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Melange

heather, marl, mixed yarn effect

Colour effect produced by blending yarns of different shades. Creates speckled or mottled tones, not uniform in colour.

Embroidery on melange baseNon-uniform colour by definition
Definition

Melange (or marl) is a colour effect produced by blending or twisting yarns of different colours before knitting or weaving. The result is a fabric with non-uniform colour, with small visible variations that give depth and a natural quality to the garment.

Unlike a solid-colour fabric where all yarns share the same dye, melange combines light and dark threads (or different tones) that coexist in the same knit or weave. Classic grey melange, for example, blends white and black yarns: from a distance it reads as grey, but close up reveals its two-tone structure. The technique applies to cotton, wool and technical yarns alike; on beanies it is especially widespread as it exploits the natural texture of knitwear. Embroidery customisation works well on a melange base; screen printing requires careful attention to the underlying tones.