What you do in between rounds of Sock Madness

I think I can honestly say I've got Zombies out of my system! After completing the first pair in timely fashion and loving some of the other completed pairs in more solid colours, I cast on this pair within 24 hours of finishing!



So, may I present...depending on your state of mind...Rainforest/Swamp/Mouldy Zombies!
Using the tip offered by one of the other contestants, I knitted all the K sts in the pattern through the back of the loop except for those that would be dropped. It neatened the edges considerably and the ladders were much more elongated and really "popped"!

And the variety of title? Well, see the little embellishment on the side? If you're of a romantic nature, it could be a twisted vine and rainforest flower or a swamp reed and water lily (green, of course!). If you're more bloodthirsty in nature, it could just as easily be mouldy entrails and a bloody eye! Or, if you don't know the theme it's just a pretty decoration, it's certainly open to interpretation.

Knitting this pair of socks took most of last week as I was far more relaxed and the amendments definitely slowed things down and in a wee sting in the tale, I managed to knit both socks one repeat short before the toe so both got frogged and re done before the finish. I was definitely getting irritated with the pattern by the end so I've been happy to switch my allegiances to knitting non-sock related for a while giving me a break before the next round begins which should be within the next week. Roll on round 2!

Saturday (part 2) was an amazing dyeing day at the Cheshire Guild, I got loads done and had a fab time even if I did pound my poor back in the process! We had the benefit of the fab Debbie Tomkies leading us through the joys of both Kool-Aid and Procion dyeing. I have blogged about using Kool-Aid and its cousins before and I do love the simplicity of using it, even if the colour range is a bit limited (and often ultra-bright!). Procion dyes are a whole different ball game however as they can be adapted to dye both animal and plant fibres and I had the opportunity to experience both during the day.


Fibre to be dyed was placed into buckets and weighed so that the correct amount of chemical (citric acid for wool, soda ash for plant fibres) was added to the soaking water to make the dye fast. Once thoroughly wetted, we got to play! The picture above is a 100g skein of Bluefaced Leicested laceweight which I laid on cling film and dropped neat liquid dye straight onto it. It was wrapped into a neat sausage and the dye squidged and squeezed along the skein to spread the colour then an extra layer around the sausage roll kept the dye all in place. Doesn't it look pretty?



Here are some of the other members dyeing their skeins, I loved the look of concentration on everyone's faces and the ideas that other people came up with, many of which are salted away in the memory banks for future "playtime".


I'd never have thought of laying a skein out in this way but it gives the dyer such an opportunity for specific colour layering, all I can say is WOW!




And here are more experiments cooling outside, don't you love the impromptu washing line?



Well, here is my haul from the day, all dry and pretty. On the left (and front) there is mohair tops and Wensleydale curls both rainbow dyed on the stovetop using procion MX dyes in blues and greens (with a dash of red!). On the right (and front), we have the same fibres this time dyed on the stovetop using Kool-Aid, Cherry red, rasberry Blue and Lemon/Lime green. I'm definitely getting into shiny fleeces! Both were chosen for their love of dye and they look so pretty in the flesh. I currently have the rest of the Wensleydale dripping over the bath ready for more dye fun at home as soon as I can clear some time.

And in the centre from the left to right; Trekking sock yarn using Procion MX dyes in reds, oranges and yellows with some black and blue, hemp?, boucle cotton and cotton/rayon and DK cotton yarn. On the right that self same skein of laceweight that you saw at the top of the post.

I love the colours though washing the plant fibres was scary! As they were cold-dyed there was no heating involved so I'd left them a good time and then washed...and washed...and soaked...and washed. It sort of reminded me of the Mystical Creations Yarns thread over on Ravelry! Never having dyed that sort of fibre, I'd no experience of quite how much dye actually comes out but I do like the final effect. The Trekking yarn was an experiment for the upcoming Mystic Light shawl knitalong. I was looking for a sunsetty kind of effect but it's all a bit too... something. Bright maybe? That and the laceweight have a bit too much white on them for my liking so and overdye may well be in the near future to consolidate things somewhat. Ah well, early days in the dye front and there's the Earth Hues Dye weekend in only a couple of weeks, I am SO looking forward to that!

Well, in typical fashion, the Twilleys Jacket is still putting up a fight, even to the last. Since last I blogged, the final sleeve has been completed and since yesterday I have been making brisk progress on the capacious collar. BUT I'm running out of wool...considering I bought 2 balls more than I needed, it's rather annoying however, a kind knitter from the afternoon group has offered me her nearly complete ball as she too needed extra yarn for the last two rows of her jacket! Of course, being of a somewhat scatterbrained nature AND the fact that this jacket has been on the needles for so long it would be equally possible that there is a spare ball rolling around the floor somewhere in a dark corner or shoved in a bag of assorted yarns. As it will be a week before I can get the spare yarn, I may have to rummage...though not too hard as we still have furry friends invasion. Despite a number of traps in the kitchen, there's been no luck yet and now I'm dreaming about the blighters!

Speaking to other knitters in the group, it's unbelievable quite how many of us have had problems recently. I know that there is an increased likelihood in an urban area plus my neighbour has a cat who brings her live presents...which she just lets out again but I reckon there's a definite pest problem in the area as a whole.

Ah well, these things are sent to try us! Next on the needles will be a resuming of the Secret of the Stole, frogging what I have of the Spring Surprise Shawl, all fitted around the next round of Sock madness, of course!