Red Heart "No Dye Lot"?????

[crochetchic]

While making my stadium blankets the "Red Heart" brand is supposed to be "no dye lot" but I don't think so. I notice everytime I look at my blanket that the royal blue that I used is slightly off (it is noticeable) I guess only to me but it really bothers me, If it says no dye lot shouldn't it be the same color?!

[PBLKNP]

I know...you'd think. I've learned, from ugly experience, to buy all the yarn at the start of the project -- even if it's a "no dye lot" brand -- for just that reason.

[wiz3283]

I have had this problem too.

[texasredhead]

I don't know why they say it, because unless you buy it all at the same time it is hard for it to match up exactly. I was in the middle of a lacy baby blanket years ago with Bernats baby Coordinates and it said no dye lot, so I foolishly didn't buy enough. When I went back to get more it wasn't even close to matching and since the blanket was all one color blue, it looked terrible. I ended up donating the 2 foot piece that I had made to the Good Will. I think blue is the hardest to match. So, don't feel bad. I think when they say no dye lot they really mean that they don't know if the next batch will be the same!!!

[RoseRed]

... it should be but it's not.

[DancingStitches]

I found this to be true also. I always buy more than I need just in case the yarn requirements are not quite right. When the afghan is finished I simply return or most often exchange the leftover yarn for more.

[Christina92786]

I usually buy it all at once as well, but caron simply soft is no dye lot and I've been buying a few at a time, and it seems to all be the same color....I guess its better to be safe than sorry later!

[Real Deal]

Even though they say "No dye lot", flip it over and most of the time now you will find dye lot numbers.

 

Last year, one of the big yarn companies said their 2 largest suppliers of acrylic went bankrupt. The acrylic suppliers had been doing the dye in enormous amounts, and did a very good job of it. Since then, the big yarn companies have been scrambling to replace them with smaller companies, but all of them together don't come close to what they lost.

 

The yarn that would be affected first would be the light colors: white, off-white, beige, cream, yellow, etc., plus light blue. Other colors would follow.

 

I suspect this is why a lot of white yarn is looking dull, dirty, yellowish, etc.

 

They said no matter what, check for dye lot numbers.

 

I think the labels are probably printed by the 100's of thousands way ahead of time. The dye lot numbers would be put on later when it's figured up how many skeins will come out of a certain dye lot.

 

I always check to make sure every number matches on the skeins, plus I buy extras because you can always have hidden problems inside the skeins like impossible knots or thick and thin spots. I once found something that appeared to be tar that was not evident on the surface!

 

I know some people don't like to end up with extra yarn when the project is finished, but I like making striped items, so it doesn't bother me a bit. Extra colors are also good for doing granny squares. That's how they originated. It was a way to use up little bits after making sweaters and blankets and things.

[LI Roe]

Despite the fact that it is supposed to be no dye lots (and this goes for other companies other than RedHeart), there are variations in the yarn. However, you can get the same "no dye lot" to match. There are numbers on the RedHeart Label and also on the others that look like dates, eg 01-10-07, 05-19-07. Look for the same numbers on the labels, I noticed this once when I was looking at the yarn and thought I saw a slight difference in the color. Once I found all the same numbers, it looked a lot better.

 

LI Roe

[Cherri]

I've learned from experience that the "no dye lot" is a myth . I make sure they are all from the same manufacturing lot when I buy them.

[Cesa]

Oh, am I glad that I saw this thread?! I am planning a large afghan for my husband for Christmas (yes, I know it's early, but I'm inexperienced and a procrastinator, so I decided to get started early). Anyhow, I'm not really sure how much yarn I'm going to need, so I was going to use the "no dyelot" stuff to avoid buying too much or not enough. Hmm, guess I'm going to have to do some math!

[sewmom]

Don't even get me started on the pseudo-no-dye-lot thing. I can echo everything everyone has said. I wish the manufacturers would just come out and say there are dye lots instead of being misleading.

[msmusic]

Here's an important link to the Red Heart/Coats & Clark webpage that gives a product update and explains what has happened with Super Saver "no dye lot" colors: http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Knitting/Features/Red+Heart+Super+Saver.htm

[cpsmith81007]

I had the same problem too. Now I buy all at once and with the same numbers like LI Roe said.

 

Chris

[Real Deal]

Cesa ~ When you already know you want to make a large afghan, you still could buy the yarn in installments as long as you get all of one color at one time. So say you start with green, you buy 10 skeins, not 2 or 3. The next time buy 10 skeins of red, and the next time 10 of white.

 

Also, remember to check and see if the store has yarn in pounds. They are equivalent to four 4 oz skeins. You're guaranteed large amounts of a single color that way.

 

My local Walmart has Red Heart in pounds, but in limited colors ~ black, white, red, navy, off-white, claret, brown, and sage. Medium sage I think. I didn't even know they had pounds until my sister pointed them out to me on the very top shelf where normally just extra items are put. I never look up there. Ha, ha! We found Monet yarn up there recently too, still in plastic bags, all clean and nice. When they are still bagged, the dye lot #'s are all the same.

[Cesa]

I'll keep that in mind, though I don't think that will work for this project. The afghan will be similar to a graphghan, but it's a pixellated picture - on purpose (think old video games), so I'm using granny squares for each pixel square. The main color is used for about 180 squares of over 300 squares, plus joining. If I have the same color squares next to each other, I'll need to have bought the yarn at the same time, right?

[Real Deal]

Yes, for the same color squares right next to each other, I would absolutely want them the same color. I'd buy the yarn at the same time and make sure every number on the skeins match.

[brennae74]

I'm having this same problem with a baby ghan I am making. I am using Red Heart Soft Yarn in White. First of all, the first skein I used looked a little yellowish. Then, the next skein was more white but had a shiny look that the other skein didn't have, also, the second skein is thinner and splits like crazy. It's driving me crazy every time I look at it but I'm not gonna take it out. Next time, I won't buy 2 skeins from one store and 2 from another.

[Kfig]

I just finished a large white Afghan blanket for my daughter. And when I laid it out I could see that the flight was two different colors you can actually see the line. I use the same lot number the same color not color number and the same color name. And I got it from the same store Walmart. I am so disappointed and hate to give it to her