Grab your knitting needles and come relax with me.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Final Stretch
I am still working on the Adamas Shawl. I am almost finished with row 2 of the very very last repeat. It was supposed to be done last week--oops. Bad bad Birdy...no cookie for me. I should have been finished this week...and it's seriously pushed my small amount of Christmas knitting back. I have a week and some change to finish another shawl and some toddler socks.
My Secret Santa gift was well received--Brenda loved the yarn. She has pictures on her blog (scroll down a tiny bit). I will eventually someday (as soon as I can find the camera cable and upload the pics) get the images of the dyeing process on the blog.
Sorry I've been MIA--I blame PMS and nice overdose of U2.
I am about to descend into madness! Oops too late the dye has already been cast!
I just dyed my first hank of yarn...with Kool-Aid! Lemon-Lime to be exact. And then, then I am planning on sprinkling the grape crystals on the green dyed yarn.
See when I try something new--I just don't follow the path well worn--not for Birdwell! Birdwell walks the road less travelled!
For those in the know--I dropped the dry fingering weight wool directly into the kool-aid mixture (4 packets and about 8 cups of water). I want a mottled effect of this process. I used the stove top method--got the yarn-filled mixture to just before the boiling point and it is now resting as we speak, covered. The water is nearly clear.
The plan in a bout thirty minutes is to drain and rinse in water of the same temp of the yarn (or risk felting!!!) Then on a length of saran wrap I will place the yarn and then start flicking crystals at in a random fashion. Here's to it actually working out like I see it in my head.
(Insert beautifully flecked hank of yarn)
Then I'll zap it in the microwave for a few minutes OR I'll steam it.
It didn't come out like I saw it in my head. It began to look muddy right away--so I quickly rinsed the hank off. The green dye job looks beautiful--nice colour variation. However--there is a spot where the hank was tied rather tightly that didn't dye at all. I am not sure if I want to try dying just that one spot or leave it...
Okay...I decided to try spot dying. I just couldn't stand that white spot. I have Wilton's Cake dye--so I googled the technique at found Pie Knits blog. Armed with a dropper, I set to fixing that white spot and various other pale spots that seemed out of place. I set it in the microwave for 2 minutes. It's resting right now. Then I'll zap it for another 2 minutes. Ya know--those first two minutes were a dozy--I was terrified it would catch fire or something.
I guess I can officially call this yarn--hand painted. Now I just need to come up with a colorway name.
Then set it to dry in the bathroom!
Ta DA!! I am calling the colorway Breath of Zephyrs. It's from Antonio Vivaldi's Spring Sonnet written for The Four Seasons: Spring. I may try to replicate this dye job--it's so pretty.
Yes, I will add pictures. I just want to upload all the pictures at one time.
I ordered myself some yarn from Knit Picks, taking advabtage of their ongoing yarn clearance. Got some sock yarn for Christmas gifts (makinf toddler socks--shouldn't take too long right?), lace weight for a new stole, and some cashmere blend and suri alpaca for high end Pansy wristwarmers, and some cotton (Shine Sport) for a sweater for Lorelei.
I also got my birthday gift from my momma: a dress form. I am naming her Betty. It'll be great for posing and constructing sweaters (some day when I grow the balls). I haen't taken Betty out of the box yet...after all my birthday is still two days away.
I am also trying my hand at yarn dying...THAT will be interesting.
