Silk Mittens with Dyelot Issues

Let's discuss dye lots shall we?
You know how you often see those messages on patterns or even on yarn that state: Make sure you buy enough to finish your project in case of dyelot changes? Well, the same applies if you are dyeing your own fiber for a project.

Let's examine my silk mittens. These are knit from silk hankies or mawatas that have been pulled out into a yarn-like thickness and then knit. There's no spinning involved. They've been pretty popular the last few years. When I thought about trying the process, I couldn't just run out and buy the fiber already dyed, no, I had to try dyeing it myself.

It really is a fairly simple process, the same as dyeing any other animal fiber. Notice the difference though? The top of the left mitten (they are interchangeable, it's just the left one in the photos) and the thumb are darker. Yup, I ran out of dyed mawatas and had to dye more. I didn't get them to come out exactly the same but to me, it was close enough so I decided to just use them anyway. It's silk after all, you don't want to waste it! The color was dubbed "Mermaid's Tears" by a friend at Knit night and I think that's funny so it stuck. You can find my Rav page about them here.
I think the color is close enough that it doesn't really bother me that it's a little different but when I finished them and showed them to my dad, the first thing he said was, "How come the top of that mitten is a different color?"
*sigh* Muggles.
Ah well, they will still be lovely this winter.
Speaking of silk though, I  have agreed to teach a class at the Upper Midwest Fall Fiber Fest this year. It's all about silk! Here is the Ravelry group for the Festival, although my class is not listed yet, if you're interested, keep an eye out.