Wyoming Breezes

The Sockhead Cowl, knit from a dyed sock blank, is off the needles, washed, and lightly blocked. I'm pleased with this cowl: the yarn is soft and has a bit of drape, and the colors are subtle and colorfast.  I think the recipient will enjoy wearing this snuggly cowl. 

Sockhead Cowl progress November 2021 Knitting continues on the Sockhead Cowl: I am now working on the final ribbed section.  Since the sock blank was double knit, I separated the strands as I worked on the cowl. When I finished the first ribbing section with one strand, I looped a string of crochet cotton around the point on the second strand and continued rolling the second strand into a ball.  string marking the spot to begin knitting the final ribbed section With the start of the ribbing clearly marked, I don’t have to play yarn chicken.  It shouldn’t take too long to finish this project. 

Dyeing the three sock blanks in October certainly jump started my desire to knit. I’m knitting the Sockhead Cowl with the final dyed blank, and I love how it looks so far.  This blank was dyed in a kettle on the stove with several colors of blue and purple.  Because the sock blank was double knit, I’m knitting with one strand and winding the other strand into a ball, which I will use on the second half of the cowl, thus using every bit of this yarn. Even though the ribbing shows the kinks from the pre-knit blank, it will straight out after washing and a light blocking. 

Up, Up and Away socks October 2021 I love hot-air balloons! This pair of socks reminds me of the brilliantly colored balloons that fly over Riverton every summer during the Rendezvous Balloon Festival.  These were knit with one of the sock blanks I dyed a few weeks ago.  The vibrant colors in these socks will lift my spirits every time I wear them. In fact, I might even skip down the street. Anyone remember the Fifth Dimension’s Up, Up and Away from 1967? 

Vibrant colors + kinky yarn = happy knitting What’s making you happy today? 

The Winter Ice socks were finished last week. I love how the cuffs striped, and if I dye a similar blank, I will leave more bare yarn (white) in the middle section, so the foot segment of the socks is not so dark. 

socks being knit with dyed sock blank October 2021 I was eager to cast on a pair of socks with one of the sock blanks I dyed last week. The resulting socks are pleasantly appealing despite the obscure design I "painted" on the blank.  The socks remind me of a frosty and cold morning winter morning.  More photos will be posted as the socks progress. 

colorful sock blanks October 2021 Thursday afternoon my kitchen table was covered with plastic and littered with bottles of dye and small sponge brushes. I invited Pat (a neighbor) over to dye yarn. I had two skeins of worsted weight that she preferred and some sock blanks for myself.  Using Wilton icing gels, we prepared our favorite colors. I wanted to try some ideas I found online, and she wanted to just explore the process.  Pat “painted” her skeins with three colors Since this was Pat’s first experience with dyeing yarn, she “painted” the two skeins of worsted, and we kettle cooked the last two sock blanks so Pat could see that process, too.  It was a fun afternoon. 

Women's size 10 September 2020 Sock blank dyed on Tuesday Knitting began on Wednesday Toes grafted on Friday unblocked sock Even though the yarn was knit directly from the sock blank and was kinky, the texture of the finished sock does not reflect it.  socks and remaining yarn Knit Picks Stroll bare yarn sock blank -- 100 grams of super wash wool/nylon Finished socks -- 59 grams Remaining yarn  -- 41 grams I ordered additional sock blanks and look forward to making more socks that are uniquely mine.

beginning the project September 2020 Last Tuesday, was snowy, windy, and generally nasty. It was time to work on a project that has been in the back of my mind for months. Truth be told, I purchased the sock blank and some other bare yarn in 2019 to dye with some of new friends. However, Tuesday's activity was a solo adventure.  triangles filled with color I used Wilton gel icing colors for the dye and dabbed the color into the areas with small foam brushes.  cooling after steaming in the microwave The yarn "burrito" was zapped in the microwave for a total of four minutes: I turned it over once. drying in the sunshine The water rinse was completely clear - no bleeding, but I gave it a squirt of dish soap and another rinse to make sure that all was well. I put the dyed sock blank in a mesh bag, ran it through a quick spin cycle, and hung it to dry. the beginning I couldn't resist casting on the socks and was pleased with the results. The sock blank was double knit, so ...

neck warmer knit with Kool-aid dyed yarn August 2017 This yarn is much prettier in person, and it reminds me of a peach parfait. This is one of three skeins that I dyed at the Fiber Guild's Spring Retreat. This skein was reclaimed from an off-white thrift shop sweater: 90% wool and 10% mohair. It would be fun to replicate the color, but I know it's impossible. This cowl is going into a special gift box.

neck warmer on the needles August 2017 The final cowl for the gift box from yarn dyed at the Guild Spring Retreat and reclaimed from an off-white, thrift shop sweater.

neck warmer knit with Kool-aid dyed yarn August 2017 All of the cowls I've knit this summer are destined to be gifts, and I needed to finish a couple more to round out the gift box. A skein of yarn, dyed at the Spring Retreat , made a nice addition to the box. the middle skein is the one used for the cowl pictured in this post. I was surprised how the mix of colors in the skein complemented each other once the yarn was knit. The yarn was reclaimed from an off-white, thrift shop sweater: 90% wool and 10% mohair. Yarn : reclaimed wool that was dyed with Kool-aid and food coloring. Pattern : Eternity Scarf by Michele Wang (Ravelry link)                pattern was adjusted to ensure I would have enough yarn                The pattern has directions for three sizes and has a                        rolled bottom edge     ...

Sue O. adds dyes to the large tray of water June 2017 Yesterday, I shared my experience of Suminagashi Dyeing , and today, I will show you how the large panels of fabric were dyed. I did not dye a large square, but Sue did. once Sue had added all the ink that she wanted, the fabric was carefully placed on top of the ink-covered water making sure the fabric is straight and in the tray allowing the fabric to take up the ink  revealing the dyed panel The panel was rinsed in plain water after it was removed from the tray. It's a fun technique - I would like to try it again. Important Note: our instructor purchased cotton sheeting for the class and treated it with alum before the class so that it would take up the dye and so that the dye would adhere to the fabric. The fabric MUST be pre-treated. the ink, purchased on Amazon

Lorre H. demonstrates the technique of adding ink to the tray of water June 2017 Sue and I took advantage of a Suminagashi class (also known as Japanese Marbling) last week at the Lander Art Center. It was a lot of fun and resulted in some interesting results. adding layers of color on top of the water The marbling ink is placed on top of the water in layers. The layers can carefully be manipulated to create swirls or pools of color. ink floating on top of the water fabric placed on top of the ink-covered water dyed fabric after rinsing and pressing The colors were quite vivid when they were wet, but once dried and pressed, they became muted. my collection of suminagashi dyed fabric squares June 2017 Others in the class were more artistic with their squares. rinsed dyed fabric squares  completed squares large panel of dyed fabric Of all the fabric that was dyed that evening, this piece was by far my favorite. More photos tomorrow. . ...