Frustrating Monkeys

Well...you remember that lovely monkey sock I posted last time? The color gradations were just fabulous, right? Well...I started the second sock (using the second ball) and noticed that the colors seemed a little darker, a little more muted than the first. I kept thinking that I'd get to something more like the first sock soon. The colors change so gradually, so I just kept knitting - and hoping. Then, I started comparing. It doesn't look the same. Knit some more. Compare. This isn't quite the same. Knit some more. Compare. Nope. Not the same colors.  Stop! Of course, I stopped when I was on the fourth of six repeats for the foot. Why do we knitters keep going with such optimism when we know, KNOW, that it isn't working? It's either too big, too small, too something...yet, we keep going thinking we will fix it? It must be the same phenomenon that makes us so anxious to start a new project when we have twenty others that lie around unfinished. Anyway...here is the photographic proof:

Click for bigger to really see the difference.

See those pretty pinkish tones and the nice purple on the heel on the left sock? These colors are no where on the right one. Now...look at this:

Click for a bigger picture and you can read my notes, but notice the two ball bands and the same dye lots. (also the fabulous price...maybe this should be a tip-off) These...are not the same! As you can imagine, this was very frustrating, so I took the offending socks and the misleading ballbands up to the yarn store. The owner tried to call Jojoland but couldn't get anyone on the phone. We rummaged through her existing stock of the yarn, but she didn't have another ball of this "color". She refunded my money (and let me keep the socks), telling me not to give up hope! She'll put in another order and maybe I'll get lucky and she'll get in some that will be a better match to sock number one...maybe even sock number two! She was pretty put out with it though...wondering how many other people would have this problem and whether or not she should even continue carrying the yarn. I hope it is just a fluke because the yarn is so lovely to knit with and the colors on that first sock are just beautiful! However, I had enough yarn for two more pairs and I just returned it. No sense in going through this again! I think I'll buy some nice Mountain Bearfoot or Cherry Tree Hill Supersock...single skeins means truly one dye lot. Right? I sure hope so! Well....at any rate, I cast on for that mystery sock last week so at least I'm not left in a lurch without a sock OTN!

Comments

[anno]

go check out the socks I finished yesterday. knit from one skein of fleece artist, but not very matchy.. most of the light colors at one end of the skein, most of the dark at the other.

those jojoland yarns (they do a worsted that's similar too) are nice for projects that use multiple balls in a single item, it's a nice effect. I did a branching out scarf from one ball that's fairly interesting.. but I wasn't very happy with it for socks, either.

[anno]

yeah.. it was all one continuous strand, no knots or breaks, it just is the way it was dyed. I don't know if that's common with fleece artist or not. I have a few more skeins.. 4 more skeins! and it's delicious, I won't mind keeping it all in the family (or all on my feet :)) if they all wind up doing that.. but it'd be nice if this is unusual, because I am willing to share some of this yummy yarn with some of the people on my christmas list, provided it knits up into socks that look at least sorta the same. :)

[Helen (of troy)]

The joy of small dye lots and hand painting, is they are unique colors.

if you want machine dyed perfection, buy mass dyed and manufactured socks!

there is a special joy in almost pairs.
they are lovely. There is nothing wrong with the socks or the dye blends.

All that is needed is a openess to individual quirks.

even identical twins aren't perfectly identical.

[Jenn]

I have to disagree with Helen. There's no excuse for the big degree of difference within the dye lot. Maybe it's a preference thing, but I certainly would think there WAS something wrong with the dye lots. Sorry for what happened, Bev. That would frustrate me too!!

[Linda]

Eek! Now I'm worried. I'm with you though - too much difference, even for hand dyed.

LP

[Janelle]

Oh, that's disappointing! My Jojoland Melody monkeys didn't come out with matching stripes, but the colors weren't different in the tone/brightness of them. That's definitely curious. Since you have the first one done, I guess I'd wait for the order to come in at the store and see if any of the new balls match the first sock, but I agree, that's frustrating. I love this yarn, too. I hope it's just a fluke and not something they hope we'll just accept.