Adventures in Koolaid Dyeing, take two!

My second Koolaid dyeing adventure (minus dyeing solids, which I don't count-that's a lot easier and not as fussy) turned out okay. It's growing on me, anyway. This is Riverstone worsted weight wool yarn from Louet, from a recent co-op. It really did NOT want to absorb the dye (even after soaking in a vinegar bath), so there are lots of mistakes...erm, variations in the dyeing. :) I dyed the red trim to match; this will be shorties for Logan (third on the list, after the two in progress, LOL)! Honestly? I think I'm going to leave the yarn dyeing to the pros. While I love the idea of it, I love knitting with beautiful yarns more. I love winding, by hand, a beautiful skein of yarn that the "master dyers" have created, seeing the color variations... I don't like standing over a casserole dish, praying that the red doesn't bleed into the blue AGAIN, and cursing at the yarn for having white spots. So yarn dyers, fear not... I am definitely NO competition, LOL!!! Though I think the shorties are going to turn out cute; it's VERY vibrant. I should have an in-progress pic for you tomorrow; I've got about an inch done into the body.

Oh, and did I mention that I HATE PURLING?? It's my mantra every time I do a waistband! It's almost what the name of this blog was, but I decided against it. I should look at purling as an essential part of knitting, not as a thing to be dreaded every third/fourth stitch in a waistband. :D At any rate, the dyeing mistakes do indeed look like they're deliberate, and are turning out rather nice, in my very humble opinion! While I still think I'll leave the dyeing to the experts, it is a fun thing to knit something with yarn you dyed up yourself. Very rewarding.

Re-skeined with trim...

And a knitted-up swatch...

Catching up!

My, it's been awhile! It's full-on summer here in Georgia, and boy, is it HOT!! I've been staying inside, keeping cool, and knitting away!

Here are the Fangorn Forest shorties; Amanda does SUCH a lovely job dyeing yarn! You need to check her out... http://www.dyeingtofly.blogspot.com/ is her blog, and you can find her instock store online at http://hyenacart.com/dyeingtofly/. She does amazing work, and this 3-ply 100% Purewool (merino) is cottony soft and like butter on the knitting needles.

Next, I knitted up shorties in Zenstring's Living Light colorway. This is a little different than the colorway looks now; this yarn was dyed when they were still Cinnamon Stitches, so it's a bit brighter/more vibrant than the colorway tends to be now. Not that the new one isn't beautiful... :) These shorties have a new home on the bum of a friend's little one; he was a bit less endowed in the booty area than Logan, so they fit him much better. I traded Kelley (his mama) for more Living Light yarn; we'll see if I can get the sizing right this time for Logan! I was sad to see them go, but I'm glad they're being enjoyed just as much as they would've been here. Anyhow, pics...

After that came a soaker in bulky BFL, yarn dyed by Lisa of Selah in her "Tomboy" colorway (http://hyenacart.com/selah/). Both Julie and Lisa are wonderful dye-mistresses; you should check them out for beautiful, soft, squishy yarns!! And yes, I have a baby boy, and yes, this is pink. I plan to make him a shirt in the gray-blue color, and put on it, "Real Men Wear Pink". This soaker, being bulky BFL, is totally bulletproof; it makes for a great nighttime solution!

And lastly (the last finished object, anyway; there are two more on the needles at the moment!) another pair of Dyeing to Fly shorties. I dyed the trim for these with Koolaid; these are Amanda's "True Emotions" colorway, and I adore the way they turned out. The color pooled in such neat ways! I am in love with Amanda's yarns...

Stay tuned as I continue my knitting journey; to come are much more purewool, Zenstring, Three Irish Girls...maybe even some girly stuff for another friend's little one! Hey, if I can't make girly things for my boy (well, not that many, anyway, and definitely not skirties, LOL), I can make cute girly skirties & things for friends!