An Ode to Variegation

Making has always been a pretty big part of my life. While I am primarily focused on embroidery, I have had other crafting interests. I spent many years knitting. I’m not a super adventurous knitter. My main focus was comfort knitting. My favorite projects were simple stitches (hello, garter stitch!) and variegated yarn (hello, Noro!). Knitting sort of faded away after I moved to southern California. I just did not need as many wool scarves. Who knew?

This Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood is my total happy place. I lost a lot of sleep because I just did not want to stop knitting.

I really loved knitting for hours with variegated yarn. It’s so addictive to have those color changes. It really keeps you going. Embroidery has the same possibilities. Grabbing some variegated floss and picking a stitch to fill a hoop is some excellent stitch therapy. You won’t get bored doing a stitch over and over again because you have the excitement of seeing those new colors pop up.

Some simple lines of Feather Stitch with variegated floss make a really interesting hoop.

Random Straight Stitches using variegated floss.

This project with variegated floss and Leaf Stitch was perfect for fall.

While picking a simple stitch, like Running Stitch, is very satisfying to do. There are also some other benefits to using variegated floss. If you’re using a stitch like Holbein Stitch, you will get some different combinations of color. You’ll get the subtle color shifts as you do the first pass of Running Stitch. As you come back to fill in the gaps, you’ll see different colors paired up along the way. Have you ever stitched on tulle? If you have, you know how tricky it is to keep the open spaces free from floss that will show through. Doing lots of color changes makes this process a little more tricky. Why not use some variegated floss instead? You’ll get multiple colors without having to secure your ends repeatedly.

Running Stitch is a perfect therapy stitch, and variegated floss keeps it exciting.

Using variegated floss with Holbein Stitch creates some interesting effects.

Using variegated floss when stitching on tulle meant that you get lots of color without having to change your floss.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to variegated floss. Variegated yarns are much more plentiful, but you’ll still be able to find some beautiful options. DMC floss is pretty easy to access, and they offer variegated in stranded cotton as well as pearl cotton. I have also used some beautiful variegated floss made by Darice. I think they shut down at the end of last year, but you still may be able to find this floss for awhile. If you want some really beautiful and bright variegations, check out Sue Spargo’s Eleganza Perle Cotton. There are so many colors to choose from as well as the different weights. If you’re not into the multi-colored floss options, there are some monochromatic choices, too. Check out Threadworx beautiful single color variegated stranded cottons. These will work beautifully with solid fill stitches.

Just some of the beautiful variegated Pearl Cotton floss by DMC.

Variegated floss by Darice.

There are so many great variegated Sue Spargo Eleganza Perle Cotton colors to choose from.

Threadworx floss has beautiful monochromatic variegated floss.

If you’re still in love with your variegated yarn, don’t worry, you can still use it with embroidery. You can stitch with the thinner yarns (fingering or sock weight) just as you would with embroidery floss. Make sure that your fabric has a slightly more open weave, though. It won’t be enjoyable to tug it through a really tight weave. If you have the chunkier yarns, you can use those, too. Couching is the perfect way to add that beautiful texture to a hoop. There is a lot of freedom here to really play with some beautiful yarns.

Simple Straight Stitch in a starburst pattern with Koigu yarn is so lovely.

This thick and thin yarn by Ironstone was so much fun to Couch down to add tons of texture to a hoop,

Do you have any variegated floss brands that you love to use? We’d love to hear about it in the comments. Variegated floss is so much fun to use. If you haven’t tried it yet, you’ll definitely want to get some the next time you stock up on supplies.