Tour de Fleece: Angora/Merino blend

Tour de Fleece seemed to have gone by in a flash. It's over now, and I didn't finish everything I wanted to, but I did finish quite a lot and started on other things too.

One of my projects for the tour was this braid of Angora/Merino blend, which I dyed myself.

I plan to knit this gradient yarn into a shawl. The spinning isn't going quite as smoothly as I'd hoped, however. First, this top is quite a difficult spin. The fiber got compacted during dyeing, and the angora is very slippery, so even after fluffing it up it's tricky to draft. I pull at it and before I know it the fiber has slipped away and my spindle is on the floor. Ack.


My dye job wasn't super-even, either - it's blotchy, resulting in areas of super-saturation next to long lengths of pale pink. This yarn won't line up as evenly as the gradient I spun before, I can tell. It's going to be a little wilder, a little more rustic, a little more "conspicuously handspun". But I'm making peace with that fact. It's not perfect, but I do like the yarn I'm making.

And it's so, so soft.

I'm spinning it with a woollen-ish draw, and a tight twist - I did several samples and that's the combination I liked best. The yarn doesn't have much of the characteristic angora halo, yet, but that will develop with time. Hopefully the tight twist will reduce the risk of major shedding.

The shawl I'm planning to knit is a pretty simple half-circle shawl, mainly stockinette, which will allow the yarn to take center stage - it's going to be the star, without anything complex trying to compete with it. But before I think about that too much, I need to focus on getting the spinning done!

~Joyuna

Dyeing: A whisper and a shout

Dyeing is fun because sometimes, things turn out exactly how you expected, and sometimes they don't at all. Both were the case for my most recent dyeing session.

I dyed with a combination of Kool Aid and food colors. My main objective was to dye a length of angora/merino top, which I have been saving for this purpose for quite some time. I love angora - the fuzziness, the softness, the delicate halo. I've tried spinning pure angora but have found it difficult - I'm hoping with the addition of merino, it won't be quite as much of a challenge.

The top came out almost exactly how I wanted - A gradual orange-red-purple gradient.
I'm so happy with it. I was worried about the fiber felting too, but the top came out just fine after a bit of fluffing up. I intend to spin this for a shawl during Tour de Fleece. I'm looking forward to spinning - it's really heavenly soft. It's all I can do not to just keep petting the braid :)

The other stuff I dyed turned out very different from how I expected -- but still interesting in its own way.
I had read on Ravelry about a method of dyeing raw fleece, without worrying about scouring beforehand. The idea intrigued me, so I gave it a try. I tossed some Romney locks and some Oxford Down into the dyepot - two very different wools. The former is long and lustrous; the latter short and crisp and springy.

The fleece took a little bit of color, but nothing near as much as I was hoping. The Romney dyed better than the Oxford, but it's still a very pale purple. Actually, the color is beautifully subtle even if it wasn't what I intended - in some lights it's clearly lilac, while other times it's silvery grey.
The shades also turned out differently because the Oxford wool is yellow-cream colored, while the Romney is whiter. Here's a comparison of the Oxford Down before and after dyeing - there's clearly a difference, but the color is subdued. The greasy fleece just wouldn't take color the same way that clean fiber does. Next time I dye fleece, I will probably scour beforehand!

I'm planning to use the fleece together in a pair of socks - I love the contrast in texture between the two fibers, and I think it will be really interesting to use them together in one project. Sometimes it's hard to believe that this range of fibers all come from sheep and not completely different animals.

~Joyuna

British wool keeps my head warm

My little skein of yummy, bouncy Bowmont got dyed with food colors into a nice turquoise. This was a learning experience, because British food colors aren't the same as American ones and not all of them will dye wool. The I'd Dye for Britain Ravelry group has a thread full of great information on this.

After dyeing, there was nothing left to do but knit! My pattern of choice for tiny amounts of handspun, and also for people with cold ears, is Calorimetry. In fact, I've knit two other handspun Calorimetries this winter as gifts (also hand-dyed, from some leftover J&S superfine Shetland top).
(the headbands were a big hit, and I paired them with handmade keyrings from Le Petit Pois.)

The pink Calorimetries were the standard pattern, knit flat with a button - for my own one, I decided to mix it up. I cast on to knit in the round.

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Yarn and Polish. Yes PLEASE!

Over at my nail blog I've got a quick post up about Soak's newest project, the Soakbox: a box of awesome coordinating goodies including matching nail polish and yarn!

I just think this is the coolest idea in the world. It's going on my Xmas list, or next time I've got some extra cash I may just have to treat myself.
Read my full opinion and all the details here.

~Joyuna

Ditzy Dyeing Mishap

I had a specific color scheme in mind for a project I'm working on - the Catching Butterflies mitts from Tiny Owl Knits in an old issue of Yarn Forward. If you're not familiar with the pattern, it's a pair of textured mitts with some knitted butterfly embellishments done in a fuzzy yarn. I had a few balls of Debbie Bliss Angel in my stash, but none in the color I wanted. So, I wound off a small loop of a light-colored shade to dye it to my liking.

I've dyed small amounts of yarn to match certain things on a few occasions - like my silk Aeolian shawl - so it wasn't a big deal. It helps, though, to actually remember how to dye. As in, acid dyes require acid to absorb.

The dye wasn't taking up like I was hoping, so I kept adding more little by little... until I remembered I had forgotten the lemon juice. I sprinkled a bit into my dye bowl, and it all took up at once... creating a bright magenta in contrast to the pastel pink I was going for.

Doh.

Luckily I wasn't working with much yarn and I had extra to re-do the dye experiment -- the too-dark yarn went into my hexipuff bowl, and the correctly-dyed yarn went into my project. Happy ending!

~Joyuna

Dyeing cotton-blend yarn with Jacquard iDye

I ordered a sweater's worth of Knit Picks Shine Worsted in the color Citrine last month, for the Primrose Path sweater from Twist Collective. Unfortunately, when the yarn arrived, it was totally not my color. I could barely stand it. Of course, that's a risk one takes when ordering yarn online without seeing it in real life, and I knew that before I ordered. I had a choice: ditch the yarn, or dye it.
I've done a bit of dyeing before, but Shine is a cotton/modal blend - I've only ever dyed animal fibers before.

Cotton doesn't dye the same way that wool does, so I needed a different type of dye to do it. On wool or other animal fibers, I would just dye with food coloring and some lemon juice, or similar - but that wouldn't work on cotton, so I went to the craft store and got some Jacquard iDye. iDye is a fiber-reactive dye that works on all natural fibers and rayon. Since modal is a type of rayon, iDye will dye both the fibers in Knit Picks Shine. For polyester and nylon, there is a special formulation, iDye Poly.

I picked up the iDye because it was on sale and it looked particularly easy to use - you can dye in the washing machine! Here's the step-by-step dyeing process.

I started with 14 balls of Shine in Citrine.

First, I wound those balls by hand into center-pull balls, for ease of skein-winding.

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Turmeric dye update - Don't say I didn't warn you...

I've been spinning my turmeric-dyed silk hankies, and it's been going really well. The yellow is so sunny and vibrant, even if it does still smell a little of Asian cooking.

I did mention, briefly, in my last post, that turmeric is not a very colorfast dye. In particular, it's not lightfast - something I learned firsthand after foolishly leaving my skein of yarn by the window for about a week...

A splotch of my yarn has faded from striking bright yellow to a dingy pastel. Lucky for me, this will just add to the hand-dyed look in my knitted object - BUT, if that's not the look you're after, keep your turmeric-dyed items out of the sun, or use a different method of dyeing.
~Joyuna

Turmeric (yes, TURMERIC) dyeing!

Since I've gotten so many new fibers lately, several of them undyed, I have been itching for the dyepot. All my old tools are still in Ohio - my no-food pots and pans, my citric acid, my old formulas, my many boxes of food coloring - so I'll probably pick some of that up when I visit the States in the summer. Until then, I'm investigating some other dye methods - first up is turmeric.

Turmeric is a yellow-orange spice mostly found in Indian cooking. The upside of this dye process is that afterwards, your house smells of an Indian restaurant ;)

I started with about 35g of silk hankies, which I rolled up burrito-style - the idea was to get some uneven dye absorption, for a semisolid effect.

I soaked them in water for just a few minutes, then turned the heat up and waited for a boil. I added a few spoonfuls of turmeric to the mix, and stirred it all around.

After a minute or two of boiling, and after all the dye had exhausted, I washed it out and let the silk dry. What was my result?

A BRIGHT, SUNNY yellow. I couldn't be more pleased with that color; it's just what I need for the end of winter and beginning of spring.

There were a few downsides to this dye session, however - stirring the hankies around left them a bit matted at the edges, so it's harder to separate them. There is still a little bit of powdered turmeric left in the folds and corners, as well. Also, I have read that turmeric is not a very colorfast dye - this yellow will probably fade over time.

~Joyuna

My yarn is 'Darn Good'!

I'm pleased to announce that I Dyed Yarn is now available at Darn Good Yarn! DGY has a number of great and original yarns, including some gorgeous sari silk and banana silk yarns, and my sock yarn has recently been added to the list.

They're all semisolid shades - yellow, blue, green and purple. The base yarn is Hydrogen, which is a good all-around wool/nylon blend. Check 'em out, along with the other Darn Good Yarns!

~Joyuna

Some gratuitous photos of freshly-dyed yarn

I recently got a large order, which was oodles of fun to fill. 20 skeins of sock yarn, 5 skeins each of 4 yummy semisolid colors, including two all-new colorways.

The colorways are:
-Canary's Song, bright yellow and orange (as seen here in my socks)
-The Grass is Greener, a darker variation of Grass Stains
-Blue Marlin, a nice bluish teal
-Mass Wisteria, a purple with pinkish spots



I love dyeing! I had a lot of fun with these. Those skeins specifically are shipped off already but I still have some skeins to dye up for the shop. I ordered enough yarn for 35 100g skeins, but I ended up winding 31 skeins of yarn... so these skeins have a little extra yarn bonus in them ;)



~Joyuna

My new Electric Skein Winder in action!

I'm all done winding my sock yarn off of the cones, and I took a video to show you just how awesome my electric skein winder is.
I'm seriously in love with it... I can wind three skeins at a time, and the bicycle odometer works like a charm.

My skein winder is the 1 1/2 yard, 3-at-a-time model from Crazy Monkey Creations. It was made to order, shipped fast, was well-packaged and easy to assemble. And it works wonderfully! I can't recommend them enough.

Now I'm going to have to buy some more cone yarn just to play with my awesome electric skein winder some more ;)
My cones are all empty, and I'm busy dyeing yarn. Pictures soon!

~Joyuna

The epic saga of the yarn meter

To go with my new skein winder, I set out to find a yarn yardage counter. There are a few on the market, but not many, and none under $30. The most popular one is $50, and there are high-end ones for upwards of $150. So not in my budget.

The other day I gathered up all the Google-fu I could muster, searching for every single type of yarn meter I could possibly find, how well they work, how much they are, and how you can make them at home. I hope to pass the knowledge on to you, dear reader, in case you ever need it.

The cheaper yarn meters for sale are based on fishing line counters, generally the Shakespeare brand. These measure out in feet, and have a counter that goes to 999 - which is 333 yards. After it goes to 999, the counter starts over again. Line counters can generally be had on eBay for 15 bucks or less. Once you have the counter, you can make a stand with some yarn guides and have yourself a quick-and-dirty yarn counter.

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A little bit in shock

I just purchased...
an electric triple skein winder from Crazy Monkey Creations.

Isn't it beautiful?

I see many cones of yarn in my future. Oh boy.

~Joyuna

On being 'crafty'

Before I learned to knit, I never considered myself a 'crafty' person. I didn't really draw or paint, I didn't sew or sculpt, I didn't do any of that stuff. I didn't make things; Michael's was not my usual hangout. I never thought of that as 'me'.

I might say that knitting is different from other crafts that require artistic ability or coordination, but learning how to knit has become something of a gateway drug* to other crafts, which certainly do. Dyeing involves more color theory than I had ever expected to learn. And if you don't think that spinning involves coordination... try it sometime. Whew!

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that if you don't think you're crafty, just try it sometime. Ask for a quick knit or crochet lesson from a friend, or look up how a sewing machine works, or whatever tickles your fancy. I taught my boyfriend to knit! You might be amazed at what you can accomplish.

And really, there's very little that can make you more proud than wearing something you made with your own hands. When someone compliments you on it, and you can say, "Why thank you - I made it myself!"

What a great feeling. And if I had never tried knitting, because I wasn't crafty enough, I'd never feel it.

*I'm not afraid to admit it. Yarn is my crack.

~Joyuna

Just Dyed: Warm Colors

Continued from the last post, these are my warm colorways in the latest merino lace and merino-silk fingering yarns. Some of them are already up in the shop, and the rest will be up soon.

Tangerine - Similar to Canary's Song, but warmer with more golden and terra cotta orange, on a yellow-orange base. Lace weight.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle - Mmmmmmmm! Dark warm reddish pink and brownish gray, a lace yarn that melts in your mouth.
Melted Neapolitan - It was just going to be Neapolitan, but the colors got mixed! The ice cream melted. So now it's warm reddish chocolatey brown, pale sweet strawberry pink, and creamy yellow-peach-pink vanilla. Fingering weight.
Pink Elephants on Parade - They're here... they're there... Pink elephants everywhere...! Lace weight.
Parma Violet - My first try at duplicating a previous color. Turned out well, I think. A delicate, feminine lavender purple semisolid lace named for a violet-flavored candy.

~Joyuna

Just dyed: Cool Colors

I'm posting my latest batch of hand-dyed yarns in small spurts... It may be a while before I get them all listed, due to my busy end-of-the-quarter schedule. Exams are soon, and you can bet I am studying (that is, if I'm not knitting). But in the meantime, I wanted to show off the colorways I've created for this batch in case any of them catch your eye. I've divided the yarns into two groups, warm and cool. These are my cool colors:

Chlorophyll - A semisolid green, ranging from mint to grass to yellowish green. Lace weight.
Grass Stains - A yellow-green base with spots of grassy green, like its namesake. Merino-silk sock, fingering weight.
Aqua Vitae - "Water of Life". Clear blue with spots of darker teal. Merino lace yarn.
Birch - One of my favorites, though it was sort of an accident. Mauve with light gray, and a few small spots of green. Sock weight.

I'm photographing and posting these yarns as quick as I can. They'll be up in I made yarn soon. Contact me if you're interested in a yarn I haven't listed yet and I'll set up a reserved listing for you.

By the way, I got a shoutout by the St. Louis Green Living Examiner, Annie Mueller. Needless to say I totally agree with her stance of supporting handmade! She also featured some other great knitting shops, and will be running a regular column on great handmade sellers.

~Joyuna

I Made Yarn's first FO!

I always encourage people who buy my yarn to show me pictures of what they have knitted, because it's exciting to see how my colors knit up and gives me an idea of what dyeing methods work and what doesn't. Now I've got my first picture of an FO made from Palladium luxury sock, the cashmere sock blend.

Jen of Hanks in the Hood (which makes some wonderful yarn and spinning fiber, by the way) showed me her cashmere merino socks, in the colorway Beach Surf.

Don't they look cozy? Plus they've got a neat diagonal striping thing going on.

I'm busy posting some new lace and fingering weight yarns in the shop, in some really nice colors (in my humble opinion ;), plus don't forget to enter the Handknit Heroes giveaway!

~Joyuna

Long Lazy Weekend

I won't be too active this weekend, as I have gone home to Cincinnati for the long Memorial Day weekend. I'm hanging out with my family, looking for a summer job, and dyeing up some gorgeous lace yarn. I don't have any beefy blog posts planned, but there will be a guest post this weekend... stay tuned. I wonder who the mystery blogger will be? ;)

I am also currently planning a giveaway... stay tuned for that as well! It will run for two weeks, and I will probably start it sometime this coming week. It is knitting-related... but it isn't yarn... wait and see what it is.

And now, back to dyeing.

~Joyuna

A Dyeing experiment - Tulip dyes on roving

Normally, when I dye, I follow a very simple formula: Soak, add acid, add dye, add heat. However, my friend Lianali alerted me to a new possibility: no heat, no acid, just dye. And dye that can dye a whole variety of fibers, not just animal fibers! These are fiber-reactive dyes.

At Jo-Ann's, I purchased two bottles of Tulip One-Step Fashion Dyes, in blue and turquoise. Tulip uses Procion MX dye, and is marketed for Tie-Dyeing. To use these fiber reactive dyes, all you need is cold water and time.

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Color! Part 2

Last week, my sock yarn arrived! I was afraid it wouldn't arrive in time for spring break, because I had it sent to my home address in Cincinnati so I could dye it up at home (where I have a full kitchen and large microwave). But on Friday I had a large squishy package from Australia waiting for me. Boy was I thrilled. I did not hesitate to get to work.

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