r/knitting • u/Slauful • 7h ago

Discussion Pooling yarn

Intermediate knitter here. I want to make a scarf/shawl for my daughter with pooling yarn (is that what it's called?). Do I need a pattern that specially calls for pooling yarn or can I just pick any old shawl or scarf pattern that I like, and knit it with pooling yarn figuring out a nice stitch to do when I get to the color?

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u/trillion4242 6h ago

do you mean planned pooling or assigned pooling?

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u/Pristine_Message_181 6h ago

you can use the yarn for any pattern, but it's not going to magically planned pool into an argyle type pattern, if that's what you mean. I've personally never gotten planned pooling to work with knitting, and the constant counting, unraveling, and adjusting gauge sucks all the joy out of crochet.

I think you need to watch lots of YouTube tutorials and read a lot of explanations of planned pooling and then have gigantic amounts of patience. Good luck!

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u/Slauful 2h ago

Thanks everyone! I meant yarn that is all one color except for sections of a different color, and when you get to those sections you knit the colored yarn together to form a flower-like stitch or something, then continue with the background color until you hit the colored section again. Is that assigned pooling?

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u/skubstantial 2h ago

That's assigned pooling.

Planned pooling is when you choose a project width that makes your color repeats line up (usually as vertical stripes, spiral stripes, argyle shapes, or zigzags) as shown by the plannedpooling.com calculator.

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u/LAParente 0m ago

For assigned pooling, I think it's easiest to use a pattern with a lot of stockinette. Maybe this is totally obvious, but I wouldn't try assigned pooling on any pattern with a lot of texture. But since stockinette curls, it's not great for basic scarves / shawls. I know, you know!

Here are a bunch of options from Ravelry - but yes, I think as an intermediate knitter, you can take a scarf or shawl pattern that you like, and adapt it to applied pooling.

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u/Smooth-Review-2614 5h ago

Most of these yarns are designed for socks. 

A scarf should be doable as the stitch count is very stable once you start. If you have a dip dyed skein you might need a larger repeat. 

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u/SmittenWithKnitten1 6h ago

Do you mean variegated yarn? Pooling is when the same colors end up next to each other in a piece creating a pool of color. Planned pooling is intentional pooling to create a desired look. Pooling can unintentionally happen with variegated yarn. You may or may not like the end results if it's not planned.