Lately I have been sharing lots of assigned pooling colorways and patterns, but each time I do, a few people ask what exactly this assigned pooling thing is. I thought it would be good to explain what it is from the beginning.

Assigned pooling is a fairly new technique that has taken the knitting world by storm, and crocheters are starting to make use of it too. The designer who really brought it to the fore in the world of knitting is Dawn Barker of Barker Wool. Ever since I saw Dawn Barker’s Float pattern, I have been in love with this technique. It’s fun, it’s unique, and the end results are really beautiful.

It all starts with the dye method. The idea is to dye a hank of yarn such that about three-quarters of the yarn “circle” is dyed in one color or set of colors. That part is referred to as the main color. The other quarter is dyed in a distinctly different color or set of colors. That part is referred to as the accent color. Here is an example of an assigned pooling colorway:

As you can see, the yellow at the top is the accent color while the blues and greens in the rest of the skein form the main color.

When it comes to knitting or crocheting with yarn dyed for assigned pooling, you do a different stitch or stitch combination whenever you get to the accent color.

Here’s that same colorway (Van Gogh’s Starry Night) knit into Dawn Barker’s Float shawl:

The background is knit in stockinette, and whenever you get to the yellow part, you do a floret stitch. Then when you are done with the yellow, you go back to knitting stockinette. This is just one of Dawn’s fabulous patterns. She has lots of different techniques that you can use with a skein of yarn dyed for assigned pooling.

Let me show you another example. This skein is Monet’s Water Lilies. It actually has several colors in common with Starry Night. Here is the skein laid out so you can see what’s going on:

…and here is a sample I knit using a couple different stitch combinations. The little spheres near the top are a bobble stitch I made, and the open stitches near the bottom are double-elongated stitches, which are super easy to do.

I used these same two techniques in my Metamorphosis Shawl. In fact, I’ve really been wanting to make a second Metamorphosis Shawl using Monet’s Water Lilies with Lilac.

When it comes to crochet, I think we’re probably just at the beginning of the trend. It seems like such a match made in Heaven, but there’s not a lot out there yet. There are a few lovely patterns though. Here is a crocheted project that Donna of Fig Basket Crochet worked up:

Down below I’ll include some assigned pooling patterns for both knit and crochet.

Is Assigned Pooling the Same as Planned Pooling?

I’m glad you asked! They are actually not the same thing, though I have heard a few people use the terms interchangeably. To the best of my knowledge, Planned Pooling for crochet was made popular by Marly Bird. Here is a blog post with instructions for how to do it. For knitting, Laura Bryant created the technique. She wrote a book called Artful Color, Mindful Knits where she shows how to do different planned pooling techniques.

With planned pooling, you can make argyles like this:

For knitting, you have to figure out how many stitches it takes to knit a single repeat of all the colors and then cast on a stitch or two more or less than that to get the argyle look. Unlike assigned pooling, you want to stick with the same stitches throughout to get it to work correctly. It’s fascinating and fun, but it can be a little tricky to get it right when you first try.

For planned pooling, you need a yarn that is dyed in sections. In my shop I call them block variegated colorways where you get the same colors repeated again and again. I like it best with somewhere between three and five colors around hank.

Long story short, it’s a beautiful technique, but it is very different from assigned pooling even though the names are similar.

How Do I Get Started?

You’ll need yarn dyed specifically for assigned pooling. Some dyers just use the initials “AP”. I have lots of different assigned pooling colorways, and other indie dyers do too. Here are the ones I have in stock right now:

You can see all the assigned pooling colorways in my shop right here. I have many of the colorways on several different yarn bases, and I just finished dyeing fresh batches of several of them.

Assigned Pooling Patterns

I put together a list of of crochet and knitting patterns made specifically for assigned pooling.

Assigned Pooling Patterns for Crochet

• Playful Popcorn Scarf by Bonnie Bay Crochet
• Crescent Puff by Knitting Fairy Godmother
• Stonefield Scarf by Heather Stagl
• The Heartbeat Shawl by Kopko Crochet
• The Bubble Wrap by Kopko Crochet

Assigned Pooling Patterns for Knitting

• All of Dawn Barker’s Assigned Pooling Patterns – They are all awesome!
• Pools of Color by Deborah Bowanko – This beautiful lacy shawl was designed by Debbi and uses an assigned pooling colorway with a semi-solid border.
• The Long Way Round by Carla Hanson – This one is mine, and it is a great first pattern for assigned pooling with just one skein and double-elongated stitches.
• Knitting by the Pool Ponchette by Carla Hanson – This is a 2-skein project with an assigned pooling section that uses double-elongated stitches and a section that uses a semi-solid or variegated colorway.
• Metamorphosis Shawl by Carla Hanson – This one is my favorite. It uses an assigned pooling colorway plus a semi-solid or variegated colorway. It uses two different assigned pooling stitches (double-elongated and a bauble stitch) along with some lovely lacy stitches for the other colorway. There’s nothing too difficult, but it is a little time-consuming.
• Turn It to the Max by Joanne Bint
• Daisy Chain Socks by Marilyn Woodruff
• Sunrise Sunset Assigned Pooling Cowl by Cris Platto
• Puffapod Beanie and Cowl by Jenny Noto

What If I Want to Knit or Crochet “Normally” with Yarn Dyed for Assigned Pooling?

So far we’ve been talking about how to use assigned pooling yarn for assigning pooling patterns, but what if you happen to be the proud owner of a skein of assigned pooling yarn that you want to use for something else? Can this be done? Happily, the answer is yes! Here are a few of my assigned pooling colorways knit up in plain old stockinette:

Can I Combine Assigned Pooling with “Regular” Knit or Crochet?

Yes! Yes, you can. In fact, this is my favorite things to do. Once you’re comfortable with assigned pooling, you can take many regular patterns and add an assigned pooling element–either throughout the whole project or for a portion of it. Again, you’ll need yarn dyed for assigned pooling, but then you can just add your favorite assigned pooling stitch to the regular pattern when you get to the accent color.

You can also combine assigned pooling yarn with variegated or semi-solid colorways. I did that in my Knitting by the Pool Ponchette and my Metamorphosis Shawl designs. It’s especially nice if you choose another colorway that matches the assigned pooling/accent color in the yarn. I put together some photos to show you what I mean.

Do you have other questions about assigned pooling? Please email me with them so I can answer your questions–or find the answers.

Whether you get the yarn from me or another indie dyer, I hope you will give assigned pooling a try! It’s just so much fun!

On a Personal Note

I’m going to be taking a little time off between now and Easter, which is why I’m sending the newsletter a day early this week. I’ll still be checking my email a couple times a day, and I’ll still be packaging your orders, but other than that I’m going to try to stay off my computer and phone. I hope you have a very happy Easter!