Multicolor Yarn

Variegated, self-striping, speckled, and gradient yarns, one colorway per card so you can see each one clearly. A lot of these are kettle dyed or hand painted, so no two skeins are exactly alike.

Want bold color without the variegation? Our colorful yarn page has the brightest solids too.

Pink Yarn Purple Yarn Blue Yarn Green Yarn Yellow Yarn Orange Yarn Red Yarn Brown Yarn Black Yarn White Yarn Silver Yarn Multicolor Yarn Colorful Yarn

22 colorways in stock on this page

Types of multicolor yarn

  • Variegated yarn changes color every few inches. It makes busy, painterly fabric and works best in simple stitches.
  • Self-striping yarn has long color runs that knit up into stripes on their own. It is especially popular for socks.
  • Speckled yarn has a solid or semi-solid base with small dots of other colors.
  • Gradient yarn shifts slowly from one color to the next across the whole ball or cake.

Multicolor yarns we stock

How to avoid pooling

Pooling happens when the color repeats line up with your stitch count and form blotches. To break it up, alternate two skeins every two rows, change your needle size slightly, or pick a pattern with slipped stitches or texture. Hand-dyed skeins also vary from one to the next, so alternating skeins is a good idea for any larger project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Variegated yarn changes color every few inches, so the colors mix into a speckled or painterly fabric. Self-striping yarn has long runs of each color, so it knits up in distinct stripes without you changing yarns.

Alternate two skeins every two rows, try a different needle size to change how the colors land, or use a stitch pattern with slipped stitches or texture. Simple stockinette over a very specific stitch count is where pooling shows up most.

For anything bigger than a hat, it is a good idea. Each hand-dyed skein is a little different, and alternating every two rows blends them so you do not get a visible line where one skein ends.

Simple ones. Stockinette, garter, seed stitch, linen stitch, and slipped stitch patterns let the colors do the work. Complex cables and lace tend to get lost in busy yarn.

Many of these colorways are dyed by hand in small batches, so color placement varies from skein to skein. The photo shows a typical skein, and yours will have the same colors in a slightly different arrangement.