Upstream from a Sock Blank

When I got the last KnitPicks catalog, I was facinated by their new sock blank product and technique of dyeing them. I've heard about this in blogs and magazines, but it never occurred to me that I could actually make my own until now.

First I unwound 2 skeins of KnitPicks sock yarn into 2 loose piles. Then I slipped the 3.5 keyplate on my Bond knitting machine, and double stranded the yarn to knit one long sock blank. I immediately realized that the blank was longer than my kitchen table, so I unraveled half of it, which left me enough for one pair of socks.

I soaked the blank overnight in tap water, then squeezed it in a towel. Next, I placed the blank on on plastic wrap, then mixed up approximately 1 packet of Kool-Aid per every 1/2 cup of water, and applied the solution with a sponge brush. Then I carfully rolled up the blank in the plastic wrap, and nuked the whole thing at 30 second intervals, flipping it over each time, until the plastic wrap looked like it was going to burst. Finally, I let the whole thing cool overnight in the wrap.

After unwrapping it, I rinsed it, squeezed the water out in a towel. Most people let the whole blank dry, and then work their socks directly from the blank as it's unraveled, but then the yarn is kinky. I prefer working with straight yarn, so I carefully unraveled it while still wet, then wound it back into hanks, and let them dry before rolling them into balls.


The dye didn't quite penetrate the yarn completely, either from knitting too tightly, or perhaps I could've squished more dye solution into the yarn. The yarn has little light and white blotches, but still, I like the way it knits up with a mottled hand-dyed look.

I've decided to work the Upstream Master Sock pattern from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I've finished the toe, and now am ready to begin the increases. I haven't decided yet whether I just want to work the increase triangle in plain stockinette, or some sort of stitch pattern to show off the unusual construction. Stay tuned!

Dyeing with Red #3

After many frustrations with hot pink pots, spoons, wash water, and eventually fading pink yarn, I finally figured out how to dye with that tricky red #3 - a beautiful bright watermelon pink that also makes the violet lovely as well.

It's all because red #3 dyes at a lower acidity than the rest of the colors, so here's how I did it....

I added a washed & soaked skein of Paton's Classic Merino to a 4 qt. pot filled with 3 qts. of cool water w/ 1 tsp of Wilton's violet (red #3 & blue #1) dissolved in it. Hint: Wilton dissolves faster in a little hot water, then add to the dyepot.

I started with 2 tbsp of vinegar, and heated to almost boiling, then turned it down to the lowest temp, just below simmer. I let that sit for about 30 minutes, then the water turned blue as the red absorbed, but the blue didn't. Then every 20 minutes or so, I added 2 more tbsp of vinegar, until I was up to 10 tbsp, when the water finally turned clear as the blue completely absorbed.

I let the whole thing cool overnight in the pot - I hear that makes the dye set better. I washed and rinsed the whole thing the next morning, and though the yarn was slightly varigated with different hues of purple, not a speck of pink residue was left behind.

Flower Pattern, Yarn Dyeing, and Knitting Machine Love

It's been a great day! I've been playing with DD, playing with yarn, and even doing a little housework. Now we're about to bake some chocolate brownies, and while we're waiting, try the new Latin flavor Kool-Aids on wool.



FELTED CROCHET FLOWER PATTERN UPDATE!

You'll need worsted or aran weight 100% wool yarn, size J (6.0mm) crochet hook
(or yarn weight of choice, using a hook 1 size larger than recommended), and a yarn needle

To yarn as in photo (enough for 3 flowers): For each color, wind off 36 yards of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, tie each in a loose hank, place each in its own microwavable coffee cup, fill with water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, then let soak for 30 mins. Next dissolve 1 packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid in Cherry, Orange, and Pineapple respectively. *Microwave until it starts to boil, rest for a few minutes, repeat from * until water is colorless. Let cool completely, rinse carfully, hang dry out of the sun, and....

pop = popcorn (sc 4 times in same st, remove hook from loop, insert hook into 1st sc, then into loop, yo, and pull through both

Start with an adjustable ring. With this tutorial link, end with step 6.

Rnd 1: ch-1, sc 10 times into ring, ss to 1st sc, tighten ring

Rnd 2: ch-1, (sc, pop) 5 times, ss to 1st sc (10 sts)

Rnd 3: ch-1, 2 sc in each st around, ss to 1st sc (20 sts),
fasten off yarn

Rnd 4: (work entire rnd in front loops only) join new yarn with ss in any st of rnd 3, (ch-2, 2 dc in next st, 2 tc in next st, 2 dc in next st, ch-2, ss in next st) 5 times (5 petals made), fasten off yarn

Rnd 5: (working behind rnd 4, work entire rnd in back loops of rnd 3) join new yarn with ss at same st as the join of rnd 4, (ch-4, 2 dtc in next st, 2 ttc in next st, 2 dtc in next st, ch-4, ss in next st) 5 times (5 petals made), fasten off yarn and weave in ends

These are easily felted by hand. Fill 1 bowl with the hottest water you can stand with gloved hands plus a squirt of liquid dishsoap, and 1 bowl of ice water. *Immerse flower in hot water, rubbing it vigorously for a few minutes, then immerse and rub in ice water for a minute.* Repeat from * to * until felted as desired. Keep the hot water as hot as possible for fastest felting. Press in a towel to remove excess water, and lay flat to dry.

Single color option: Omit "fasten off yarn" and "join new yarn with ss" steps. At beg of rnd 5, begin w/ ss in the back loop of rnd 3

Popcornless option: These can be difficult, so just replace "pop" with "sc" to simplify!

Abbreviations: rnd=round; ch=chain; st=stitch; yo=yarn over; ss=slip stitch; sc=single crochet; dc=double crochet; tc=treble crochet; dtc=double treble crochet; ttc=triple treble crochet

---

Here DD and I dyed some kitchen cotton in the colors of my kitchen: cranberry, pine, & mahogany. I'll make some dishcloths from this, and if they're too pretty, I hope I'll have the nerve to use them.


Here's a little experiment with a lace pattern I slightly modified from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments. Also, I finally tried a picot bind-off, and I can see great potential! I was thinking about making a shawl from this prototype, perhaps in a Valentine color, but would a heart lace shawl look corny?


You know your man loves you when he buys you yarn and knitting books, but THIS???



My man took a brand-new tool cart (toolheads swear by Mac), modified it by adding a tabletop, and voila, I have a knitting machine worktable. This man doesn't just love me, this man is obsessed with my obsessions. I'm marrying him!

Dyeing for Yarn

Apparently dyeing yarn is all the rage now, so I ventured into my first wool dyeing project.

I measured the yardage on my homemade hank maker, then gently washed the yarn with dish soap. For each color, I mixed 1 tsp. of gel food color, ¼ c. vinegar, ¾ c. water. I dipped 150 yards of wool in 4 sections, microwaved it in a covered glass casserole dish for a few minutes until boiling, rested for a few minutes, brought it to boiling again, then kept it covered until it completely cooled. After a final rinsing and air-drying, Raven and I ooh'ed and aah'ed the rainbow yarn, but there were a few brown spots where I slipped and all the colors blended together, so I dunked the whole thing in the blue dye and started over. This peacock mix is much prettier!

Then we tried dyeing with Kool-Aid. Since it's acidic, I didn't have to use vinegar, so my kitchen smelled like artificial fruit instead of a pickle factory! I mixed 1 packet of each in ½ c. of water, but I was disappointed in the pale yellow of the lemonade, so I added a generous squirt of food color to liven it up. I wound five 32 yd hanks, painted 1 rainbow, and fully dipped the rest in each color Using the same microwave technique, I produced much of the same vibrant colors. If you're interested in trying this too....

www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

www.woolworks.org/dyeing.html

After reading a few labels, I've learned that all these methods utilize only four dyes - Red 40, Red 3, Blue 1, and Yellow 5. Every Kool-Aid color is just different ratios of these dyes. I was disappointed in the grayish-purple product of blue and red, so I'm hoping I can find a better purple with egg dyes. When Easter is over, my friend Gina suggested stocking up the kits if they work. She is always full of good ideas!

Now I have even more yarn, yikes, but I've never tried knitting with 100% wool before. I plan on making some thick colorful socks, learning the double-circular toe-up method. I'm also daydream-designing a rainbow scarf or shawl. Eventually, I will attempt intarsia or fair isle, since colorful patterns make me very happy! Sigh... so much to learn, so much to knit, so little time.



The other day, I was digging through boxes, looking for my sewing gear (in moving over the years, I have yet to fully unpack) and found my first skein of yarn, bought for Raven's craft projects. I considered saving it as a souvenir, but it's only Red Heart, so I'm crocheting as many granny squares as possible, to make a poncho for her. When will I ever make something for ME besides a scarf? I had no idea I was this generous! As they say, it's better to give....