If you haven’t heard of Spincycle before, you’re not alone! I learned about Spincycle through seeing it being used on some beautiful patterns on Ravelry. It is a yarn that very gorgeously fades from one color to another. This comes from a unique way they have developed of dyeing their yarn prior to plying it together. It makes for a very fun and beautiful knit.

I recently purchased my first Spincycle when I was looking for yarn for my Framed sweater. Through the process of purchasing and using the yarn, I learned it has a few quirks that are good to know before working with it. I wouldn’t consider them drawbacks, but they might be if you didn’t know about them ahead of time!

Before You Purchase

• Each skein is very unique. Even within the same named colorway, the skeins can vary somewhat widely. It would be best to view them in person if you’re looking to buy more than one skein for a project, so you can confirm they will work well together.
• If you aren’t able to see the yarn in person, Spincycle offers Virtual Shopping appointments where they can show you multiple skeins, so you can select them yourself and not cross your fingers that the skeins you ordered online will be coordinating colors.

Before You Start Knitting

• The beginning and the end of your skein may have very different colors. It’s best to wind your yarn into a cake so that you can access both the beginning and end of your skein in case one side matches better with the end of the previous skein you used.
• On that same note, it’s good to plan your skin order before you begin your project. This can help you ensure that you won’t have a big jump in colors when you have to switch skeins.
• Contrasting Yarn: If you are pairing a Spincycle yarn with a contrasting color, you may not need to worry too much about the colors bleeding. In my single experience using Spincycle with a white yarn, it didn’t bleed into my other rows, but I did notice that it bled onto the yarn directly touching it (see photos below). I learned this because I blocked a sweater I was knitting to double check the size. I ended up needing to frog part of it, and as I started reknitting that section, I saw that there was almost a confetti effect on the white yarn. It could make for a cool yarn, but it definitely was visible as I was knitting, so I had to cut the yarn and start with a fresh ball of yarn.

As You Are Knitting

• Keep in mind that the manufacturer may have needed to attach a new section of yarn in the process of winding the yarn, and so there may be slight changes in color that are a little more stark than others. Keep in mind that this is part of the fun of using Spincycle. The colors are constantly changing as you are knitting, and it will likely blend in when looking at the final product.
• Whatever you are knitting with your Spincycle, just know that it will be the fastest knit of your life! When it is this fun to see your project come to life, you will not want to put your project down.

Recommended Patterns

Below are a few patterns that I have either knit or are in my Favorited patterns in Ravelry that specifically call for Spincycle:

Sweaters

• “Tessellated Pullover” by Andrea Mowry
• “Me and Ewe” by Kate Oates
• “Easy V” by Caitlin Hunter
• “Framed” by Andrea Mowry
• “Ghost Horses” by Caitlin Hunter

Cardigans

• “Paulie Cardigan” by Amy Christoffers
• “Pressed Flowers” by Amy Christoffers

Cowls/Scarves

• “Frame Your Face” Cowl by Andrea Mowry
• “Pressed Flowers Cowl” by Amy Christoffers
• “Nightshift” by Andrea Mowry
• “Auri” by Alicia Plummer

Hats

• “Alpine Bloom Hat” by Caitlin Hunter
• “Woodnotes” by Alicia Plummer