By Carolyn Hanson
If you have ever knitted a random project with variegated yarn, you have experienced the unfortunate situation where instead of the colors spreading out they begin to align with the same color stacking above and below in a puddle of color. This continues until the shaping of your project changes or the color shifts ever so slightly. This giant unwanted splotch is called “pooling” and in most cases, it’s something one tries to avoid. I recall using my favorite Red Heart variegated yarn in all the saturated ROYGBIV colors and dreading the splotch but not knowing how to avoid it other than making a knot on the wrong side to move the color along.
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Times have changed and yarn companies began using a process called “space dying”(nothing to do with NASA). Space dyeing is a purposeful method of dying the wool in a long-g-g-g repeat (like 10 yards) before the same color pattern comes back around. Then the yarn companies introduced patterns that used the planned pooling to make designs. Some sock yarns use this space-dyed process to create stripes and designs without the need for multiple colors changes, avoiding the “tangled bobbins” used for making argyle socks. These space-dyed yarns are called “self-striping” making sock projects fun and engaging while you watch how the color patterns emerge and the design 
changes. These yarns can also be used for baby sweaters or hats.
Pooling designs go beyond socks. Noro yarn makes self-striping yarns with a 40+ yards repeat that makes beautiful shawls, purses, and sweaters. I especially like the effect of using this yarn with an Entrelac design. Entrelac is a method of knitting squares in a basketweave design that uses up each color so the garment appears to be made of individual diamonds of different colors, yet it’s all one space-dyed skein. See the Lady Eleanor Entrelac Shawl by Kathleen Power Johnson on Ravelry.com.
Prism Yarn has several variegated yarns, Madison and Valhalla, that use a stacking method of knitting to make a planned pooling design. This works by first casting on stitches until you have reached the end of one full repeat. Count the # of stitches across all the colors before the repeat (say 72 stitches). So if making a cowl, double this number and add a few stitches if you want the design to move to the right (so the cast on would have 72 x 2 + 2 stitches). Try the 7501 Color Stacked Cowl or Reversible Wrap by Laura Bryant on Ravelry.com.
Recently, I was introduced to Assigned Pooling patterns by the Barker Wood Yarn company (barkerwool.com). Their method uses unique stitching in the section where the chosen color appears creating a random design. The Calico Shawl looks like a field of wildflowers. I love the spontaneity and random appearance of the colorwork. The idea is to knit until you reach the accent color, then create the decorative stitch using up all of the accent colors and then return to the basic stitch. Several patterns are available from the designer that use this technique, but you can certainly create your own design. I decided to try it for myself using variegated yarn in my stash.
– Choose a variegated yarn that has a contrast between the chosen accent color and the other colors. [Note: Do not choose black to be the accent color; it could look like crawling bugs; not a favorable look.]
– Each time that color appears, create a decorative stitch, like a bobble, that uses all of that color. Then continue knitting.
– Once complete, move all the decorative stitches to the right side. If too many accent colors begin to pool in one section, push several to the opposite side.
Here is my sample showing 3 different looks: (1) plain knitting, (2) assigned pooling using a bobble as the accent stitch, and (3) a combination of 1 and 2. I chose fuchsia/orange to be the accent color since it’s the color that appears least. It’s important to use an accent stitch that uses all of the accent colors. Try this technique with a simple triangle scarf like Simple Sideways Triangle Scarf by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Ravelry.com
Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher, and fiber artist. She can be contacted at cchanson3@gmail.com.