Category Archives: knit

Blueberry smoothie and red tonal

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I’m going to show you two of the other skeins of yarn I dyed last year.

This one is called Blueberry Smoothie. I used food coloring and Paas Easter Egg dyes. Kid (and adult) friendly and as far as I know, colorfast.

I love the blues and touch of purple.

There are a lot of light blues and undyed yarn. Nothing planned for this skein…yet.

The second dyed yarn is a red tonal, also using food coloring and Paas Easter Egg dyes.

I already knit a pair of socks and didn’t get any pictures of the skein beforehand. This is what I have left over.

The sock pattern is from Helen Stewart’s Handmade Sock Society: Scribbly Gum Socks. Once knitted up, the yarn appears as a tonal stripe that is only noticeable on the plain stockinette stitch on the back.

I dipped a plastic fork into some black liquid food coloring and touched various areas of the yarn to give add that speckled look. It’s not as pronounced as I wanted.

I’m still experimenting with dyeing my own yarns and once the weather warms up (again), I’ll try some other dyeing techniques.

Patti

Lesson learned

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Thank you for the encouragement! I did finish the January Mittens (Ravelry link) on February 1st.

Notes: Yarn: worsted weight – Lion Brand Wool-Ease in charcoal (48 g) and Caron Simply Soft in ivory (50g). Needles: cuff US #1.5 (2.5mm), body US # 2.5 (3mm).

Right mitten – December 11, 2021 – December 26, 2021 using double point needles

Left mitten – January 11, 2022 – February 1, 2022 using circular needles

Modifications: Thumb gusset added while knitting. Thumb was finished after body.

Worsted weight yarn on such small needles (think toothpick size in diameter) hurt my hands. I think that was why I was so reluctant in getting these finished. Plus I was also finishing one pair of socks and starting another pair as well. I am not a monogamous knitter.

But I did it! Yay me!

You may have noticed that I changed the direction of the Latvian Braid on the cuff.

But the GLARING difference is the yarn dominance on the thumbs.

It’s all about which yarn is held above and which is held below as to the color that is more dominant. The ivory yarn was held below the charcoal when I knit the right thumb so the ivory is more dominant. The charcoal yarn was below the ivory on the left thumb.

Yarn dominance occurs because one yarn’s strand travels slightly farther than the other, making it slightly tighter, causing it to recede, and be less dominant. The yarn traveling the shortest distance is the dominant yarn.

Interweave

If you are interested, here’s a link to a short video on yarn dominance that explains this technique by Beth Brown Reinsel.

The ivory yarn was the dominant yarn on the back of the hand as I wanted the design to stand out but I reversed the yarn dominance on the palm. I wanted the ivory to be in the background and the charcoal to stand out more.

I didn’t write down which yarn was dominant when I knit the thumbs.

It’s a lesson I hope I will remember in the future. Or I could wait and knit both thumbs one right after the other.

Patti

January mitten update

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I was knitting along nicely on the second January Mitten when I realized that I knit five rows too many before beginning the decreases at the top. Thats what I get for tweaking the pattern and forgetting to write it down.

Ripped back to correct row and knit a row or two before taking a mental break.

In the meantime I am currently on the sidelines with Achilles tendonitis. I had a doctor’s appointment Monday morning and thought my plantar fasciitis or gout was/were acting up. It turns out that I was wrong. No extra walking for me for at least a week, maybe longer. Oh well, that will just give me more time to finish the mittens.

Patti