It's surprisingly hard to take pictures of your own feet!
Friday, 25 March 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
First Attempt at Dying Yarn
A month or so ago I bought a Kool Aid dying kit from DT Crafts. It was really good value, and came with comprehensive instructions and 12 sachets of Kool Aid so I thought 'what the hell' and bought it.
I had it delivered to the family home, as the house I'm renting in now doesn't have a microwave and I knew that you needed a microwave to 'cook' and fix the dye. However the instruction booklet also details how to do this in an oven, or on the hob so I brought the kit back up with me to Reading :)
I used a sachet of Lemon-Lime, Grape and Berry Blue Kool aid, and this is what I got!
The colours are a little more faded than how they were when I initially poured the dye on, but I love the overall spring feel of it.
I had it delivered to the family home, as the house I'm renting in now doesn't have a microwave and I knew that you needed a microwave to 'cook' and fix the dye. However the instruction booklet also details how to do this in an oven, or on the hob so I brought the kit back up with me to Reading :)
I used a sachet of Lemon-Lime, Grape and Berry Blue Kool aid, and this is what I got!
The colours are a little more faded than how they were when I initially poured the dye on, but I love the overall spring feel of it.
It looks even better skeined up! I wasn't amazingly impressed with how it looked to begin with, but each time I see the skein I feel a little more happy about it. I'm thinking lacy socks maybe, or something which will show off the variegation but (hopefully) avoid colour pooling. Difficult I know! I didn't think about how short the colour repeats were going to be as I trickled the dye on, that was after when I realised that most of them are only going to be 2-6 stitches long! So the overall effect will be interesting I think!
(I rinsed the yarn well, but it still smells sickly sweet! I laid it out in the conservatory to dry overnight/next day. When I went to check on it in the morning the conservatory was full of flies! It was horrible :( Mam used some Raid and we left it for half an hour. Had 'fun' sweeping up fly bodies afterwards :S)
xx
Yarn Winding
Evening,
Last week was my first chance to use a yarn winder. My knitting class leader has one, and brought it with her so that I could wind my latest purchase into a ball so that I can use it. I'm thinking it will be awesome in a pair of Leyburn socks off Ravelry.
It's an oldie but a goodie :)
Last week was my first chance to use a yarn winder. My knitting class leader has one, and brought it with her so that I could wind my latest purchase into a ball so that I can use it. I'm thinking it will be awesome in a pair of Leyburn socks off Ravelry.
It's an oldie but a goodie :)
The yarn was custom dyed for me due to a slight listing mix up. I love the colours running through it :)
You can just about see my nosty in the background. Using a yarn winder is a hell of a lot quicker though!
xx
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A Yarn Conundrum
This post is primarily to ask for suggestions!
This skein arrived last week as my latest skein from YarnAddict's Not Just Socks Club.
It's 50% merino, 50% silk and is dyed in subtle pale green and silver/grey colours. It's perfect for the spring. However I'm slightly reluctant to use it for socks because there's only so many socks I can justify as house socks knowing that the yarn won't stand up to hours of walking around in work. The silk/merino blend will need careful handwashing, and I have absolutely no idea what to do with it!
It's also not a great picture. So if anyone has any suggestions, please get in touch!
xx
This skein arrived last week as my latest skein from YarnAddict's Not Just Socks Club.
It's 50% merino, 50% silk and is dyed in subtle pale green and silver/grey colours. It's perfect for the spring. However I'm slightly reluctant to use it for socks because there's only so many socks I can justify as house socks knowing that the yarn won't stand up to hours of walking around in work. The silk/merino blend will need careful handwashing, and I have absolutely no idea what to do with it!
It's also not a great picture. So if anyone has any suggestions, please get in touch!
xx
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Monday, 7 March 2011
First one down...
Finished the first of a pair for my March socks :-)
xx
xx
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Thursday, 3 March 2011
Knitting Mojo Returns!
Morning :)
I'm busily typing this blog post and ignoring the state of my room. It needs a good spring clean. Putting that on the to-do list!
I believe I have my knitting mojo back :) Partially if not completely - I've bought yarn (naughty!) and I've been knitting, I think that counts!
I was watching TV on Monday night after my knitting class - yep, it's back for the next 5 weeks - with a focus on 'family learning' which basically means knitting baby clothes. I took my KAL shawl with me and worked on it while at the class, but stopped fairly soon after getting there because we were focusing on mitred squares (an amazing blanket made this way can be seen here on the Mason Dixon KAL blog).
When I got home I was watching TV and it felt really odd not having something to work on while watching it. Plus it had just ticked over to Midnight and 01/03/2011 - Happy St. Davids Day everyone! - and that meant that if I started a sock project it would count for my YOSS Sock Club.
So I cast on! Using these 2.5mm Opal bamboo dpns for the first time. I've not used bamboo before. They seem alright so far. Sometimes they seem to drag and it can be quite difficult to get through the stitches. It feels like they need oiling a little!
I'm using this Regia yarn. It's the Kaffe Fasset design line. I have a problem in that I have bought 2 different colours of Regia yarn, and not been 100% with either. This one looked amazing in the picture... Having said that, I do like the short repeats every now and again, it makes a wave style effect every now and again. Just not 100% on the colours overall. The other was a replacement for an out of stock colourway that the lady on the phone assured me was nice. It's blue and beige...
This is where I got to before I turned in last night. This sock is growing *really* fast. I've kinda shocked myself. All that (about 6-7 inches) in a day. I started on the heel last night, it's definitely my favourite part of knitting socks, it's magic :) I'm going to Cardiff this weekend and this will be on the train with me :)
These are the other two skeins from my 'payday yarn spree' on the same day. The flash doesn't really show it, but the second skein is sparkly :) It's going to make the most amazing, soft and sparkly sock. I know just the project for it!
xx
I'm busily typing this blog post and ignoring the state of my room. It needs a good spring clean. Putting that on the to-do list!
I believe I have my knitting mojo back :) Partially if not completely - I've bought yarn (naughty!) and I've been knitting, I think that counts!
I was watching TV on Monday night after my knitting class - yep, it's back for the next 5 weeks - with a focus on 'family learning' which basically means knitting baby clothes. I took my KAL shawl with me and worked on it while at the class, but stopped fairly soon after getting there because we were focusing on mitred squares (an amazing blanket made this way can be seen here on the Mason Dixon KAL blog).
When I got home I was watching TV and it felt really odd not having something to work on while watching it. Plus it had just ticked over to Midnight and 01/03/2011 - Happy St. Davids Day everyone! - and that meant that if I started a sock project it would count for my YOSS Sock Club.
So I cast on! Using these 2.5mm Opal bamboo dpns for the first time. I've not used bamboo before. They seem alright so far. Sometimes they seem to drag and it can be quite difficult to get through the stitches. It feels like they need oiling a little!
I'm using this Regia yarn. It's the Kaffe Fasset design line. I have a problem in that I have bought 2 different colours of Regia yarn, and not been 100% with either. This one looked amazing in the picture... Having said that, I do like the short repeats every now and again, it makes a wave style effect every now and again. Just not 100% on the colours overall. The other was a replacement for an out of stock colourway that the lady on the phone assured me was nice. It's blue and beige...
This is where I got to before I turned in last night. This sock is growing *really* fast. I've kinda shocked myself. All that (about 6-7 inches) in a day. I started on the heel last night, it's definitely my favourite part of knitting socks, it's magic :) I'm going to Cardiff this weekend and this will be on the train with me :)
I went yarn shopping last week, and these arrived at my door. These are hand kettle dyed by Ruth of Ruthmel1 on Etsy. She has amazing colours! I'd love an unlimited budget to try all of her yarns! The largest skein (Storm Cloud) is gorgeous, but the other has been replaced by a custom dyed one that Ruth made for me this week due to a photo mix up on the listing. The new one is gorgeous, and my very first custom dyed skein!
These are the other two skeins from my 'payday yarn spree' on the same day. The flash doesn't really show it, but the second skein is sparkly :) It's going to make the most amazing, soft and sparkly sock. I know just the project for it!
xx
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