Labour of Love
####Dye Day
Mmm, _love_ long weekends. And this time, I actually took the whole weekend off. What a fantastic feeling. I spent all Saturday morning mixing up dye stock and dyeing fibre with my lovely turkey roaster…
There was some sock yarn dyeing… I was trying out some of the new dye colours that I picked up including Black, Brown, Navy and Scarlet. Mmm, it’s a nice change from my all-purple/all-pink rut, eh?
I also tried to dye some Tussah silk to match the [silk roving that I'm spinning for the Lotus Blossom Shawl](http://blog.sweetgeorgiayarns.com/archives/2005/08/from_the_fold.html). However, the silk I used was honey-beige coloured to start with, so my final colours are a little “warmer” than the pack of Treenway silk I bought. The idea is to ply the two together, but I’m wondering about how that might look overall — one “cool” ply and one “warm” ply.
It’s pretty amazing that the ratty looking just-dyed silk can immediately puff up into this soft, billowy roving. Just pre-draft a little and it looks buttery and smooth. Must get some more silk to dye!
####River Stole
Finally, I did cast on for River on September 1st and am now at five repeats. I’ve memorized the chart now, but still make mistakes when I’m in a rush. My advice for mistakes? Tink back entire rows and re-knit. I made the mistake of missing a couple of those massive YOs and tried to frog down the rows to insert them, but it just made me crazy. Those YOs are so large and all the stitches are so big and floppy that it’s easy to distort them. It can make you go blind and, _hello_, [I need my eyesight.](http://www.fox.com/oc/)
####Holz & Stein Needles
After posting about my new ebony needles, I received tons of messages asking about where to buy these needles. So here you go: . If you can read German, awesome. If not, Susanne writes perfect English, so just email her.
Love the sock yarn – dyeing is so terribly addictive. I’ve still got a bunch of superwash wool thats waiting for some acid dyes.
I really enjoy reading your blog. Your photos are lovely, so is your knitting and your spinning and colour combinations, and – - and – - and I look forward to seeing what comes of the silk.
Lovely sock yarn and the silk is gorgeous. Do you think it will be very noticable if you have a warm and cool plied together? Or will it be more a debth of color kind of thing? I e-mailed Susanne at least a week ago and haven’t heard from her – I hope she e-mails me back soon. I want some needles! River looks great – another good color choice. And Birch, what can I say – lovely.
I’ve been lurking around here now for a couple of weeks. I must say, your dye job is fabulous! So, so pretty.
I’m envious of your Birch, and River also.
Your pictures are intoxicating! I am enjoying them as much as your blog.
Hi, I’ve been lurking for a while too, but that sock yarn has brought me out. It looks positively gorgeous! How smooth are the joins on the ebony needles? Wait, no, don’t tell me. I don’t need more needles!
Felicia, your sock yarn is unbeleivably beautiful. I especially love the aqua/brown combo and the black/grey/brown skein. Gorgeous!
The sock yarn dye-results look so professional!
I am in love with your sock yarn! Especially the blue/brown combo. Fantastic!
That sock yarn has got to be some of the most gorgeous stuff I’ve ever seen.
And your River Stole? Well let’s just say it makes mine look like poo. (No pics on my blog yet, so don’t even bother trying to refute me!)
Wow! That sock yarn is stunning!
Wow! That sock yarn is beautiful! Can’t wait to see how it knits up!
that yarn is gorgeous! The gray and brown ones are so unique. You don’t come across much subtly colored handdyed. I love them!
As for River — 5 repeats is really good! I agree, the huge needle really does slow you down. I’m not sure if I’m going to end up with a shorter stole but I didn’t think the alpaca I was using looked good on the big needles. But yours is really coming along nicely!
wow! your yarn is beautiful! honestly, i thought it was koigu when i first saw it. great job!!!
you do such beautiful work. i’m so jealous! i thought it was koigu too!
Lovely! Now I’m really curious bout how that Tussah Silk will look after you spin it..:) Be sure to post pictures please!
Flipping heck – how do I bribe you to get some of your sock yarn? It’s nicer than anything I have seen commercially. Wow. I am truly gobsmacked.
That sock yarn is truly beautiful. I think the brightest color combinations are most appealing in sock yarn because we can most easily get away with wearing fun/funky socks, yeah? Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Well I guess I am not the only one who thinks your sock yarn and everything else is wonderful! I still haven’t tried anything but kool aide for dying. Keep up the great work! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful colors on your sock yarn. They are going to make some gorgeous socks! And your Birch is just beautiful too!
I’m gonna jump on the bandwagon and gush about how beautiful your sock yarn is! The one on the left looks especially gorgeous
Add a “me too” on the great colors and dye job. Do you ever sell your handpainted yarn? I would definitely be interested in hearing more about it if so . . . you take the most amazing pictures, too, it really adds to the experience on your blog! Beautiful.
NICE…my favorite from the first photo is the blue & gold colorway!
I’m curious what method you use to pre-draft your silk…I have some caps but they drive me nuts!
You have some of the most beautiful pictures on the Net. The lighting is amazing. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s some of my favorite subject material. Wow. Absolutely lovely.
Love the sock yarn – the colors are gorgeous. And your birch is fantastic…great tip on the blocking wires!
I absolutely LOVE the sock yarn on the left. Delicious!
What kind of dyes have you been using? I’d love to try it, but there seem to be more dye possibilities than my brain can sort.
I’m also loving the sock yarn. What did you use for a tutorial? I want to try dyeing, but suspect that the results would be less than stellar.
That sock yarn looks positively delicious!
I’m just getting into the whole yarn dying, so I’d be really interested what dyes you used. Are they natural dyes?
Your blog is so fullll of eye candy! Beautiful, gorgeous, fabulous colors on the hand-dyed yarn. The up-close of River is truly an inspiration and Birch, ahhhh! I also wrote Susanne to get some needles. Thanks for all of it!
Like everyone else, I find your pictures absolutely luscious! Can I ask you where you get your sock yarn for dyeing, or do you spin it yourself?
Your silk turned out really pretty. Do you use a drum carder or do you card it with combs?
Nice close-up photos.