Aurifil Thread Colors - confused
06-24-2016, 01:52 PM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 3,252
Matching dye lots (or not) has always been something to be aware of whether it is fabric , knitting yarn, thread, etc. When buying any of these products it is always recommended to buy the amount you will need for a certain project at one time because there can be differences in dye lots. If you underestimate, it can be a problem. If you just like a color and want to use it again for a different project, differing dye lots shouldn't have too much impact.
06-24-2016, 07:07 PM
#12
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
Ok, so I went to a 90-minute Aurifil lecture today & learned more than I ever thought was possible about thread ... only to realize I still know only a fraction of what there is to know.
First of all, there have been no recent changes in the manufacturing plant. Second of all, it is made in Italy just as it always has been. So we can put to rest any idea that they are now making the thread in some substandard third world warehouse with people who don't know the first thing about dyes (although, let's be honest, that's where most of our fabrics come from & they are still quite lovely ... just wholly toxic to the workers making them, which is why the plants can't exist in the US).
Aurifil thread is actually certified as non-toxic. The process is -- and long has been -- the forefront of thread technology. Almost every part of the process is automated. I remember seeing on Aurifil's website & social media in the past that in years where the previous growing season was a drought, that affected how the cotton took the dye. They only buy top-rated extra long staple Egyptian cotton, but they buy enormous bales of it. Sometimes pickers will manage to sneak in some second-rate cotton in the batch in drought years & it's not practical to catch every time that happens. Aurifil pulls the lower quality cotton if found during spot checks or if someone happens to notice it at just the right time, but it does get through on occasion. If you have a problem with the quality of a batch of Aurifil, they are very good about quickly replacing it & extending excellent customer service (as other members of the board can attest).
Any time you are working with cotton, even if you have the exact same dye lot, there will be variations in the color. I have found Aurifil colors to generally be very consistent. I don't look at dye lot numbers & I've never had issues from one spool to the next, but they aren't exactly identical either.
#2000 is an Indanthren color, which tend to be more consistent than the Reactive colors. The ones that are least consistent are the sand-blasted threads that are variegated single color threads (#'s 3910, 3920, 4150, 4250, 3660, 3840, 3770, 4060, 3320) because the process is considered artistic & no two spools are alike.
First of all, there have been no recent changes in the manufacturing plant. Second of all, it is made in Italy just as it always has been. So we can put to rest any idea that they are now making the thread in some substandard third world warehouse with people who don't know the first thing about dyes (although, let's be honest, that's where most of our fabrics come from & they are still quite lovely ... just wholly toxic to the workers making them, which is why the plants can't exist in the US).
Aurifil thread is actually certified as non-toxic. The process is -- and long has been -- the forefront of thread technology. Almost every part of the process is automated. I remember seeing on Aurifil's website & social media in the past that in years where the previous growing season was a drought, that affected how the cotton took the dye. They only buy top-rated extra long staple Egyptian cotton, but they buy enormous bales of it. Sometimes pickers will manage to sneak in some second-rate cotton in the batch in drought years & it's not practical to catch every time that happens. Aurifil pulls the lower quality cotton if found during spot checks or if someone happens to notice it at just the right time, but it does get through on occasion. If you have a problem with the quality of a batch of Aurifil, they are very good about quickly replacing it & extending excellent customer service (as other members of the board can attest).
Any time you are working with cotton, even if you have the exact same dye lot, there will be variations in the color. I have found Aurifil colors to generally be very consistent. I don't look at dye lot numbers & I've never had issues from one spool to the next, but they aren't exactly identical either.
#2000 is an Indanthren color, which tend to be more consistent than the Reactive colors. The ones that are least consistent are the sand-blasted threads that are variegated single color threads (#'s 3910, 3920, 4150, 4250, 3660, 3840, 3770, 4060, 3320) because the process is considered artistic & no two spools are alike.
06-25-2016, 05:09 AM
#14
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 17,693
To clarify what I stated earlier, I contacted the Canadian distributor ... Aurifil changed their plant locations a few years ago, from Italy to Italy! 
With that change, some of the variegateds did change colours/hues/tones, but the plains pretty much stayed the same.
To identify the difference production locations, looking at the labels on the spools, smaller print was used at the older plant, and thus larger for thread made at the new plant. Without two spools in front of you it is hard to know that difference, but those of us with a thread stash may find some of both!
If you have a colour chart dated 2015, it is representative of the new plant and any of the changed colours.
As for colour numbers and dye lots, please see post #4.
Hope this helps.
With that change, some of the variegateds did change colours/hues/tones, but the plains pretty much stayed the same.To identify the difference production locations, looking at the labels on the spools, smaller print was used at the older plant, and thus larger for thread made at the new plant. Without two spools in front of you it is hard to know that difference, but those of us with a thread stash may find some of both!
If you have a colour chart dated 2015, it is representative of the new plant and any of the changed colours.
As for colour numbers and dye lots, please see post #4.
Hope this helps.
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