Selecting the Right Yarn for the Pattern Test
Be honest: As a maker, have you ever thought you might want to buy a pattern, but then you scroll the hashtag or Ravelry projects and second guess because… yikes, some of those samples are just NOT good? They’re even making you second guess the design? I know I have.
As a tester though, there is nothing more satisfying than signing up for a pattern test and realizing you already have the right amount of yarn in your stash to complete the test. The test calls for 960 yards of worsted weight yarn, and you’ve got it! The problem is… it’s highly variegated and you signed up for a uniquely textured or lacy design. Do you continue on and use it anyway or do you find another yarn? That’s the ultimate question that I am hoping this post will help you answer.
Note: This post will be more about choosing yarn appearance based on the details of the pattern. There will be a separate, special guest post later about yarn substitution, which will focus more on the right fiber content!
The design pictured above is the Amess Tee by @pacificknotco - available now. I chose to feature this design on this post because those subtle purl bumps are a key feature of this design, and they can be easily lost with the wrong yarn choice!
The primary goal of testing a pattern is to make sure the pattern makes sense and is easy to follow, the stitch counts are correct, and there are no issues within the pattern that would prevent someone from being able to make it once they buy it. In that sense, it should not matter what yarn you use, right? Maybe so. But a good pattern tester takes into account another very important consideration: your test sample can and often will impact sales for the designer.
More often than not, one of the requirements of a pattern test is to showcase photographs of your test on social media - Ravelry, Instagram, Facebook, etc. If we’re on Instagram, there is often a hashtag associated with the design. If we’re on Ravelry, your project is often linked to the pattern. This means that people who are deciding whether they want to buy the pattern from the designer are often scrolling through the testers’ versions of the design to decide if it’s something they’d like to make. So, ideally, you’ll choose a yarn that will allow the design to shine. A yarn that does not give the viewer a headache. A yarn that does not hide or distract from a unique detail in the design.
Plus… you’d like to wear it/use it/gift it too, right? If it’s a horrible yarn choice for the design, chances are all of your hard work is going to end up shoved in the back of a drawer or closet, never to see the light of day again (or frogged so you can use the yarn for something more appropriate later).
So…. what is the right yarn choice? Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer as it varies from design to design, and yarn to yarn. It’s not as simple as “never use variegated for texture or lace” - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Here are a few questions I like to ask myself and things I like to consider:
If you’re wanting to use a variegated yarn….
In general, the level of variegation in a yarn is quite… well… varied! Some variegation is subtler and won’t pool weirdly or distract from the design. Other variegation is highly contrasting and can itself be the star of the show, meaning it might be better used in a simpler design. Keep this in mind when you’re selecting a yarn for a particular design. Even the prettiest skein of variegated yarn can look horrible in the wrong project.
On a garment: Be wary of pooling. You might wish to alternate skeins to prevent strange blocks of color pooling with the yarn (that means you will switch between two separate skeins typically row-by-row). You’ll also want to consider how different parts of the garment and how those parts are constructed will shift/affect how the variegation shows up on the design. For example, if you’re knitting a tank top bottom-up, you might be okay with how the variegation/pooling shows up while you’re working the bottom half in the round. However, keep in mind that when you split for the top half, you’re likely going to be working shorter rows flat, which will entirely change how the yarn looks compared to that bottom half. That certainly doesn’t mean it’s not possible use a variegated yarn on a tank top - you’ll just want to pay attention to the yarn, alternate skeins if needed, and be a little more conscious of how the yarn is looking in the final product and whether you like that look.
On a lace or textured design: Sometimes the most subtle textured detailed in a design can get completely lost if you use a variegated yarn that hides that little feature.
For example, in the Amess Tee pictured above, if I were to use a highly variegated yarn, the purl bump that is staggered throughout the design might get lost in the color change of the variegation. It could still look like a nice top, but that feature of the design could get lost - which would be a bummer during a pattern test, where you’re trying to showcase a designer’s unique design.
So ask yourself: Does the type of variegation in the yarn hide the lace, cables, or other texture? As mentioned above, some variegation is subtle and lace/texture will still show up and look gorgeous. Other variegation is more starkly contrasting and/or in longer chunks at a time, and the texture or lace can get hidden in the busyness of the yarn. It can also depend on the type of texture - super complex lace might need a subtler yarn, whereas a fun variegated yarn might still work well for something like the occasional bobbles!
If you’re not sure which way it will go, work up a swatch of the textured/lace pattern in the yarn you want to use and see how it looks! (Keep in mind that if your swatch is smaller than the item you’re testing, it could end up looking different in the actual product worked up… just be willing to be flexible and start over if you discover that the yarn isn’t right after a few rows on the actual pattern.)
If you’re wanting to use a self-striping yarn…
Same considerations as with variegated yarns for garments and textured designs!
As with pooling, stripes on the body of a sweater in the round are going to turn out differently than stripes in a portion of the top worked in shorter rows/flat, sleeves, etc. That’s something you’ll need to keep in mind while you’re working on it, to make sure it still looks good/intentional.
Similarly, striping that changes color in the middle of lacework or cables might be distracting. Just be mindful of this when you’re choosing yarn and working your way through a pattern!
Is the design made for stripes? Self-striping yarn creates a very particular look and some designers might not have striping in mind for their pattern. When in doubt, ask the designer if they care if you use a self-striping yarn.
If you’re wanting to scrap-bust…
Scrap-busting can be very tempting, but the same kinds of considerations should be taken into account. Will you have to change yarns in the middle of lace work or cables? Will that distract from the pattern?
Did the designer specify which kinds of yarns were okay or not okay to use?
Sometimes the designer wants to see the pattern worked up in a particular look of yarn - whether that is self-striping, a collection of minis, fades, solids only, variegated only, mohair, etc.. If they have specifically asked you to use or avoid something in particular, follow those rules. If you desperately want to make it in a yarn that they’ve asked you not to use, wait for the pattern to be released and make it on your own time. There are no restrictions once you buy the pattern and are making it on your own time. That’s the time to experiment if you want to!
You also need to use the right yarn weight - if the test calls for fingering weight, don’t use a DK. If test calls for super bulky, that worsted weight yarn is not going to work. (Unless you can double up and meet gauge and the designer is okay with you doubling up. You can Google to see what certain yarns held double equate to in a thicker yarn.)
Just because you can *technically* meet gauge using the fingering weight yarn and a larger needle size for the DK pattern doesn’t mean it’s the right choice — your fabric will be looser, more sheer, too thick, etc. That’s not the look the designer intended, so it’s not right for the test.
Keep in mind too that sometimes yarns are mis-labeled. I have a “DK” in my stash that’s definitely a sport weight, maybe even a fingering weight yarn at best. I would never choose that yarn for a truly DK test. This is why working up a gauge swatch with the yarn you want to use is important! Just because it’s labeled a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for the test.
For colorwork: Will the selected yarns allow the colorwork design to shine? I once tried two very beautiful solid yarns - no variegation or anything wild - on a colorwork yoke. There wasn’t enough contrast between the two yarns and you could not see the colorwork design at all! Work up a swatch and make sure the two+ yarns work together before you get too far into complex colorwork!
Lastly, a fairly obvious reminder, choose a yarn that you actually like. If you think the yarn is hideous in skein form, chances are you are going to think it’s hideous worked up in the project. Or if you choose a color you don’t want to wear and the pattern test sample is being worked up for you to wear in the pictures, chances are you are not going to like the final garment. And if that’s true, chances are you’re going to hate your pictures, not want to show it off, and never wear it. Avoid all of that wasted work by choosing the right yarn up front!
I asked my followers on Instagram if they had any stories from choosing the wrong yarn or testers choosing the wrong yarn and here is what they shared:
One tester chose a variegated colorway that she thought was just heavily speckled when it was in skein form — for a colorwork design! According to this maker, the colorwork pattern did not show up at all, and after working 54 rows of the front panel, she had to frog the whole thing and buy a new yarn.
One maker chose a “lovely blue and yellow yarn” for a pinafore design and said she felt like it was a garment for a Minion - hah! She noticed before she got too far and switched yarns. This is a great example of a yarn that might be beautiful for one thing, but all wrong for another!
One designer stated that unless a design is actually supposed to be striped, it’s probably best to steer clear of striping yarn.
One maker said she’s made the mistake of using too variegated of yarn on textured socks. The texture gets lost when all the focus is on the variegation!
Another designer expressed disappointment after a tester used a horizontal striping yarn on a pattern with vertical cables…. it did not go well. The horizontal striping was very distracting from the beautiful vertical cables.
One maker said that she used a variegated yarn on a pattern with a bobble motif, and the motif the bobbles were creating got lost due to the yarn choice.
One designer stated that they have concerns any time a tester chooses an extremely busy yarn for a pattern with a lot of texture or detail. As explained above - the yarn may be pretty, but the details of the pattern just get lost!
Similarly, one designer stated that she specifically discouraged the use of variegated yarn. One tester did not follow instructions and all of the texture was lost in her hat design.
Another designer had a tester try to use velvet yarn when the test specifically called for faux fur. If the designer is specifying a type of yarn, there’s a reason for it!
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Hopefully this post helps you think through whether your first yarn choice is the right yarn choice for your next pattern test. Sometimes you need to try out a yarn or two before deciding. There have been times I thought a particular skein of variegated yarn would not work, and then it did and looked great! And there have been times when I thought solid yarn was best, but it turns out a yarn with a little more personality might have made the finished object more special. It all depends on the project and the yarn!
As a reminder, there will be a guest post later all about choosing your yarn fiber content. This post will be more about whether, for example, you should use cotton yarn, wool, or acrylic, and what are appropriate yarn substitutes in particular scenarios.
