If you give a Knitter Food Coloring...

Last week, while enjoying some indoor time and a warm cup of coffee, I was browsing back issues of Knitty and came across an article about dyeing wool with Kool-Aid and food coloring.  This, of course, made me wonder if there were any Ravelry groups for dyers (there are) which led to perusing photos of beautifully hand-painted skeins, which led to reading articles on different food dyes and coloring techniques, which led to a realization; to dye my own beautifully colored wool I need only:

1. Wool (easily procured from my mother's infinite stash; she was even so kind as to donate a skein of her own hand-spun!)

2. Vinegar (to the grocery store we go)

(3. I already had McCormick's food coloring, water, a wooden spoon, meat thermometer, rubber gloves and a crock pot at home)

This led to my kitchen yesterday, set up like a mad science laboratory, and Mark praying for the safety of our white carpeting (for the record, no surfaces, carpeted or other, were harmed in the dyeing process).  Having read and re-read the Knitty article on food coloring dyes (which you can find here; I found it very helpful) I decided to try the dip-dye method for a teal gradient.  Following the instructions carefully, I re-skeined the wool (using the kitchen table for a longer pattern repeat) tied it loosely and frequently and soaked it in water the night before (I actually washed it first with a little Dawn dish soap) and set up a dyeing station with my crock pot.  I added 8 cups water and 2/3 cup vinegar to the pot, mixed in 30 drops blue and 6 drops green and turned the heat to high.  And then I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  (I know the flipping crock pot can get water to boiling, as I've boiled apple sauce in it before, it just took a long time to get to the right temperature; about 160 F). 

After an hour of waiting, the crock pot reached the right temperature (if you don't have a meat thermometer to check with, just wait until you can see steam rising off the water) and I dunked most of the wool in the pot (swish, swish) and pulled 4-ish inches back out and hung it over a stainless steel bowl, and stuck the lid back on the pot. 

The author of the Knitty article mentions that you don't need to dunk the whole skein to get the light pastels at the very end of it, because the wool will suck the dye/water/vinegar mixture from the crock pot.  What she doesn't mention, is that the wool will continue to suck the mixture and drip it everywhere (or in the bowl, if you're prepared) until there is more water dripping out of the wool, than is in the crock pot.  This means that you either need to add more water to the pot as you dye, or take the mixture that dripped out of the wool and add it back to the pot.  Either way, every time you add more liquid to the pot, the temperature of the mixture goes down, so the wool is not getting as much heat as it may need.  Also, I have discovered that (surprisingly) with wool hanging out of a crock pot lid, the lid doesn't seal and heat escapes.  The upshot of all this temperature fluctuation is that (at least with my crock pot) it would be almost impossible to felt the dyed wool by accidentally boiling the mixture (the temperature will not get that high).  This strikes me with a certain degree of hilarity, as the author of the Knitty article states that accidentally felting your wool is a big concern, and that for this method, using superwash would be the dyer's best bet.  Right...

Moving on, I left all but the first 4 inches of wool in the crock pot for 15 minutes (added back the water that dripped out) and puled out another 4 inches.  And repeat.  And repeat.  And repeat.  (Here are my actual times: 15, 25, 25, 35, 35, 45, 60 minutes).  I added in another 10 drops of blue, and 2 drops of green along with a splash of vinegar about halfway through, when the mixture was starting to look pretty clear.

The good news is that the crock pot can just sit there and cook the wool, without you having to stand over it.  The bad news is you have to stay by it to continually pull the wool out (this may be a good opportunity to catch up on your knitting, or movie watching, etc.).

After the last bit of wool had been in the pot for an hour, I pulled it from the pot (I highly recommend using rubber gloves for this so you don't have blue and/or burned hands) squeezed out some excess water and left the last bit of the skein to cool.  This is an especially important step with wool!   After 20-ish minutes, the skein felt cool to the touch, so I washed it in cool water with a little bit of Dawn, until the water from the skein was clear.  (It was probably 6 or 7 washes).  You can wait until later to wash out the dye from the wool, if you're lucky you might end up with blue knitting needles!

After the wool finished bleeding, I placed it on a towel and rolled the towel up, squishing it gently, to remove most of the water.  Then it was time to hang the wool to dry, and wait some more!  (This waiting was better, because I was asleep). I used a towel hook in the bathroom, although, if you're worried about water puddling from the skein you can always hang it from your shower head.  Just be sure that the non-knitters in the house know, to prevent any interesting shower occurrences or extended dry times. 

Once the wool is dry, take off the ties from the skein and wind it up into a ball for knitting!

And now, I need another skein to dye...

The Best of Christmas 2011

In no particular order, these are my favorite Christmas-related things for this year (prepare for the over-use of exclamation marks!):

1. Hanging out with friends and family: It's always great to catch up with my college friends, and my sister when she's back from WA!  (I have to admit, I'm not always great about staying in touch; should fixing that be my New Year's resolution?).

2. Teaching music students: There is nothing more satisfying, as a teacher, than seeing/hearing your students improve and encouraging their love of music!

3. Warm Weather and Christmas Day Running: As a runner who only runs outside (due to finances) this has been the best December in my memory for running outside with all the 40 and 30 degree temperatures!  Also, spending Christmas morning running a couple miles with my sister was way more fun than loafing in pajamas by the tree!

4. New Books:  One of my favorite things about Christmas is that my mother, the librarian, always finds interesting books for my presents.  This year I got Sheepish by Catherine Friend (which you can find on Amazon) which is a hilarious account of the author's conversion from city-dweller, to farmer, to fiber freak!  It's a pretty quick read (I think I finished it after 2 days) but includes some interesting historical details on knitting and sheep.  Who knew that by taking up knitting I was saving the planet? 

5. Pajamas: For as long as I can remember, I've received one new set of pajamas for Christmas every year (which, when you add it up, amounts to a lot of pajamas).  This year's set is a purple sheep-y pair! 

6. Running Watch: No, my watch is not running away, but I use it when running!  My racing goal for the new year is to run at least 1 half-marathon, and this watch is waterproof, and doubles as a heart monitor.  Bring on the rainy/windy/snowy/cold/hot days; I'm ready to run!

7. Sweaters: I am slightly embarrassed to admit, as a knitter, that I frequently fall in love with mass-produced sweaters.  Pretty much anything that's wool, has cables, is cream and/or has a graphic Fair Isle design makes my heart swoon. 

8. The Sound of Music: Who doesn't love this musical? 

9. The Hobbit Trailer: Thank you Peter Jackson!  As a Hobbit fan, I first had it read to me when I was 6, and have re-read it since many times, I am super excited to see the film when it comes out next Christmas!  Yessssss, preciousssss.  (If you haven't seen it yet, you should!)

10. Baking: I finally have a Kitchen-Aid (best kitchen tool ever!) which I have been enjoying by making stollen, rolls, biscotti and other delicious things!

Ravelry and other Procrastinations

It’s been a while since I’ve last posted any knitting (or other) updates here.  My goal this year was to post updates at least monthly, but that’s kind of out the window now, and here is why:

It all started in October, when one of my friends from the horn ensemble I play with asked me to cat sit for him, which involved me spending cat time at their house.  Because there is only so much time I can spend patting and playing with the furry guys, I stopped by the library to pick up some reads and happened across The KnitGrrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear (which you can find on Amazon). 

 I imagined that the book would be mostly about the logistics of how to start designing (gauges, mathematics, sizing, etc.) which would be helpful to me, as I had been contemplating how to start doing some designing.  I’ve got really good knitting skills, and am good with numbers, and, not being employed full time, I have lots of time which I could devote to design work.  However, the KnitGrrrl Guide is actually more about the business end of design.  There are sections on where and how you can sell your patterns, shipping codes for Etsy sellers, recommendations for design software (or cheap alternatives), general advice for legal issues like copyright, and interviews with successful designers.  The book is also organized very clearly, so if there’s just one subject you want to address, you can find it easily.  There is also a section on media and advertising, with the biggest piece of advice (that I came away with) being to create a Ravelry account, friend people and join groups to create a design-base.

 I had avoided Ravelry, mostly because I didn’t want to start another account (there are already so many social media outlets out there that I felt like I didn’t need another one) but at the book’s advice, I signed up and joined a couple groups including a designer’s group and a testing group.  Since then, I’ve been busy working on test-knit projects, finding new patterns and yarns and new knitting people (instead of updating here).  So far, everyone that I’ve talked with and knitted for has been really pleasant and inspiring!  And I have done absolutely no new design-work.  Go figure!

Be ready for more project updates soon!  If you can't wait though, check my project page on Ravelry (ID: Vivaciousknitter).

Twinkle Tunic

As fall wears on, we have finally started to get cool weather in the Chicago area (rejoice long-distance runners!) ushering in the start of my favorite time of year: Sweater Season!  My love of sweaters has only increased with knitting experience, and it usually takes all my willpower to avoid spending my entire paycheck on the first ones of the season that I see!  (Reminding myself of the entire dresser I have that’s devoted to sweaters usually helps).  Cables and bobbles and Fair Isle all beckon me dangerously.  Must resist urge to knit!

Bobbled Tunic

While flipping through my many back issues of Vogue Knitting, I came across one of my favorite (visually) sweaters in the Holiday 2006 issue.  It is a beautiful chunky tunic by Twinkle featuring the characteristic use of reverse-Stockinette stitch and big yarn (the pattern calls for Cascade’s “Magnum”) for a quick knit.  The pattern features a cabled bobble pattern down the front of the tunic, a bobble vine down both sleeves, a front sweatshirt-like pocket, ribbed detailing and a yoked collar.  

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a thing for Twinkle sweaters; this pattern especially appealed to me because of its stylish ease (it is proportioned to fit like your favorite sweatshirt, but is infinitely more stylish) and the bobbled texture).  However, I had avoided making it because of the expense.  Magnum is a beautiful yarn, but at $20.00/skein (that’s an $80.00 sweater even if you are super skinny) it’s out of my price range.  Then I wondered if I could achieve the same expensive look and texture of the sweater, but with something a lot cheaper.

Enter the purple Vanna’s Choice by Lion Brand Yarn at the bottom of my stash basket.  I’d had this yarn for a couple years as a birthday present from my grandmother, but hadn’t found the right sweater to make from it.  I started playing with it, and discovered that when two strands were held together, the knitted texture was almost as big and fluffy as the texture in most bulky Twinkle knits.  I used 7 skeins to complete my sweater (with plenty of leftovers) at $2.50/skein (Michael’s seems to have the best sale prices on commercially prepared acrylic yarns) which adds up to a $17.50 sweater.  Hello bargain knitting!* 

For the bobbled tunic, I used a size 15 needle; the original pattern calls for a size 17, but I found this texture with the double Vanna’s to be a little loose.  Because I used a smaller needle size, I followed the stitch directions for the large size, and the measurement directions for the small size (my size!) for the body.  However, when I tried knitting the sleeves in this way, they were much too loose, so I followed the stitch directions for the medium size on them. 

The pattern also had some weird measurements for the collar portion of the directions; the pattern suggests that for all sizes, the collar should be worked in Stockinette stitch for 4 inches after the initial decrease round, before completing the rest of the yoke shaping.  However, when I did this, the point where the stitching texture switches from reverse-Stockinette to Stockinette fell directly on my bust line instead of above it.  So, I ripped back and worked 5 more rounds of rev.-St. stitch (logically extending the cabled pattern at the front) including the first round of decrease shaping for the collar.  I then switched to Stockinette for 2 rounds before following the yoke decreases.  The pattern suggests that the final collar measurements for all sizes should be 11 inches, which seems pretty silly to me as the distance from above the bust line to the collarbone will differ for taller or shorter women (and different sizes).  My completed collar measures 10 ½ inches, with all shaping worked over 4 inches.

Overall, I’m very happy with the way the tunic turned out.  It knit up really quickly (I finished it over a couple days) and is warm and cozy, perfect for the Chicago fall!

*Note: Generally, when knitting, I prefer wools over acrylics because of the lasting quality 100% wools have over acrylic and acrylic blend yarns.  The sweaters that I’ve knitted in acrylics and blends (especially Lion Brand wool-ease) may be easy to clean and cheap, but they fuzz, loose shape and wear noticeably over time.  I’m hoping that Vanna’s will wear much better because it is 100% acrylic.

Pillowcase Pattern

It’s October, and signs of the fall season are now totally unavoidable; everywhere there are trees bursting into colors, there’s a nippy chill in the air, and my annual favorite, the pumpkin spice latte, is back at coffee shops everywhere!  So as you dig out your sweaters, woolly socks and heavy quilts, consider getting out your flannel too, for some cozy pillow cases!

Flannel Pillowcases

On my first year out of school I decided to make a quilt for my man’s birthday, and to ensure that he would like it, I had him choose the fabrics (sewers and quilters of the world rejoice, a non-sewer entered a fabric store without much complaining and eye-rolling!).  After dragging him away from the polar fleece several times (I tried explaining that polar fleece is not suitable for a quilt) he settled on some manly flannels.   The subsequent quilt was a huge success, so much that he has only allowed it to leave his bed to be cleaned once!

This year, with fall coming on, I started looking at the leftover fabrics from his quilt and realized there was enough for two cozy, flannel pillowcases.  I took my measurements from a standard pillowcase and sewed up both pillowcases in a matter of hours; instant gratification is delicious!  This would be a great project for a beginner sewer, or a quick housewarming gift since it would be very easy to personalize the pillowcases with almost any kind of fabric.  Please note that the fabric amounts are for two standard pillowcases. 

Important Notes:

·         All seam allowances are for ½ inch.

·         All measurements are in inches.

Fabric:

Main Fabric: 1 ½ yard (I’d recommend buying at least 2 yd for one way, stripe or plaid designs; as you can see on my pillows, I did not have enough fabric to match up the plaid pattern.)

Contrast Fabric A: ¼ yd

Contrast Fabric B: ¼  yd

Cutting Instructions:

Main Fabric:

                 Cut 2 rectangles measuring 22.5” x 39”

                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 9” x 39”

Contrast Fabric A:           

                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 4” x 39”

Contrast Fabric B:           

                Cut 2 rectangles measuring 3” x 39”

Pillow Assembly:

1.       Wash and dry all fabrics thoroughly; this will prevent odd shrinkage and/or dye bleeding later on.

2.       Iron all fabrics.

3.       Cut out all fabrics according to the listed dimensions.

4.       With right sides together, pin the large main fabric rectangle to the contrast fabric A along one of the 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

5.       With right sides together, pin the small main fabric rectangle to the contrast fabric B along one of the 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

6.       With right sides together, pin the contrast fabric A to the contrast fabric B along their remaining 39 inch edges.  Sew this seam.

7.       Iron all previous seams flat, so that the seam allowances are towards the small main fabric rectangle.

8.       Finish all seams (I would recommend using a surger to finish the seams, or using the zig zag stitch on your regular sewing machine).

9.       Fold the pillow in half, matching up the seams, and corners of the pillow and pin the edges together.  Sew these seams (along the closed end, which is 39” and side of the pillow, which is now 30.5”).

10.   Finish these seams.

11.   Pin the remaining raw edge (the pillowcase’s opening) at ½ inch, and iron.

12.   Pin the folded edge of the pillow to the nearest seam allowance (from the seam between the small main fabric rectangle and contrast fabric B)so that the folded edge is lined up just below the seam, so the seam’s stitches are visible.

13.   Hand sew (using an invisible stitch) the pillowcase’s folded edge to this seam allowance.

14.   Turn the pillowcase right-side out, and iron.

15.   Repeat directions 4-14 for your second pillowcase.

16.   Congratulations, you’re done!  Put your pillowcases on your pillows and take a celebratory nap!