the blue blog archives: dye time

It's getting down to the wire for sending out dye swap yarn (only like 4 days left!) and I still haven't sent out my pal's yarn - yikes! Since Knitpicks is out of their color-your-own yarn (doh!) and I've used/ruined the dozen skeins I'd ordered for practice, I decided to try overdyeing the last skein I'd made. The only thing I hadn't liked about it was the unevenness of the colors. After soaking it for ages in a strong acid bath and using more concentrated dye solutions, I ended up with really nice, even greens.

But what the picture doesn't show, and what I didn't see until the skein was all dry, is that there are little speckles in the blue. I don't think I can send it. Poop!

In the meantime, I got my dye swap skein from Roxanne. Look what beautiful blues she made for me!

the pic she posted here is much better
with all this rain here again, my camera couldn't do it justice

(You can even get some of this yarn on her online store or from her etsy store!) I love the yarn, but I feel bad, because apparently my preferences were difficult. Sorry, Roxanne! I love pretty much everything in her store, so however I phrased things must have made me sound like the pickiest person on earth. I do love the results though. Thank you, thank you!

So it's pretty blue socks for me and back to the drawing board for my dye pal. Anyone have another dozen skeins of Knitpics color-your-own to sell me? ;0)

posted by alison at 10:07 am | in dye job

Comments

I confess I like the blue speckles! But that's just me.

Posted by: Frarochvia at June 8, 2006 10:16 AM

I like the speckles, too! Think of them as "little bursts of color," or "highlights". Somewhere, someone is dying their yarn and thinking, "Oh, poop! I wanted some little highlights in there." C'mon! It's not a bug, it's a feature.

Posted by: Bryn at June 8, 2006 11:06 AM

I love the blue speckles, and think it will knit up really cool.
You should send your pal that yarn, I bet they will love it.

Posted by: Sarah at June 8, 2006 11:06 AM

You pay extra to get those speckles to show up in printed sock yarn!

I think it looks great!

Posted by: bfmomma at June 8, 2006 11:17 AM

Maybe you could order something other than knitpicks! I love the Kona Superwash. And I think your yarn looks lovely.

Posted by: krista at June 8, 2006 11:21 AM

seriously, reskein it and the color blend and speckles will look great.

Posted by: Dorothy at June 8, 2006 11:42 AM

I think it looks great! If I were your dye buddy, let me just say I would drool over it, speckles and all.

Posted by: emily at June 8, 2006 11:50 AM

I like the speckles, however I have used yarn where - the person shall remain nameless - there were such speckles which stained my hands considerably. After a LOT of washing, the yarn was useable and the speckles gone. Maybe it just needs washing?

Posted by: jess at June 8, 2006 11:56 AM

And what's wrong with speckles? I like the look. But Jess has a point. Can you test the speckles?

Posted by: Sheryl at June 8, 2006 11:59 AM

I really like that yarn! I think if you give it another wash and a reskein like everyone else says, it would look fine. I do think I have an extra skein of the DIY yarn from knitpicks if you get desperate.

Posted by: Janine at June 8, 2006 12:20 PM

I have 100 kilos of undyed sock yarn just arrived at HipKnits. Want a little? ;)

Posted by: kerrie at June 8, 2006 12:31 PM

The Needle Lady in Charlottesville, VA has an online store (http://www.needlelady.com/storefront.aspx) and they apparently sell large cones of dye-your-own yarn for apparently cheaper than KnitPicks. (According to a Charlottesville blogger who bought her dye-o-rama yarn there).

Too bad about the speckles. They might look cool knit up, like a faux fair isle self-patterning yarn (sorta).

I took a yarn dyeing class this weekend - fun!

Posted by: Mary at June 8, 2006 12:59 PM

What beautiful yarn you received!

It's gorgeous.

Posted by: pip at June 8, 2006 1:09 PM

I love the yarn you dyed! If you don't end up sending it to your pal, please think about sending it my way! I'll pay you for your time and shipping! I love the speckles and I love blue.

Posted by: Karen at June 8, 2006 1:49 PM

i agree with everyone, too. as i was always taught in art class (not that i was ever any GOOD in art class...), it's not a mistake unless you say it is. if you don't...then it's art! i say in that sense artists are like magicians - never reveal their secrets!

Posted by: ruth at June 8, 2006 3:03 PM

I love the little speckles. The colors are gorgeous and that just adds to it.

Posted by: Heather at June 8, 2006 3:08 PM

Hi Alison :) I have some Knitpicks color your own and I also have some henry's attic kona and kona fingering - I also like the blue speckels and think it should be fine once reskeined :)

Posted by: Stephanie at June 8, 2006 3:17 PM

Gorgeous yarn from your dye pal! And good luck with your own dyeing...

Posted by: Chris at June 8, 2006 3:18 PM

Are you sure you aren't being too hard on yourself? Remember, this is supposed to be fun! That looks like a colorway I could never have come up with deliberately trying. Your gift yarn is pretty sweet too.

Posted by: Birdsong at June 8, 2006 3:30 PM

What's wrong with the speckles? Speckles are cool.

Posted by: Kat at June 8, 2006 3:43 PM

I don't suppose I would be your dye pal? Unlikely. But if I am, please send speckled yarn immediately. It is splendiferous.

Posted by: Lucia at June 8, 2006 3:50 PM

Isn't Koigu charging good money these days for speckled KPPPM? In which case you are a dyeing genius!

Posted by: Ashley at June 8, 2006 3:58 PM

I'm hoping that I'm your pal, though with my luck I'm probably not. I love the yarn, though, and the speckles? Just call them a subtle design feature, and voila. ;-)

Posted by: Anne at June 8, 2006 4:35 PM

Koigu includes speckles. Alison can include speckles.

Posted by: Lauren at June 8, 2006 4:40 PM

I think you just liked the other dye-jobs so much that you can't bear to part with them. ;)

Posted by: Kit at June 8, 2006 7:06 PM

I would reskein it and check it too! I thought I had ruined a couple of skeins and thought that they were ick...until I reskeined and loved them. Give it a whirl!

Posted by: Zonda at June 8, 2006 7:19 PM

Speckles rule. Just think of them as sock freckles.

Posted by: Jennifer at June 8, 2006 7:46 PM

I love the speckles! You can always call it a designer touch.

Posted by: Rae at June 8, 2006 9:24 PM

I'm with the mob -- I love the speckles!

Posted by: janna at June 8, 2006 9:29 PM

Go with the speckles they are great!
My pal did a little swatch to see how the yarn she dyed knitted up. I love it. You might try it and like it.

I too now have one skein left. The good Kona Superwash and I sure hope I don't ruin it on Saturday. It NEEDS to be mailed on Monday. Nothing like cutting it down to the wire I say.

Posted by: emmy at June 8, 2006 9:53 PM

You could send it to me! I would be happy to 'suffer' with it just to take it off your hands.

Posted by: Lynette at June 9, 2006 10:08 AM

Ha! I'm doing the same thing. I'm buying up and dying as much yarn that I can get my hands on, but I think my sources for the Knit Picks Dye-your-own has dried up. What to do? What to do?

Good luck to the both of us, eh?

Posted by: Nanc at June 9, 2006 10:41 AM

All I can say is that this dying stuff is harder than I expected!!! I am still working on mine too; an got gorgeous yarn already from my dye-pal! Good luck!

Posted by: alliesw at June 10, 2006 12:35 AM