So how does a color-obsessed writer/farmer turn her yarn into explosions of color? Come with me to London’s house, the woman who’s been holding my hand throughout this process. She’s fearless. “Let’s try this!” “That might work!” “Sounds good!” If I were doing this on my own, I’d overthink everything. I’d lay out swatches and analyze the color combinations. I’d bug my friends—“Should I use the royal blue or the navy blue? Bright Yellow or Yellow Ochre?”
But not London. She loves experimenting, so that’s what we did.
Here’s the yarn, undyed:
Then we soaked the yarn in vinegar water:
We dyed the yarn using three different methods. The first was painting. We stretched out the yarn and squeezed/poured dye onto it, then worked the dye in with our fingers. (By the way, London’s lovely counter top is protected by a clear plastic shower curtain!)
We flipped the yarn over, did the other side if needed, then rolled the skeins up like caramel rolls in plastic wrap and cooked them on the stove for awhile. (This is how the color sets.)
The second method was to put dye in the bottom of a pot, add the skeins, then squirt/pour more dye over the top.
A third method was to put dye in glass containers:
…add the skeins and more dye. At this stage the yarn doesn’t look that great, but the final yarn is the very last photo in this blog—big difference. We then cooked these containers in the microwave!
Whether in the microwave or on the stove, when the water in the pot is clear, all the dye has been absorbed and we’re done.
The final steps are to rinse…
Fling out the extra water…
And admire….
Now I must prepare the skeins, make labels, and then I’ll post the yarn for sale on this blog…. soon!
16 Responses
Love it! I would love to get my first skein and talk about it on my new video podcast
http://stockinettezombies.blogspot.com/
Now, doesn’t the flinging look like a blast?!?!
The flinging is fun—water goes spraying, skein whistles through the air… And you get a workout at the same time.
That’s so cool!! Thanks for sharing the process.
It has been a wonderful autumn for color, and with this post it continues!
Such beautiful colors!!
The colors are beautiful!
What beautiful colors…I am new to your blog but not your books..Am thinking of going back to knitting…but need to use wool due to reactions to acrylic and other manmade chemicals used. Wool just seems the right way to go..natural… Excited to see what is to come!
I’ll be watching for you to follow through on your promise to get this yarn up for sale soon…it’s gorgeous!!
By the way, which method did you enjoy the most?
Which method did I enjoy the most? The best part of all of them was the surprise when the yarn was done. “I didn’t know it was going to look like that!”
The colors are gorgeous. I’ve been wanting to knit with your yarn ever since I finished reading about it in Sheepish. Hope I can snag some when they go up for sale!
PS…waving hello from down south of you in KC.
NICE!
NICE!
Wow, that’s a lot of work, but the results are beautiful! Hope I get the chance to purchase a skein or two for myself soon!
The colors are gorgeous!! I have some knitting friends who would be so jealous! I will have to link this site to them when you begin selling the yarn. 🙂
Catherine-I am curious what kind of dye was used, commerical colors, natural dye, etc. Where would one find yarn dye? Thanks so much! Paige