The River Ombre

Pattern: Kalajoki
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Stroll Sock Blank
(Post about dying this yarn here)
Needles: Size 2 dpns

I loved how these turned out! It was my first time knitting knee socks and my first time using a charted pattern. The chart was a bit daunting at first, but once I color-coded the symbols, it went smoothly. This is a relatively fast pattern, since most of it is stockinette. It was probably not the best choice for knee socks, since they seem to be a little saggy after wearing, but it doesn't really bother me since I'll only be wearing them around the house.
Oh, and I used the Streets and YOs Knee Socks! pattern to adapt the original. And, as usual, I knit these toe-up. That prevented me from continuing in pattern to the tip of the toe, but I think they still look ok. I'm happy I got them done in time to wear during what little cold weather we have left. It is not easy taking pictures of yourself in knee socks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"May the road rise up to meet, may the wind always be at your back, may the sun shine gently upon your face, may the rain fall softly on your fields..." - Irish Blessing

There has been more yarn dyeing afoot! This is just one of many skeins my friend and I colored last weekend. It's a sock blank from Knit Picks, dyed in a gradient using teal dye.  The darkest end turned out almost shamrock green, while the lightest end is a happy aqua.
The blank is actually two separate stands, so when you knit with it, you will have identical socks. I am planning on making them into Kalajoki socks .

The warmer weather has my thoughts turning to sewing and doll making, so the socks may have to wait.

Hand-Dyed Yarn

 

The other day, I spent a happy nap time in the kitchen with steaming pots of vinegar water, yarn, and dye. I haven't dyed yarns in years (some previous attempts here and here), so I refreshed my memory of the process with a few tutorials and then jumped right in.

 As everyone knows by now, I love making a mess. Dyeing your own yarn is a great way to make a mess. I suggest gloves at the very least, but a full body hazmat suit wouldn't be overboard. I got dye everywhere. Luckily it came out of my jeans, off the floor, and didn't stain the counters. The trick is to get it up quick before it sets.

Anyway, this round was done with food grade dyes on a bulky 100% wool single-ply base yarn. All of these little skeins are destined to become doll hair. Fairy doll hair.

Aren't my pictures nice? I rigged up a tiny home photo studio for about 10 dollars and 20 minutes worth of time. As you can see though the window, there was almost no natural light to be had that day. Ha, mother nature! I got good shots anyway. The how-to for the photo light box is here.

Little Purple Socks

Pattern: Universal Toe up Sock Pattern
stitch Pattern: my own
Size 2 needles
Hand dyed sock weight yarn

Yay! these are finally done. I took me three tries to get the second one right. That's what happens when you don't take notes and wait three months between socks. Oh well. I think they turned out pretty well.


The stitch pattern I came up with is as follows:
k 1 round
sl1 kfb psso both sts, repeat for the round
k1 round
k1 sl1 kfb psso both sts, repeat for the round

Ta da!