more sense than a lace blanket.

128 thoughts on “Thing the First

  1. Yes, we totally see it. The Blog was hoping this project would start well. You had the best rationale with ordering more skeins than you needed. This conundrum is more interesting than the white, I’ll say!

  2. oh yes, I see it. I like the idea of doing a lace edge in the ‘whiter’ white. Or, could you dye the whole thing? A creamier cream colour or something?

          • Sadly, my gut clenched when I read she was doing that and I just knew it was going to be an unnecessary problem. Sigh. I thought the newly purchased yarn should be used for the layette and the yarn to hand be used for the blanket. Sometimes knitting intuition knows better. I’ve plenty of times when I don’t listen myself too, even when it is talking loudly. I’m currently re-knitting an 11 skein blanket. Despite knitting intuition saying it is not wide enough, and a wet block of one end that also showed the same evidence, I kept thinking ‘oh that will just open up when the whole things is blocked.’ Not! the yarn is holding up well to the re-knit…

  3. I know the babe will be adorable, and whatever colour it is, your blanket will be used and rubbed and loved and be the right colour just because its wrapped round them. (and just sometimes get a little grubby)

  4. I like the fact that Joe immediately saw it, and then asked it if was a knitting problem. Of course, he shouldn’t have asked the question if he heard you swearing…

  5. Oh nooooo! I see it too. Seconding the suggestion of going with a pattern that involves a border section, which would turn the other-white into a feature not a bug!

  6. At least since you always knit baby things out of white wool, you’ll just have to wait for another baby to come along to use up the old 8 skeins.

    Yarns without dye lots make me so nervous.

  7. Maybe Loopy Ewe could exchange the unmatching skeins? Surely someone will want 4 or less skeins of this stuff at some point…

    • I remember ordering some yarn from them online and they called me about five seconds after I hit enter to tell me the colors were completely different on the two skeins (same colorway) that they had and did I want to try a different yarn altogether – I’m sure they’ll work with you to sort it out.

  8. The Loopy Ewe is great about shipping and they’re also great about helping/matching when they can. Maybe you could give Sheri, Lynn, or one of the other incredibly helpful elves a quick call and see if they can look at your last order and hopefully reassure you that the newly ordered skeins will match the four you’re going to start knitting with? We might all sleep better.

  9. Why am I not surprised? When you started with the layette first, this very thing crossed my mind … i thought it was a bad dream. So glad you can find a solution.

  10. Yes, the one on the left in the picture of the two appears a very soft, warm white, where the one on the right appears to have peach-grey undertones. Forgive me for pointing this out, but… the blanket in new stuff won’t match the rest of the layette set in the old stuff. I feel that you might be the sort of person that matters to.

    I totally understand and admire the huge heirloom baby blankets you make… but… if it helps, I learned one of those awkward knitting lessons about the little people close to me and big baby blankets…. Their mother, unwillingly admitted to me in a moment of weakness followed by profuse apology and reassurance that they loved them, that big blankets are unwieldy. For the parents.. for the kid as they grow… It would be ok to only make a blanket taking 8 skeins. 😉

      • I third the motion. Big blankets are just harder to manage, every which way. And as others have mentioned the older color would match the layette with the adorable lil booties.

        • Yes. Make a smaller blanket. After all, newborns come in small sizes and a layette is for those tiny hands and feet ( and precious photos)

          • Another vote for a smaller blanket. As a first time grandmother I’ve knit four blankets in the past year, all too large. They end up folded in four when they are used in a car seat or stroller. And these days babies aren’t allowed blankets in their cribs. (A precaution re SIDS.) Who knew?

  11. Yes, I see it. In some ways, I think white is the trickiest color out there. There are so many different shades of yarn that say they’re “white.” One’s bright, another has a grayish overtone, or a blue overtone, or even shade over toward cream. And the slightest change in shade is so obvious, there’s no real way you can cheat. I hope you don’t have a third shade when the next package arrives. Even if you don’t, by going with the new yarn, the blanket isn’t going to match the rest of the layette, isn’t it? Sorry to be the one to point that out.

  12. Don’t you want the blanket to match the layette items you have already knit? I say use the 8 skeins that you already had that match the sweater, hat and bootees.

  13. Oh, yes, we see it. I agree with you that the new white is better (if the “new” is the one I think it is), and I agree that ordering some more of what you just got is the way to go. So now you have 8 skeins of a perfectly good white to use for something else. No downside!

  14. Mmmm . . . I see it. Didn’t you start the layette in the old yarn, though? Since we all know you love things to match (understatement), shouldn’t you just stick with the old yarn for the blanket and size it down? Just my two cents.

  15. I think I see the difference, but to tell the truth it’s not easy with my laptop. I trust you on this. But really, do you really want/need the blanket to be as big as the last one? Or would the parents feel you skimped them (the baby won’t know or care)? Baby blankets don’t have to be ginormous. Maybe this is a case where a little less could be more.

    • About the size of blankets: young mothers around me say the most useful ones are small, and are used to cover car seats. But I don’t think YH will go for “small” in this heirloom.

    • I agree, also…you can write to Loopy Ewe in advance with the problem you know, and they could help. Also, stripes immediately came to mind. Stipes of white alternating with color (cream) would visually throw off the minor differences in the skeins and make it look like a CHOICE you made. Yay!

  16. Call or email Sheri and let her know the issue, I know she will take great care of you! Sheri and her elves are fabulous

  17. When you started with the layette rather than the blanket I just knew something about the “extra” skeins you ordered would be different.

  18. I totally see it. Just try painting the interior of a new house in eggshell, and see what range that particular “color” has. OMG. I was going to kill someone when I could see where the paint ran out and they blended the next can in. And yes, I know it wasn’t a shadow causing that difference.

    White is such an annoying color. And I need to teach hubby that the proper response to my swearing when I knit is “Do you have a knitting problem? If so, would you prefer red or white, or beer?”

  19. Maybe you can knit the majority of the blanket out of the old yarn, use the new yarn for the edging and then put some accents on the layette with the new yarn so it looks like it is supposed to be an accent color? Or just dye the knit items some color that will cover the difference in whites?

  20. The design of this special baby’s blanket shouldn’t be affected by yarn supply issues. I think you made the right call.

  21. Arghh. Whites are the worst to be slightly “off”. Keeping all digits crossed, which makes knitting interesting, that this will work out. Smaller blanket maybe? Go Stephanie. If anyone can do it, it’s our beloved Harlot. 🙂

  22. Use the original yarn. I know how I am about things matching. You will obsess about this for the rest of your life, and maybe after too. Your work is beautiful, and whatever you choose to do will be wonderful. Just a thought.

  23. I’m sorry but it is indeed very different. Realist that I am with knitting, I’m pretty sure that your plan (though the best plan to use) will result in the blanket using less than 8 skeins, thus thwarting your smarty-pants move of going with the new white (which I also like better). I’m sorry the knitting deities are being so unkind, however a bit of bad luck at the start tends toward smooth sailing for the rest. Rain. Wedding Day. All that.

  24. I live in Fort Collins. If you need some emergency Loopy Ewe help, I’m your woman. I relish any excuse to go there. I just don’t tell my wife that a few rogue skeins may have slipped into my trunk by mistake.

  25. Several days ago I thought, “That Yarn Harlot, she is braver than I. I would totally chicken out and not start the wee things with the yarn I already have.” I’m sorry for your hiccup and sending ‘no lot’ mojo for the yarn to come. Also glad to know my yarn paranoia isn’t completely invalid, although I think you would be better at yarn chicken than I will ever be.

  26. I hate to say that I was worried about this kind of thing when you went diving right in to make the layette before the additional skeins arrived (like – could you have knit the layette from the new skeins, and the skeins you had that matched would have been enough for the blanket?). Yes, I totally see the difference between the skeins. One is definitely white and the other is more … beige. Or some kind of brownish color.

    Regardless, you have made the right decision to just order more — and I’m crossing my fingers for you that they match the ones you just received. (Any way someone could hand-carry this across the border for you?)

  27. Don’t know if this will help, but I have an account at a freight forwarding company just over the border in NY state. If you think it will help to get the parcel of back-up yarn to you any faster, you can ship it to my account there, I will pop down from Montreal to pick it up and bring it back over the border–a lot faster than waiting for Canada Customs to clear it and usually cheaper too! Then I can pop it on a bus to TO and it will be to you within 24 hours of my picking it up at the border. Let me know if I can help (I have brought bagels to you in the past and for a personal reference you can ask Kate Gilbert or Lucy Neatby).
    cheers, Barbie O.

  28. Funny, it looks exactly like how expensive vanilla ice cream looks different next to cheap vanilla ice cream.

    Damn, now I want ice cream.

  29. Since you already feel like you’re under time pressure, I’d say go with the original 8 skeins and make a blanket that uses no more than that. Some other precious baby will come along to profit from the newer yarn.

  30. Ummm….. this may only happen in my house, but I will give this a shot. Things get dusty in my house. Have you blocked the layette? Is it still the same colour as the left over 8 skeins? Are you sure the grey in the old lot is permanent?

    Other than that, you have lovely offers of help. I hope this works out perfectly for you.

    • This was going to be my comment: maybe if you knit and wash a swatch from the old yarn, the color will brighten up to be like the new yarn. Just a thought.

      Otherwise, I also concur with those who suggested sticking with the old yarn for a blanket to match the layette items. Not that I think you’re obsessively picky or anything… 🙂

  31. My sister told me once my blacks didn’t match – so , ok, fine, I learned something. Now you are telling me that the whites don’t match -arggggggg – say it isn’t so?

    But I see your point in the picture – hope the border doesn’t hold you up to much.

    • Blacks are like whites [oh boy I just realized what I wrote!!] in that there is one word for each of them and a myriad of different shades. Troublesome in deed.

  32. Well now I know why I kept waking up last night with a feeling of something gone terribly wrong! I like the idea of a border, but in another color such as green or a soft grey perhaps

  33. Oh, and I was thinking it was wonderfully clever of you to be creating the blanket with lovely subtle stripes. They would make amazing stripes… well I suppose it depends on the pattern, but I made baby blanket with just tone on tone stripes, and it was amazing, subtle and just right.

    • I did that too! I had unbleached organic cotton that was two subtly different shades and it came out wonderfully!! I can’t wait to give it to the parents-to-be!

  34. This. This is why I always buy 2 extra skeins than the pattern calls for. Yes, I usually end up with more yarn than I need (but it’s normally good for baby hats and sweaters, or patchwork blankets).. but I never have good luck with stuff like this.

  35. The left skein is bright white and the one on the right has a pinkish/ grey cast to it. I also wondered why you didn’t start the blankie first. And please don’t hate me for telling you this but… Monday is a US holiday. Good luck.

  36. I think Leah at 8:23 has an interesting thought, although I bet you’ve already blocked the pretty little sweater and booties by now.

    Assuming things still don’t match, clearly the booties/sweater/hat all matching and being just slightly off the blanket is more internally logical than the blanket being constrained by your artificially limited 8 skeins, or (heavens help us) being knit of two different colors. The only objective reason for feeling this way is that it maintains as many wholes as possible, which isn’t a lot of external validation, really. But, fwiw, my gut feels your approach was judicious and far-sighted. I thought you’d like to know.

  37. I’m afraid the white white blanket will make the sweater look . . . not white white. I believe you can make the blanket with the matching 8, no problem!

  38. Dearest Knittong Guru,
    You don’ need anyone to tell you the colors are way off, one being white and the other being a creamy white. Sure they sent you the color you ordered or that you ordered the color you wanted? You also don’t need anyone to tell you that beginning a project without first being sure of your yarn is a big gamble.

  39. I wonder if at least part of the problem is that the new skeins are wound in the opposite direction, and on one set or the other, the light strikes fibers that are straighter & brighter. Because the last plying twist had to be in one direction or the other, the skein twist has to be up-twisting either new or old yarn. I think that would take out more crimp and make the fibers lie straighter, closer together more reflective. Wouldn’t it?
    I’d like to see one new skein twisted in the direction of the old. The difference might not be as great. On the other hand, different clips have a right to be different, I guess. Lovely, lovely yarn, and there will be more babies.

  40. Yes, they are very different. Have you considered switching between colors every row or 2? So you will get a lovely shimmery shadowy color-changing effect that will make the blanket magical, match the sweater, and you’ll have plenty of yarn?

  41. Could you use both the new and old yarn and alternate between them every 2 rows — the way it’s recommended when you have hand-dyed yarns that don’t match well from skein to skein

  42. I wonder if much of the problem is that the new skeins are twisted in the opposite direction? In one set or the other, the skein’s twist must be up-twisting the last plying twist. That would make the fibers more stretched, lie closer, and reflect more light. I’d like to see one of the new skeins twisted in the old direction, to see if it matches better.
    On the other hand, sheep of one year have a right to produce different colors of “natural”.
    So, little one, welcome to a world where Mother Nature is always in charge. Just love your blankie, & all the wayward sheep who grew it!

  43. I was in a bit of a funk today. Nothing was quite right, and I have strep (with the antibiotics – just started – not quite enough yet to actually make me feel less than rotten). I’m sorry about the yarn fiasco. Thanks for telling us about it, though. It made me forget myself in the narrative, which probably has not happened for another five minutes in the past 24 hours.
    There are no useful suggestions coming from here, but I’m wishing you all the best with your blanket project for the expected wee one!

  44. I think sunlight may be your friend here – you’re right, the age is the difference but that may be because of the different exposure to light? I knitted a baby blanket out of two different ages of yarn and there was a clear difference between them while I was knitting. When I blocked it in the sunshine, the sun turned the whole lot a creamier colour and the differences disappeared.

    • Just kidding. Go with the new and relax about whether you have enough. Just cross your fingers that the newly ordered skeins go with the others.

  45. Have you thought about possibly overdying it after it is all knit? White is not a color that is all that baby friendly. So any color would cover that slight difference in the 2 batches of yarn. It is easy to do and could even be incorporated into your blocking process.

    This is the first time I have ever posted a comment on your blog. I have read you for like forever. I enjoy every single post you do and someday, if you ever come to Huntsville Alabama I will be there to see you. Which would be hard since we no longer have a real yarn store, 🙁

  46. A non-knitter cannot appreciate the nail biting, international, drama of some of your yarn adventures.

  47. You could always knit the center of the blanket with one yarn and do a border with the other. That way it would look planned.

  48. It amost looks like a different yarn base on my monitor. Both are pretty but the new yarn seems less plump. Two separate projects is the way to go on this one.

  49. Do you know if it’s a boy or girl baby? I know you normally like the blanket to be all white, but if you added a very narrow motif in a pink or blue (even a pale yellow) between the two different whites, would that allow you to keep going with all the yarn on hand?

  50. I say ,since you have 4 of each color, knit 2 rows of old then 2 rows of the new. That will make a beautiful blanket! Blessings!

  51. Could you carry both the new and the old yarns together and make an extra-squishy blanket? Just a thought….

  52. TLE IS fabulous about shipping. I too have noticed that there are no lot numbers on the solid series yarn. I know it will work out regardless because you are the Yarn Harlot! I am looking forward to seeing what the lace looks like once it is started.

  53. Or you could rip out the sweater, booties and hat and put that yarn towards the blanket. Reknit the clothing in the new yarn. Oh, I know that sounds horrible. My husband says knitting is a hobby and when I rip out I get twice the enjoyment of the yarn!

  54. Ohhhh Boy! Yes it is quite obvious that they are different. Glad you like the new yarn, better chance of matching it. Good luck, fingers crossed.

  55. Let me just say: Joe is the man! He noticed the difference right away, I didn’t– it took me looking twice to see it. I have a question: did you every finish Joe’s gansey? If so could you tell what post it was, I have been reading the archives, but haven’t found it yet.
    p.s. Good luck on the blanket!

  56. From a fellow knitter and cyclist (too old now to pedal my bike. I miss it.) Good luck with your training.
    “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.”

    -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (born on this day in 1859, happy birthday!)

    • Oh, that is good advice. For me anyway. Steph is training for bike rally though and may have a very sore butt at this point.

  57. Would it be worth giving the original skeins a bath and drying them spread out in the sun? I too wonder if the difference in age may be an exposure thing.

    An easier fix before starting? And if it works, you know you can wash and sunbathe the layette to the same effect.

    Good luck from Eastern Australia!

  58. As the Spindle Turns…….

    Stephanie’s plans for a surprise gift run into an unexpected setback. Joe expresses his concern. Barbie plots a cross-border illegal entry while Lynn offers a different solution.

    Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of As the Spindle Turns…..

  59. Well, no, those aren’t the same color. But if you use the new color, will it bug you that the cute little layette doesn’t exactly match the blanket? Too bad you didn’t make the blanket first, and then use the non-matching skeins for the layette. But that’s water under the bridge, so to speak…

  60. You, I believe, made the right decision, but then immediately the Law of the Perversity of Inanimate Objects will take over. The new yarn you just ordered is going to match the original yarn, not the intervening batch. This is a Good Thing, however, since it means the blankie is going to match the rest of the layette. (And yes, the difference in color is obvious – one is a warm creamy white, the other is a grey/blue cool white.)

  61. I know you’ve already ordered the yarn and started swatching, but I’m thinking you could knit the two different colors together. It would add depth to the solid.

  62. Not the same, and at least on my screen perhaps not even simpatico. If the two played nicely together, I’d totally knit a subtle tone-on-tone stripe design. Think PurlSoho type, hipster knits. Or like the little white baby cardi with the beige buttons and trim you made once? So fresh.

    But if you go with patterns like the previous blankets, i.e. massive lace? 1,000,000 hours of time? Must. Match. No. Compromises.

    Here’s the thing. You’ve already got a splendid layette. You don’t “owe” a gargantuan blanket in the name of equality. I’d rather design an 8-skein blanket that works with the skeins in your paw, right now.

    8 in hand > 10 in bush.

    Save the “wrong” colored cream for another project. If a toddler doesn’t need a cream colored something, or a toy, then a new baby will come along some day.

  63. Is it too late to plan for the blanket to have stripes? Use a different stitch pattern and different color of yarn, but really it’s totally different yarn… I know it is supposed to be the same yarn, but it seems like the twist or the fiber is different too… Just plan for it to have stripes.

  64. Yup-see it! This is why I’m always leary of non lot# skeins. I understand why there’s no lot # but on a project of many skeins, matching is vital.
    And you thought a whiteish blanket would be boring!
    Brace for it-what if new order is a 3rd variation on the color?
    I’m sure the lovely people at Loopy Ewe will do their finest and send you enough for a blanket by itself and every skein will be a perfect match to it’s ship(ment) mate.
    Maybe this is the Universe at work making sure if you have less time, the baby blanket won’t turn into a queen size throw. Because, well, you know.

  65. Yup, we all see it. “White-on-white” or Tonal Whites sound very chic, very on-trend, n’est pas?? =) As others have said, suddenly it’s a feature, a lovely subtle detail, rather than a Problem…

    But whatever you decide: we, of course, shall enjoy the amused and suspenseful audience!!!

  66. What have you done to piss off the Knitting Gremlins this time? Bad mouthed a yarn store?, a mis-spoken epithet? Cursed the bike ride? Why is this a recurring pattern in your life of knits?

    From now on, in order to continue the tradition of knitting a baby blanket that would cover a king size bed, order twice the number of skeins needed + 2. That will give you enough for the next two babies and will surely match throughout, right? It’s not like white/cream ever goes out of style and you will make use of any/all white yarn.

  67. I totally see the difference. One skein looks like fresh cream. The other like white mushrooms. Hope the new skeins match at least one of them.

  68. I love ya Steph, really I do. Love all you write about. But seriously girrrrl, and I say this with all the peace and love in the world: no one will care nor should they. The love you knit into it colors it just right. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

  69. OK, this is going to be a very opinionated comment :-). Is this to be one of those blankets that grow from the center? Can it be at all construed to have a border? Knit the center with the 8 original skeins, plan on knitting the border with the new ones. Don’t buy more yarn, which in those quantities is overwhelming. Consider that a larger baby blanket isn’t necessarily better, as you have all this stuff to deal with, without dropping the baby because it’s lost in all those folds :-). It’s blindingly obvious the color is different, but a different color border is perfectly acceptable, so pretend you did it on purpose. And count yourself lucky that you’ll see what you’re doing at every step :-), rather than discover a subtle difference randomly worked in at the end..

  70. I agree with many on the blog. Knit a smaller blanket in the same white colour as the layette. Smaller blankets are so much more practical. My MIL knit two blankets for my daughter. A larger, cream, lace beauty and a smaller, garter stitch squares affair in pastel colours (superwash). Gets which one get the love squeezed out of it. The garter blankets has been a Moses basket blanket, a pram cosy, a emergency layer, a cushion, a doll blanket, a “blankie” comforter and still her go to snuggle blanket at 2 years. Many washes later and its still as loved as the day she was given it. The larger blanket got used for her christening and erm, that’s it….

  71. Not only is the color different, the texture of the yarn appears to be different as well. I just hate it when this happens.

  72. Puhleeeeze tell me you ordered more than just 4 additional skeins?? I’d hate to see you having to place a third order! 😉

  73. Going with the original 8 skeins is probably your best solution. You would–you know you would–be upset that the blanket didn’t match the rest of that very beautiful layette. And much as I looked in awe at those very large and extraordinarily beautiful baby blankets, each larger than the next, I couldn’t imagine their being used and loved. Baby would be photographed in them, Mom would be overwhelmed, and the blankets would be “saved for good” while lesser blankets were used, washed, later dragged around and loved by baby. [Thirty years ago I gave a practical LandsEnd blanket as a baby present–I couldn’t knit then. It became the “binkie,” was saved and finally turned up in a novel written by said baby.]

  74. Different sheep, different years, different mill runs. Knitting the blanket in the new shade means it won’t perfectly match the layette. For a well-loved, dragged-around blankie, smaller is easier for a toddler to manage, if that helps any.

  75. Yeah, they’re different! Good luck getting more yarn that’s a perfect match. Can’t wait to see the finished project.

  76. Oh man, they are different, looks like you have pearl gray and white.
    If it were me, and if I were knitting from the center out, I’d make sure I used a pattern with definite stitch changes and alternate the skeins, that could be kinda pretty.
    Sorry you have this headache! Can it be bleached when all knitted up?

  77. Err . . . before ordering/starting knitting could you not contact the Loopy Ewe and casually extract a . . . . freakin’ promise in blood . . . err assurance that your new order will be the same dye lot as the one you’ve just received. ‘Cause if you have 3 versions of white (and not enough of any of them to complete a blankey) it’s not gonna be a good day 🙂 x

  78. Maybe someone already suggested this, but why not just plunge ahead, alternating between two skeins, like you would do with hand-dyed?

  79. Yes I do see the difference in the skeins.
    I’m crossing everything crossable for you and thinking positive thoughts that the new yarn is a match.

  80. I understand the folks who say a really big blanket [i.e. queen size bed, or too big to block on a king size bed] could be a problem, but two of my grandchildren have blankets that size, and they are covering their “adult” beds happily, and my granddaughter says “my grandma made this and it’s beauuuutiful” – what more could a grandma want.

  81. Just out of curiosity do you have any plans for the older white yarn? I’m away working in Australia and my little brother and his wife are making a little brother or sister for my adorable nephew Eli and I can’t be there to welcome him/her to the world. All I can do is knit, right? But good yarn stockists of good, solid yarn in AU are hard to come by (ironic, I know) and I’m going nuts trying to figure out how to get some.
    Maybe some kind of karmic balancing trade? Let me know if you have time and can think of something and also don’t need/want the old yarn (unlikely I know!). I’m sure we could work something out. If you do need/want it or don’t have time or whatever then please don’t worry about responding. You have a million important things to do and your time is valuable and totally better spent with all the wonderful things you do making the world nicer and your family cosy and us laugh and all those lovely things.
    Best wishes!

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