Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Entering the Summer of Dyeing

I've realized that rather than make resolutions around the new year (as is convention, I'm told) I tend to make my big commitments in the spring time. It makes sense...the world seems rejuvenated, cute baby animals are popping up all over the place and the air is fresh with possibility; I feel inspired. Does this happen to anyone else?




Either way, my creative juices have been flowing! I barely have time to stop and jot down an idea before another pops into my head. I'm working on a few knitting projects that are really exciting- and I plan to share those very soon- but most recently, I have caught the dyeing bug! Last week I pulled out my acid dyes, and some yarn blanks that I had kicking around my stash. I've been really loving a very specific shade of green - I'd call it a cross between forest green and teal... a stunning colour which looks like the needles of an evergreen. So I set out to make it!



I mixed up the perfect green dyestock, but because I can't leave anything simple, I decided to add a sprinkling of some brown and navy into the mix. The result I was anticipating was totally diffrerent from what I got. As I rinsed the yarn I was dissapointed, it seemed to be waaay too dark! But only when I wound the skien into a ball did I really see how beautiful this colour actually was...its STUNNING! Not dark at all, its complex and very interesting, but not too loud. Perfect!

I gleefully cast on for an Ishbel shawl by Ysolda Teague, the percect pattern I think because the first section is in stocking stitch, and I wanted to see the colours knit over lace as well as a plain fabric. I'm still knitting on the stockingette portion at the moment, and it looks amazing! My only problem now is coming up with a name for this lovely new colour...the green I was aiming for was going to be called Juniper, but this colour needs a name that equals it's loveliness!

After my success with the un-named colour, my imagination has been overflowing with colour ideas (and witty names for each). Later in the week I plan to test out a few more colours ideas, and will surely be reporting my progress. Provided that I don't become distracted by another creative endeavour, I'm hoping to make the upcoming warm months "the summer of dyeing!"

The yarn I used is Malabrigo Lace,and I'm hoping to have enough yarn to knit the large version of the pattern (on 4mm needles). The colours are even prettier in person....I'll try again in different light to get some more accurate pictures.



P.S. Thanks to whomever left me a comment...it was super exciting...good luck to you too!

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