All Buttoned Up

A new hairpiece. Or in this case, a lacy knitted headband.
The specifics:

Pattern: Lacy Hair Tamers (Interweave Knits webknits - this may have been a subscriber exclusive that I printed off when last December was free)
Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss (70% merino wool, 30% silk) in Woodland Sage
Needles: US 2 (bamboo)
Size: Fits me. (It hadn’t yet been blocked for these photos)
Time: Knit in one day
Mods: Yarn sub. Also, I grafted the two pieces together instead of doing the version of the 3 needle bind-off described in the pattern.
Pattern notes: Line 9 in the chart has an awkward double YO. I found that it stopped being akward when in the next row I purled the second yo through the back loop.

General thoughts - I was suprised that this pattern didn’t have a grafted center (you knit two pieces bottom up and join at the top) - it just seemed like it should have one. So I decided to add one. The 3 stitch garter edging was a bit intimidating - but I think that I managed to make it look pretty seamless.

This picture shows the join better - I can see the kitchenering, but then again I’m a knitter - and this hasn’t been blocked yet.

I really liked this pattern. I’d been pondering the idea of a knitted headband for a while and this was great - just the right amount of lace and a great lesson in headband construction. Now I want to get my hands on some more of this great yarn and make some more in other colors with other designs.

Also, my hair is nowhere near this red - or any red at all. Oh, the crazyness of digitalizing colors found naturally.

Also, I do like the Knitpicks Gloss. It’s got a perfect amount of shine. It’s not as soft as 100% merino (obviously), but I think that for classy socks (or accessories) this yarn is absolutely perfect. I’ll be using it again.

The biggest one for me right now? A hair cut! Check it out…

One of the worst parts about moving is finding a new hairstylist. I was robbed of mine when she got married and moved to Chicago 6 or so years ago (how dare she!). Ever since, I’ve looked for someone who can get me, my hair and my vague instructions (like for length, I usually say “I don’t want to be able to put it into a ponytail”). I love how it looks sophisticated, yet young, girly but not silly and I LOVE how it moves! Finally I found someone here in Bloomington who understood my mumbo-jumbo! Of course, I may be leaving when I graduate in June. Figures.

Other Signs of fall:

The leaves changing colors! By the way, this building is part of the Residence Hall where I work everyday. I love how gorgeous it is here! The grounds and buildings are simply stunning. However, I do not live in that building or even close to it. I’m in a fringe building a few blocks away that looks like a big cinder block. Still, I consider myself lucky to live/work here (even if I don’t actually live in a pretty building).

The leaves falling! Already!

I feel so unprepared! I have this list of things that I want to do before I graduate (and potentially leave Bloomington) and high on that list is to take photos of the leaves in Autumn (it’s gorgeous down here, gorgeous) and I’m not ready for the leaves to fall yet! They must stay on the trees, at least for a little bit longer!

There’s nothing like the crunch of the leaves and the brisk coolness of fall. I was so excited today because I got to wear a new, finished pair of socks - one you haven’t seen yet… until now!

I love them, but I hate them. Introducing… The finished pair of of Knitpicks Memories in Redwood Forest (a very fall colorway):

Here’s the specifics:

Pattern: A basic 2×2 rib
Yarn: Knitpicks Memories (Merino wool, Redwood Forest Colorway)
Needles: US 2 Clover Bamboo (My fave for socks)
Began: May or June 2006
Finished: September 23, 2006
Final Measurements: They fit my size 8 feet (as do most socks based on 64 sts)
Final Comments: This was boring (usually this would be too boring), but in the circumstances where I was knitting it, it was perfect. I did the second sock in 3 days flat (a record for me) after knitting the entire leg while watching the the finales and first episode of this season of Grey’s Anatomy (OMG, it was AMAZING).

Also, both skeins of these socks (one skein each with some left over) are the same dye lot. I specifically remember checking. And yet, view the pooling. I hate it! I hate it! Usually, I tolerate a bit of pooling, but when it’s different on each sock - that’s just too much for me. These socks are going to get lots of wear and abuse. I’m not too proud of them and there will be no love lost when these are the first pair of handknitted socks I wear out.

The yarn itself is very soft and it was a pleasure to knit with otherwise. It’s pilling but I think that’s cause it’s merino and soft yarns do that. So my only real complaint is the pooling.

But now I’m hesitant about knitting the Fly Fishing color that I bought because I know it’ll pool just the same way. So, for now, I’m sticking with my hand-dyed.

You can read more about this sock (in it’s sad single state) here.

Welcome folks to Nicole’s Sexy Single bar. A new sock just walked in the door - lets inteview her, shall we?

N: Hello there, how are you?

Sarah: Great! Cruising the path of life ya know? I just got back from whitewater rafting in Colorado and I’m still on an adrenaline kick.

N: Wow, what an amazing attitude you have! What brings you into the bar?

S: Hoping for some fun. I’m not really wanting anything to serious - just someone to go on adventures with me. The ideal person would have a great dye job (like myself) and be just as speedy and high energy as I am.

N: What kind of advantages do you think you have to these other folks here in the bar, still waiting for a partner to be finished for them? You are the rookie after all.

S: Look at my curves. Who can resist that? I have such an interesting texture and pattern without being too dificult. It’s the perfect mix!

And my coloring - would you look at that. Perfect for fall hikes to look at the leaves changing. I’ve got everything - plus, I’m not clingy, needy or demanding - I just want something casual - like myself.

N: You do indeed have incredible coloring. There’s some pooling on the foot and ankle, but the way the colors distributed on your heel is simply incredible. That’s the way hand-dyes should always look, in my humble opinion.

S: I agree - I’m always sticking my heel out to show it off - I just know that’ll pay off. I expect some hot action soon.

N: It’s true, I don’t know how anyone would resist. Hands down, you are definetly the hottest sock in this bar. I can’t wait to see how things go for you. Be sure to let me know the details. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten any “finished pairs” action (the Embossed Leaves socks where a bit prudish and didn’t share the lurid details).

View More from this Series:
Katie’s Bitter Diatribe
Marla’s Story
Erica’s Tale
Vita’s Norwegian Skepticism

It be “Talk Like a Pirate Day!” It be also me birthday! Twenty-two years of age me be today (at 10:35 am exactly).

Some relevant stuff:

Check out the “We call them Pirates” hat here….

Make ye own Cap’n Jack Sparrow here.…

Today be a day to knit like a pirate!

WARNING: This post is entirely devoid of knitting content.

I love Tazo teas. Drinking tea is my new favorite thing in the entire world. I love tea so much that I have devoted an entire corner of my tiny room to tea consumption. Observe le table de bistro.

Seriously, this is my new favorite stuff in the entire world–with only a little exaggeration. I’ve bought some new tea mugs and some other tea essentials and I love hosting people over for tea.

My favorite kind - the best kind in the world, is the Passion flavor (in the cup above - I’m drinking it as I write this actually). It brews red and has an incredible fruity flavor.Also, Mambo is fruity, but it’s loose leaf - something new to me - and oh so yummy. I also like the Sweet Orange Medly flavor - and even the normal, usually boring Earl Grey is absolutely scrumptious - especially with some local honey that I bought at our Farmer’s Market.

It’s been a long time that I’ve gotten so excited about something that isn’t knitting related.

This was set to be posted before some issues in my life have come up. I may not be posting as regularly as I was before. Eunny said it right - when it rains, it pours.

The other day, I had an idea to show how I dye yarn - being a college student and all. So what you say? I have no kitchen. No garage. Only a small dorm room and a public bathroom. Here’s how I do it.

Step 1. Get some natural yarn that you want to dye. Mine is Knitpicks Bare Merino Sock yarn. Make the skein bigger (this makes the dye easier to permeate each spot - and hopefully cuts down on pooling).

In the photo at right, you’ll see that I put my yarn on my swift and I’m winding it around 2 chairs in the middle of my room. It’s tight and I knock a few things over in this process, but I think it’s pretty important.

Step 2. Tie off the skein in lots of places. In this skein (about 8 feet in circumferance), I only tied the skein in 5 places - but you may want to do more. The way that I dye yarn has little movement or even room for movement -so I was pretty satisfied with the 5 places thing. But really, you should do what you intuitively think will work for you. Next, I like to make a chain a few loops long with my skein (think like my hand is a crochet loop) so that it’s not so long and crazy and it is less likely to dissolve into a knot. I learned this trick form a weaving class. If you have no idea what I mean when by this little trick than maybe tie the skein off in a few more places just to be safe.

Step 3. Soak the yarn in water. I use a giant mason jar of lukewarm water and a glug of vinegar/ Most dyeing-tutorials recommend that you add Dawn to the water because it makes the water “wetter,” and removes grease. Since I think water is wet enough already and the Knitpicks yarn always seems pretty clean to me - I don’t add Dawn to the mix. Intstead, I add some vinegar so that I’m already on the way to dying (vinegar sets the dye, by the way - you’ll have to add it at some point. I add it at 3 points along the way just to make sure).

Let the yarn soak for a while. If I’m impatient this means a few hours. If I’m busy and things are crazy in my life - this may be overnight. In this particular case, it was overnight.

Step 4. It’s action time. Pull out the yarn from the water and let it sit in a strainer so that it will drain lots of the liquid (but not too much). I put a microwavable casserole dish under this so that I could have an idea of how much water drained from my yarn and how much I should think about putting back in.

Hmmm. Let me explain this a bit more. Ok, so I pull out the yarn from the water and I hold it above the jar for a few moments while a lot of the water drains off. Then I let it sit in the strainer while I do some other stuff (getting ready to dye the yarn) so that more of the water drains off. In this case that amounted to about 3/4 of a cup of water. For the sake of making life easier, I rounded this to 1 cup. Remember that number - we’ll use it later.

Step 5. Prepare the surface. I layed out strips of cling wrap radiating out from the center (but not going across to the other side - there’s a whole in the middle as you see the squeeze bottle preserving). I recommend going brand name with the cling wrap - you don’t want melty plastic film adhering to your yarn. Similarly, be liberal with the wrap at this stage - you don’t want the surface under the wrap to be dyed - and you don’t want your yarn to turn to a soupy mess either.

Also, you want to make a pot of hot water at some point. I use my 10$ coffee maker (hotplates aren’t allowed in the dorms).

Step 6 - Prepare your dye solutions.

I only use acid dyes right now. Real ones, not drink mixes (no hate here - just a bad experience). This particular skein was dyed using Jaquard dyes. In each glass jar (old baby-food jars), I put 1/4 of a teaspoon of dye, a bit of vinegar and 1/3 cup of hot water. The colors I used were Vermillion, Pink, and Salmon (with 1/8 t vermillion added for fun). Mix the dyes.  - NOTE - 1/3 cup times the three dye pots equals the one cup of liquid that came out of the yarn in step 4.  This ensures that we have enough dye to go around without getting a dripping wet mess either (or wasting dye).

The brown spray bottle in this photo is filled with vinegar for acidizing-part-3 (I told you I go a bit crazy with the vin).

Next up - Layout the skein (I’m only doing one skein here.  But doing more than one is totally possible depending on your table size). Try to have as few twists and folds as possible. This makes it easier to tell if the dye has fully saturated the part that your dying. This is also a benefit of making the skein longer and skinnier. Also at this time it is a good idea to make sure that your yarn doesn’t come to close to the end of the table/your surface area. I ruined a good pair of pants when some dye when awry.

Step 7. This is the fun step. You get to paint your skein! I’ve used the pour method (not a lot of control here), the squirt bottle method (still not as much control as I wanted - also I had a tendency to use a LOT of dye and a LOT of liquid) and I’ve finally settled on using these sponge paintbrushes that I picked up at Michael’s for 20 for 1$.

Use all of one color before you move on to the next - this ensures that you use the right amount of dye and that you don’t accident try to make a purple darker by adding a green (they can both look black or very dark in color at this stage).

Oh, this is also a good point to tell you that you should be wearing gloves at this stage.

After you have all the dye where you want it (and, inevitably, some where you didn’t want it), spray the thing down with vinegar. This always makes my fingers hurt, I spray the yarn so much. In fact, look in this photo here - and you can even see the vinegar clinging to the yarn fibers. It’s like a morning dew on a spring morning.

Next up - Take each one of those sheets of cling wrap and fold it in making a giant doughnut. This is much easier if you start with the last sheet that you layed down (the one on top) and work your way around.

After you’ve wrapped up the doughnut, you should be able to tell where the cling wrap has less layers than at other areas. Reinforce with more cling wrap. You can see where I re-inforced in the bottom left corner of this photo.

Once your this far, scrunch it up by pushing it in toward the middle - try not to force some sections to go on top of others - you want the yarn to be as level and as low as possible (so the dye-liquid doesn’t drain to a lower spot and muddy it).

Put the scrunched yarn and cling wrap doughnut in a microwave safe container, again, being careful to keep the yarn level.

Step 8 - Heat it up.

There are different ways of doing this but this is how I do it.

First, 4 minutes of cook time. Then a rest.

4 more minutes of cook time. Another rest.

Finally 2 minutes of cook time.

Now let the yarn rest for a long time. A few hours would be ideal - a few minutes a little less than ideal. When your patience and excitement get the better of you, prepare to rinse.

I do this in the bathroom that 23 girls share. I’ve gotten some interesting looks. Anyway, I use a colander so that I don’t have to hold my yarn the whole time I’m rinsing (especially important if I was impatient and the yarn was still steaming) - and so that toothpaste doesn’t get added to the mix.

The photo above shows the yarn before I rinsed it and after I removed it from the plastic wrap (obviously).

Next up, rinse. If your yarn is hot, start rinsing with hot water (a dramatic temperature change could felt the yarn) and gradually get cooler. If your yarn is cool,use lukewarm water. Try not to move your yarn too much (no swishing) - just squeeze and turn the skein over, repeating until the water under the colander runs clear.

You can see at the left here how the colors will lighten quite dramatically in some cases. Don’t worry too much about light spots or places where it’s almost black. It’s called variegation. Hand-painting. Nothing’s perfect. And in knitted items, it’ll add character and depth.

Let the yarn dry for a while. How long is a while? Squeeze the skein really, really hard - if you feel moisture or any temperature difference, give it more time.

Then, re-skein the yarn into something more manageable. I put mine back over the chair backs and took my niddy noddy to make the yarn look like the beautiful skein you see above.

Admire your handiwork and forget any imperfections (while remembering them just enough to change the process next time.)

And that is how a college student dyes yarn.

Damn the curse. Damn it.

It took a long time, and a definite “grin and bear it” attitude, but I finally finished my embossed leaves socks.

Here’s the specifics:

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks (Mona Schmidt, Interweave Knits, Winter 2005)
Yarn: Knitpicks Essential (superwash wool and nylon)
Needles: US 2 Clover Bamboo (My fave for socks)
Began: March 2006
Finished: September 1, 2006
Mods: None except the yarn substitution
Final Measurements: I don’t have sock blockers. I wish I did. They fit my size 8 feet.
Final Comments: This is a great stitch pattern that is a pleasure to “watch.” I wish that I’d chosen a thicker yarn for the knitting. um. Yay! I’m finished.

So, the moral of the story is that Erica has found a mate. We can all be happy for her as her and her mate gallop off into the sunset of handknitted-sock-land. Look at how cute the two of them look as they cuddle.

The Second Sock syndrome persists, however. Rather than make significant progress on the second of a sock that has already been knitted, I’ve started 4 new socks (in my defense, all but one has been frogged). Seriously. I’m knitting the yarn I dyed the other day into this amazing sock pattern and I turned the heel today (I started it 4 days ago)! Meanwhile, I’m still on the leg/ankles of the second socks (assuming I’ve even started the second of that pair). Sigh.

Although, honestly, I should give myself more credit. This was the oldest UFO in my stash. That’s something right?

See another post about this pattern here.