Shut Up & Knit!

How about some blue skies yarn?

I dyed that Thursday, using KoolAid and my solar dyeing method.

I set the yarn and dye in the pot around eight in the morning and left it out to sit and cook in the sun.  I went back for it the next morning and found that all the color had been taken up by the yarn and everything was nice and cool.  Since I was not using superwash wool, the cool part was very important.

The very hot weather did a wonderful job of cooking the yarn for me.  The jury is still out on the color.  I think I'll need to see it knit up before I know if it's done or has to go back into the dye pot.  Since it's barely July, I have plenty of time to decide what I'm going to do.

Today is much cooler than it's been all week.  It is such a blessing to have a break in the weather.  Cool fresh air really is fabulous, ya know.  Even if it takes baking hot temps to make me realize just how fab the coolness truly is.

I'm enjoying the cooler weather and gorgeous breeze by being fairly lazy today.  It really is a nice break from all the craziness, stress and weirdness that seems to fill my days.  There will be some sock knitting this afternoon and, hopefully, some cat cuddling since it is cooler. 

Tomorrow the Sunday Socks... whether ya'll want it or not.  :p

I've been dyeing again, Bloglines

I love dyeing yarn, and I'm taking advantage of our cool mornings and warm afternoons.  Plus it's a wonderful way to hide from the garden.  And I do want to knit a few more things for Dulaan before I have to send off that box.  Why not dye the yarn for those things?

Yes, I really can rationalize anything.

It's a gift.  :D

Currently knitting on a hat and pondering that sock pattern that Seinfeld would have dated.  I restarted in another yarn, but I don't think the pattern fits with the new yarn.  I hate it when projects don't fall into place perfectly.

Yes, still boring, but it's better than being exciting, right?

News... sorta

I decided to give Cozy one more try last night.

It went surprisingly well, and I ended up knitting on it for a couple of hours.  I am almost back to where I was before I had to frog.  I'm feeling hopeful this time around.

It will end up biting me on the ass, but a little hopefulness never hurt anyone.

I taught my mother how to dye yarn the other day.  It went better than I had thought it would.  I see a lot of Kool Aid in my future.

She had been curious to see what I've dyed in the past.  In fact, she loves the house socks I made out of my re-dyed yarn.  She hints broadly about them.  I love playing dumb.

I finally got her to see the light regarding yarns for making socks.  She had been using this nasty stuff that she had made afghans out of.  I'm sorry, but I will not live long enough to see the virtue in a worsted weight acrylic sock.

Trust me.

She fell in love with the grape Kool Aid socks I made.  I soaked the yarn in hair conditioner after dyeing, so the yarn is very soft.  I think that's what got her.  Compared to the acrylic, my home-dyed wool is like the softest happiest baby alpaca.

No... really.

The Grape Socks

This dangerous thing happened when I got comfy with the idea of home dyeing yarn.

I got fearless.

It's only wool.

It's only yarn.

I can always redye it... and how bad could it be anyway?

<~  Grape Kool Aid dyed worsted weight wool yarn

Dyed without soaking or vinegar. 

It is not in sunlight. 

It is variegated.

I think that's my thing.  Scary, huh?  I can't get stripes to work and I like variegated.  You know what you're getting, but you're not totally sure how it will knit up.   

Much better than my one and only try at making self-striping.  Yes, Dave, I will try that again, but not any time soon.  I will also return to Wilton icing tint at some point.  Right now, I'm enjoying my time with the Kool Aid, thankyou.

The socks are my 44 stitch version of the Sock Class sock.  See other post for linky.  I'm too tired and grumpy to go look it up now.  I like how they knitted up.  Like that I made them long enough to fold over the cuff.  Unlike the house socks I made for myself.  *L*

Oddly, they did not smell during the cooking process.  However, they did smell while I was knitting.

A lot.

As a child, grape was always my flavor of choice.  However, now... not so much.  It will be a long time before I use that color again.

These socks are living in my knitting basket in a zip bag til they can be sent off as a giftie.  The friend who is getting them said grape was her favorite KA flavor.  That's how I picked it. 

Oh!  And when I put the color on the dry yarn, it turned a rather worrying shade of grey.  I thought how proud y'all would be when I came back to tell you I had made grey yarn.  The three of you are so supportive and lovely, I knew the grey yarn would get a warm reception.

Thankfully, during the cooking process, it turned grapey.

Yes, that's a word.

Now the three of you can pretend you're happy to see the grape socks. *L*

♥

Black Cherry Kool Aid Socks

Remember when KnittOtter posted about yarn abuse?

<~  That's what happened to that skein of yarn

It took me over an hour to untangle that skein of 440 yards of fingering weight yarn, but I did it.  I am nothing if not stubborn and patient.

I used my lovely swift and ball winder... and the swift again to make a hank that I could dye with.

I used Black Cherry Kool Aid without vinegar and used the steam method to cook it.  I added extra color just before putting the yarn on to steam because I wasn't happy with the color it was.    That's how I got the varigations.

I like them, btw.

No... really.

What I did not like was the smell of the yarn while steaming.  It was not a good afternoon.  Thankfully, it ended soon enough and I was able to put it out of my mind while the yarn dried in the garage.

You know those friends that we have who are totally amazing in every way and you can never think of what to get them or how to show them how much you love them?  Yeah, I'm a luck girl.  I have a few.  Tomorrow, one of them is having a birthday.  A simple thing that happens to us all every year... whether we want it or not.

I could not think of what to get her or make her.  She has gotten a lap quilt and a cross stitch piece in the past.  I decided socks could work as part of her present.  I used the above yarn because she knows KnittyOtter also and because I thought the color might be good for her.  Plus she's one of those people that is always cold.

They are a version of the Sock Class sock that I can make in my sleep at this point.  I hope that's a good thing.  I think only time will tell.  I used size 3 Brittany DPNs and it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. 

Thank goodness for Law & Order: Criminal Intent marathons.  *L*  While I will never get that weekend back, I did make some pretty nice socks.  I think that makes it worth it.

And, no, the picture does not do the socks justice.  Just be thankful that I could work the camera that day.   I am. 

 

That and my beloved friend claims to like them.  I think she was touched that I went to the trouble.  Frankly, how could I not?  I love her dearly and cannot express it to her in terms that she would understand.

See...  still an emotional knitter.