sweetgeorgia

Dyed in the Wool

Thanks for everybody’s lovely suggestions for dyes and dyeing! Good thing yard sale season will soon be upon us — I have cheap pots and microwaves on my mind…

Thankfully, we had dry weather on Good Friday, so I spent the afternoon mixing up the dye powders (I bought the Washfast Acid dyes from Maiwa Handprints at the Net Loft on Granville Island — about $5 CDN for 30g) and making dye stock solutions. I’m messy. Even in chem lab at university, with their lovely and expensive glassware, I was always spilling stuff. Things haven’t changed — good thing I also wore the dust mask.

I mixed up the five colours that I bought: magenta, purple, royal blue, yellow and gold yellow. The 1% dye stocks are in labelled glass jars now. I also diluted a portion to make 0.5% dye solutions which are stored in plastic squeeze bottles now.

As per the instructions at “The Dye Pot”, I soaked the roving for about 45 minutes in cool water with a drop of Synthrapol (mental note: soak in vinegar next time, not Synthrapol — soap causes felting, acid prevents felting!), then coiled up the damp roving in the 5 qt. crockpot. I squeezed the different colours onto each layer and then left the yellow rovings at the top so that the magenta wouldn’t bleed into everything… Also per the instructions, I dumped 2 cups of vinegar + water over top…

Ummm, that would likely explain why the yellow ran into pretty much everything, creating orange and rust colours along with some pretty vibrant purples and plums:

It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting…but it’s growing on me now. I think the biggest disappointment was that a large portion of the wool at the bottom of the pot was dyed such a dark dark violet that it looks black. Also, the pale yellow on brownish roving looks a little muddy. But here it is being spun up:

And here are more KoolAid Corriedale rovings that I’ve spun:

Oh! And of course, I have been knitting! I finally found a copy of the Rebecca 29 (I know, I know, some people have already finished their wrap cardis) and started the mohair wrap cardi in the Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Mohair. It’s been a fast knit and I’m almost finished the back piece. And happily, the mohair is much softer and fluffier when it’s knit up then when it’s on the ball. Mmm.

Dyeing for the weekend

So I’m planning on exploring TOXIC, non-food-safe dyes. Exciting! I have some decisions to make now.

Pretty Colours

For dyes, should I pick Lanaset or Washfast Ciba Acid dyes? Lanaset is nearly double the price of the Washfast Ciba but apparently it’s like the Rolls-Royce of dye powders… more vibrant, etc.

Heat it up

And then, for heating it all up, should I get a 5 qt. crockpot or the 8 qt. turkey roaster. Both are the same price — $29 CDN. I thought about getting big stainless steel pots and heating it up on the stove, but really, I don’t want the dyes in the kitchen at all.

Hmmm…for anyone who’s been through this before, your suggestions are most welcome!

Handspun Skeins

Mmmm, love that Kool Aid scented yarn. This weekend, I spent a bit of time Navajo-plying my spun singles (while watching “Suicide Club”, a nasty, horrific Japanese movie). I definitely need practice with Navajo-plying — rather than getting three perfectly intertwined strands, I’m often getting two beautifully plied strands and a third that wraps around the first two. Definitely need practice… but first, I want to try a simple two-ply. That’ll be next.

Highgate Complete!

Dashed were my initial plans to Kitchener the collar together… I think I just got lazy and was in a rush to finish, so I used the three-needle bind off instead. The join of the centre back of the collar to the back piece is a little off centre, but I just left it rather than ripping and re-sewing. I’m surprising myself with how laid back I’m getting about finishing — perfectionism doesn’t live here anymore.

But I love how it fits! It’s soft and fuzzy — mmm, just in time for springtime. Here it is!

And I never win anything…

Although, the night before, I dreamt that I won the $16 million lottery. Yeah, woke up and realized it never happened… boo hoo. But just as nice? I won Julie’s contest for suggestions on what to make with Kidsilk Haze in Dewberry. Fun! Thanks Julie!