# [Plan across several dye lots](https://threadcabin.com/explore/353/plan-across-several-dye-lots)

> Compare the actual lots and assign them deliberately before starting visible panels.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/353/plan-across-several-dye-lots
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:35.0500595+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:40.8592933+00:00
- Primary image: [Illustration: Three skeins of nearly matching muted teal yarn with subtly different tones and a swatch transitioning gradually between two of the tones.](https://threadcabin.com/images/explore/focused/dye-lots.jpg)

Compare the actual lots and assign them deliberately before starting visible panels.

## Before you start

Keep the exact labels and make two comparable samples. Change one material property at a time and use the intended finishing method on both.

## How to do it

1. **Identify dye lots and color references** — Color code identifies a named shade; dye lot identifies a production batch. Compare actual strands in the intended light before mixing batches.
2. **Plan a dye-lot transition** — Compare the batches in a washed sample. If alternating batches, choose a row sequence and carry method that suit the construction.
3. **Make a representative finished swatch** — Use the project’s stitch pattern, working direction and finishing treatment. A smooth flat sample does not represent a textured circular garment.
4. **Combine component quantities without mixing colors** — Two parts using 120 m and 80 m of color A total 200 m before reserve. Color B uses 60 m separately. At 100 m per ball and 10% reserve, buy three A balls and one B ball.

## Try this example

Two lots look close in a ball but differ in a finished stripe sample. Test alternating supplies where the construction allows, or place the transition at a deliberate design boundary.

## Check your result

- Compare the dry samples for recovery, surface, drape and the property needed for the project. Record observations separately from label claims.
- A fiber name or category cannot predict every finished fabric. Construction, treatment, gauge and use all affect the result.

## Sources

- [www.craftyarncouncil.com: yarn label information](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-label-information)
- [cottonworks.com: yarn spinning](https://cottonworks.com/learning-hub/yarn-manufacturing/yarn-spinning/)

[Browse editable craft templates](/crafts)

[Report a correction](/corrections).

## Sources and provenance

- [Identify dye lots and color references](https://threadcabin.com/explore/95/identify-dye-lots-and-color-references)
- [Plan a dye-lot transition](https://threadcabin.com/explore/116/plan-a-dye-lot-transition)
- [Make a representative finished swatch](https://threadcabin.com/explore/107/make-a-representative-finished-swatch)
- [Combine component quantities without mixing colors](https://threadcabin.com/explore/66/combine-component-quantities-without-mixing-colors)