Finishing Feels So Good

I'm finally done with my Louet Hand Dyed Sock Kit and they are just gorgeous. It is hard to believe that only three colors of dye created that effect. The entire project was pretty easy. The dyeing seemed to be pretty much error proof, I didn't even have a measuring cup to make sure I used the right amount of water. The dye is really colorfast too. I liked the pattern for the socks as well. I think the type of ribbing really shows off the colors well. The best thing is that I have enough yarn left over to make another pair of socks! I only used half the yarn that came in the kit to make these, and my feet aren't particularly tiny or anything. I just followed their pattern for a womens medium. The cuffs are 7-8 inches long, so the kit really gives you plenty of yarn. I'm hoping we will get some of the Gems Fingering yarn in here soon because I have fallen in love with it. Also I have finally perfected the kitchener stitch! You couldn't even tell there was a seam on the toe at all, it just seemed like the sock went around perfectly.

I also finished a really darling felted bunny from Diane Balbi. This is actually made by one of our customers here at the shop. The Springtime Bunnies Felting Kit is really fun. I had a blast making my little bunny. It took about three to four hours start to finish and would be a fun project to do with kids. Even if you just did the needleing part there was lots of rolling fiber into balls before they were needled. Here is my bunny.

The knitting goes on...

Well I'm still working on the Louet Hand dyed socks, though I'm proud to say that I have successfully turned the heel and done the foot decreases so at least it is smooth sailing to the end from here. If I don't get too much homework I figure I will finish them by the end of the week. I can't wait, they are so cool. Also I'm on the home stretch with the louet felted pillow kit. I can't wait to get to felt it. I was reading about it last night and you do it in the washing machine. I never realized how vital household appliances are in fiber art projects. Well better be getting back to work.

Louet Felted Pillow Project

Well I know what you're thinking... She hasn't finished those socks yet and she's starting another project. Ha! You would be wrong I started the felted pillow before I started the socks. I'm actually about halfway done with the pillow. I just wanted to wait to write about it when I had something to show for my efforts. The first thing I'm going to say is that I have a new favorite yarn. The Riverstone yarn is so soft and nice to knit with and it is thick enough that it works up so fast. I have really enjoyed working with it. I can't wait to get to the felting part. Because it is felted you can't carry any yarns behind the work so I had to split some skeins in half. With the green willow color I just used one strand from the center pull ball and the yarn off of the out side of the ball. It seems to be working out well though I have been careful to untangle things frequently so it doesn't get too out of hand. I haven't done any real intarsia for a long time and I'm really having fun with the color changes. It is easier than it looks so don't be scared to try it if you've never done it before. There are lots of good books and videos... I can't think of one to recommend right now but they are out there...hhmmmmm. I'll have to look around. Well this is what I have done so far. today I'm almost done with the circle. I took this pic yesterday. So like I said it's going quick. I don't have much knitting time either. Usually just an hour or two a day if I'm lucky. Considering I'm taking 20 college credits at school and working four hours a day I think I'm doing pretty well at not forgetting my knitting. On that note, I got one of the Goknit Pouches and I put my sock project in it. I got one of the small pouches and it fits my pattern, needles and yarn quite nicely. I carry it on my wrist all day and when I'm waiting for my class to start I knit a few rows. I've actually gotten more knitting done by doing this than you would think. I'm so pressed for time right now its driving me to find ways to keep my fiber arts going.

The tale of the hand dyed sock

Let the knitting begin! The yarn has been rinsed and dried and so I begin the sock. I'm using KA knitting needles in a size three 16 inch length. I decided to use two circulars as that works better for me than double points. I will just have to use stitch markers to remember where the ends of the needles would have been when I work the heel. They are coming along quite nicely as you can see. I'm very pleased with the effect of my hand dyed yarn. The pattern is fairly simple and is just a ribbing with a row of purl thrown in every now and then. I will post again when I get to the heel.

Louet Hand Dyed Sock Kit

Yeay! I finally got to start on these kits. We have had them hanging around the store for a while now and I really wanted new socks so I decided to go for it. Here is a picture of everything that came in the kit. There are three generous skeins. It is a little hard to see them in the picture. There is the packet of SOAK (the washing agent), the three dye pots and last but not least the applicator bottle. I started by soaking the yarn per instructions. This part was kinda dull so I took a picture. Ahh the bubbles. I let it sit per instructions and then the real fun began. I had untwisted the skeins when I let them soak just to make sure they were completely
saturated, so I now gently squeezed out as much water as I could and then gently skeined them back up. It was a little difficult. If I had it to do over I would leave them twisted up to soak. I think the dye would have a neat effect with them twisted you just need to be sure there are no real tightly twisted spots because that area won't want to saturate with dye. On the right is a picture of me just getting started.
This is after I finished the blue/grey stripes. I did these rows and then I gently picked up the whole thing and flipped it so I could stripe the other side. I did my best to keep it all together but it still got a little untidy in the flip. I don't think it was detrimental to the finished project though.
Here is the artist hard at work. Oh I forgot to mention I just used some plastic sheets under my skeins. I'm pretty sure you could use freezer bags too. I was also careful to protect my clothes and wear gloves, as you should be too. If you want to be extra safe it's never a bad idea to wear a mask as well as some dyes have fumes. After I striped the grey I went
in between with the red. I think if I had it to do over I would leave more space between the grey stripes and put a red stripe on either side of a grey strip with a gap between the two red stripes. So it would go grey, red, space, red, grey, red, space. I think that would look interesting. The last thing I did was to try and find any white spots and fill them in with the orange dye. The orange dye was more diluted than the red and grey dyes so I didn't worry too much about getting it mixed with them. I knew the red and grey would shine through. On the left is a final picture of my project before I microwaved it. Thats right I cooked it in the microwave. Here at the shop we have a special dyeing microwave so we don't worry about cross contamination. For those of you who will be dyeing at home, be careful to wrap your project well and put it on a large plate or something to catch any dye drips. After I microwaved the skeins I hung them to dry overnight and washed them the next day according to the instructions. I was surprised that when the skeins were dripping just after they were microwaved all the water coming off of them was totally clear. The dye set really well. I will post again when I start knitting!
Rachel

Special Spinning

I was so excited the other day when a customer came in with some fiber they wanted spun. I so rarely get to do consignment spinning and I have trouble justifying spinning if its just for me. I'm not sure what the fiber is that I'm working with. I think it is the lining of a coat that has been cut out since it is really short and has some bluish stains. It is in loose locks that have been cleaned but basically look like the lining of a fleece coat. There are some here at that shop who have convinced themselves that it is from a dog but I really don't think so. I threw the fiber on the drum carder and started spinning. I'm primarily using the long draw on it to make a thicker yarn with lumpy bumpies. Well the result has been really lumpy and kinda funky yarn so I had the customer come by to take a look at it and make sure it was what she wanted. Oh what joy for me. I have never had such a reaction I got a hug and she was just thrilled with the result. I don't know what I'm spinning but it is so awesome to have the chance to help someone preserve a cherished memory this way. I forget how important these things can be to people and it is truly my pleasure to be able to do this and I even get paid for it. I don't see how it could get any better.