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My journey into color pooling came from a friend who was really interested in it and kept saying we should try it together. Honestly I was hesitant. Color pooling looked complicated. I was wrong. During a craft night with my friend I watched as she tried it and I was surprised how easy and fun it was while also looking incredible impressive. And that started me down a rabbit hole that even now, over a year later, I'm still having fun with.
At first I consulted the internet to find lists of yarns you can pool with. There was one I found that was a little outdated (and now no longer exists), but it got me going in the right direction. I went on a treasure hunt to find some of the yarns on the list so I could give it a try. Every time I managed to find one, I would go to work and see if I could make the magic happen. The first few times I tried, it took a lot of undoing and redoing, but eventually I would get there. After a while, it became sort of second nature.
One of the things I love to make when I am trying a new-to-me technique is what I call a "Kitchen Cloth". It's basically just a kitchen towel but I tend to use them for everything... it's also a potholder, a trivet, a cute color accent during the holidays, etc. But in order to do that I needed cotton yarn and none of the poolable yarns on the list were cotton. So I went on a discovery mission of my own to find yarns I thought I might be able to pool with just by looking at them and I learned everything I need to know.
So now, I am going to not only tell you my secret, I am also going to give you a starting list that I have been compiling, I have literally been collecting picture samples as if they are baseball trading cards, but hopefully when I am done, you won't need this list because you will just be able to know by looking at any variegated yarn you come across out there in the world if it will work.
You will notice by looking at the pictures, that some of these samples are done in Single Crochet, some in Moss Stitch and some in Granny Stitch. So far, my videos teach how to pool with Moss Stitch because I think it is the easiest (at least it is for me). The ones done in Granny Stitch are what is used when you are pooling with yarn that has very long color changes. Usually the yarn has the word "Stripes" in it (see list below).
Here is my video in which I explain how to know if a yarn can pool just by looking at it. I also demonstrate pooling with yarn I've never tried before, and show how to quickly make your practice swatches in to useful towels, washcloths, kitchencloths, hot pads and so forth.
THIS IS THE VIDEO THAT TEACHES YOU HOW
WANT MORE?
I get it! I couldn't get enough either.
Here is my original video that teaches how to color pool perfectly the easy way. Click on the picture to get to the video
Once you get the technique down, you might start to wonder, "What can I use these panels to make?" And the answer is anything you can make with a rectangle or square.... which is a lot.
Here are two videos where I show what you can make with color pooling panels
Click on the pictures to get to the videos
And now.... The List!
Save this page and check back often, I will continue to collect my color pooling "trading cards" and add them to this list as time goes on. I have broken them down by brand and then the colors are alphabetical within each brand. If there is an asterisk next to the name, there is a sample of it at the bottom of the section. If it is underlined, there is a link to where you can find it online. You can hover over each picture to find the name or click on it to get more info if I have any available.
THE LIST
Bamboo Pop (Cotton and Bamboo) Bouquet*
Bernat Baby Sport (Acrylic)
Bernat Blanket Color Pooling (Polyester) Buffalo Plaid* Cloud Tartan Eggplant Forest Plaid Gray White Highland Green
Bernat Softee Chunky (Acrylic) Denim Kimono Nature's Way Shadow* Stillness Summerset*
Bernat Premium (Acrylic) Bittersweet* Highland Ridge
Bernat Super Value (Acrylic)
Renegade - Camouflage*
Big Twist (Acrylic) Chunky City Pathway
Big Twist (Cotton) Multi Rosy Cheeks*
Caron Jumbo (Acrylic) Country Basket* Foliage*
Shady Lane*
Spicey Ombre*
Caron Simply Soft (Acrylic) Blue Camo Country Blue Ombre Red Camo* Snow Camo Winter Camo Woodland Camo
Caron Simply Soft Paints (Acrylic) Night Camo Sunset
Caron Simply Soft Stripes (Acrylic) Golden Gate Bridge*
Crafters Secret (Cotton) Happy Day * Desert Gold * Pink Camo
Craftsmart Value Multi (Acrylic) Peach Tree*
I Love This Yarn (Acrylic) Iced Sugar Ombre*
Ombre Green Camo*
Ice (Acrylic) Gumball* (multiple colors available)
Impeccable Loops & Threads (Acrylic) Apricot Multi*
Eco Forest* Fresh Lilac* Folklore Luxury Neapolitan Pixie Bloom* Rainbow Bright* Sage Butter Stillness Summerset Tropical Storm
Lion Brand Basic Stitch (Acrylic) Buffalo Hill*
Lion Brand Bundle of Love (Acrylic)
Lion Brand Color Waves (Acrylic and Wool) Playground*
Twilight*
Mainstays (Acrylic) Black Multi* Blue Multi*
Chenille Chunky Teal* Pink Multi Purple Multi
Peaches & Cream (Cotton) Floral Fantasy Tropical Sea Winterberry* Yuletide
Premier Everyday Plaid (Acrylic) Any color... they are all made for pooling
Pullskein (Acrylic) Jungle Fever*
Red Heart Soft (Acrylic)
Bohemian*
Red Heart Super Saver (Acrylic) Americana Antique Bright Mix Cherry Chip Chocolate Chip Country Blue Day Glow Earth & Sky Fall * French Country Gemstone Heartfelt Icelandic* Lotus Marrakesh Mexicana* Mirage* Mistletoe* Neon Stripes* Ocean Pastels Pink Camo * Platoon Plum Pudding Primary Stripes* Sedona Shaded Dusk* Starbright Stars & Stripes Sunrise Sunset Waterlily Wedgewood Wildflower* Woodsy Zebra *
Red Heart Super Saver Pooling (Acrylic) Berry * Carnival Haute Papaya* Party Stillwater*
Red Heart With Love (Acrylic) Autumn Beachy Delightful Echo Fruit Punch Lavender Lavender Ivy Lemon Drop Parade Plum Jam Water Lily
Sugar & Cream (Cotton) Azalea
Christmas
Coral Seas* Creamsicle* Early American Ombre*
Earth Ombre* Emerald Energy* Fruit Punch Moondance* Pink Camo
Yarn Bee Soft Secret Ombre (Acrylic) Blueberry Hill * Gold Dust Harvest Season Seabreeze Whisper
Yarn Bee Soft and Sleek (Acrylic) Windswept Wishes*
The Unknowns
These were either gifted to me or I found them in my stash and just tried pooling with them but I don't know for sure what they are. Hover over them to see any clues I might have for you and if you know them, please comment the name for me so we can put them where they belong.
I hope you have found this list and the videos above helpful. If you would like to add to the list, comment below. If you would like to show me pictures, come join me on my Facebook Group at Ginell's Quarantine Crochet or check out the rest of my videos on my YouTube Channel.
Thank you for doing all these patterns, I'm in my first month of color pooling. Your videos and blogs are very helpful. I was wondering if you had tried Grapefizz Red Heart super saver? This one has me stumped!! It's in time out because I can't figure it out!