"Sock Blank....."

I knitted another sock blank. I have the 2 strand sock blank from last week that still has to be dyed, but decided I wanted to re-measure another "single" strand sock blank, dye it, and knit up a pair of socks from it so that I could measure the rows per inch for sizing another pair of socks using the same yarn. I have measured the yarn before but not after dyeing it, so wanted to get another reading on it.

The following photo is without a flash. Unfortunately, yesterday, when the photo was taken, the sky was overcast and I didn't have good natural sunlight, but using the flash washed out the colors too much, so settled for the "flash-less" one. :) When Don saw the sock blank, he remarked that it looked like the colors on a raku fired piece of pottery. That would be an excellent description of the colors although the photo doesn't show it as I would've hoped.

I knitted another sock blank yesterday and will dye it today. It would have been dyed yesterday but I needed to purchase more white vinegar to use as the mordant to set the dye.

I moved the paint roller cage on the NZAK stand to allow the yarn a more direct vertical feed to the yarn mast. After using it in its previous place for part of the knitted tube, I moved it so I would have an immediate idea as to if it seemed better placed, which I do feel, so it has now found it's permanent home. :)

I will make sure that I take and post photos of the pair of socks I knit from this blank. I plan on knitting them today.........

"Doing a Little Dyeing......"

I knitted a couple of baby stocking caps on the NZAK, my circular sock machine. They were an experiment, as I had not knitted any before, so wasn't sure how they would turn out. My 1st one was immediately put into an envelope and sent to Abigail, my granddaughter, to see if it was large enough to still fit her. If so, then more will be sent her way.

After posting the cap to Abigail, I came in and knitted up 2 more caps for the experience and also because I wanted to try dyeing them (I used the cream colored, Valley Yarns Franklin Natural Cones sock yarn from WEBS).

Here are my colors that I mixed up in my "Dollar Store" oil and vinegar bottles, which seem to work very well for mixing and pouring the dyes. The stopper is VERY tight, allowing no dye to escape around it. The brand of dyes that I used this time are Gaywool, from Australia.

Since each knitted piece was so small and I wanted to use a different color dye for each one, I decided to use the microwave to set the dye. I had done dyeing in the microwave before, but that was using Kool Aid, so I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to "blend" various colors, which as you can see from the photo, really didn't happen. I got carried away initially with Willow, a deep green, so my other drops of colors were swept quite away, but it did created a mottled effect in the knitted yarn. In this photo, the dye is almost "exhausted", which means almost totally absorbed into the yarn. A few more minutes heating in the microwave and the water was clear......the piece was finished and needed only to be rinsed thoroughly.

My next attempt was with Citrus, which I decided to use by itself to see if I would be able to get an even color. It, too, did some mottling, but overall I am happy with the dye results and experiment. This photo shows that the dye was no where near to being exhausted, so it was heated, if I remember correctly, for at least 10 more minutes, perhaps more.

Here are finished stocking caps.........

I knitted 2 more caps the following day and also used the microwave to dye them. Once again I tried dyeing them 1 overall color, but they, too, had a slight mottled effect. I think the solution to that may be to use much more water and make sure the knitted piece is submerged fully and continuously during the process. I also used less dye to try for a more pastel effect......finding out that less still means MUCH less, although I was pleased with the results. :) I'll post a photo of them when it is processed.