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by Knit Picks Staff on May 10, 2010
I've been wanting to try my hand at dyeing for a while now. The thought of the mess, the equipment and doing a really bad job at it kept me from trying. But, after I found out there was going to be a dyealong, I thought, hey! Perfect opportunity! Now I can at least commiserate with others who have also made a giant mess. So, I got some sock blanks, let myself get inspired, and dove right in. I decided to try acid dyes, since it's relatively low-odor and I could do it indoors (with proper ventilation, of course). That proved to be an advantageous decision, because when I got ready to dye it was raining! I got all my supplies together and started the process. |
Category Archives: Inspiration
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by Kelley on May 10, 2010
The appeal of dying sock blanks is the never-ending possibilities. You can choose to be creative in a linear fashion or be abstract. I sound like an art museum docent. I chose to give linear a try for the blanks I was dyeing for my Shape-It Scarves. |
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by Kelley on May 7, 2010
Cornstarch! Admit it! I completely surprised you! :) |
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by Kelley on May 5, 2010
It should come as no surprise that I am dedicating one blog post to the getting ready to dye and knit my two sock blanks. It’s all about The Process, baby! Let’s start with the inspiration! |
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by Knit Picks Staff on May 3, 2010
For the month of May, Knit Picks staffers are taking the plunge and experimenting with a variety of dyeing techniques. Kelley and Kerin are both experienced dyers, they're going to show you some techniques for using Jacquard Acid Dyes. Nina (another dyeing pro!), Marci, Amy, and I are dyeing sock blanks with food coloring and Kool-Aid. Kate and Christina are trying out our Indigo Dye Kit, and Alison and Sarah, one of our photographers, are experimenting with natural dyes like beets! If you've ever thought about dyeing yarn, but you've been hesitating, now is a great time to give it a try. We sell a variety of ready-to-dye Bare yarn in different weights and fiber blends and we sell dye. We've also added 6 new dyeing tutorials covering everything from dyeing yarn in a crockpot to tea dyeing to help you get started, and we're hosting a Dye-Along in the Knitting Community where you can ask questions and get advice. |
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by Kelley on May 3, 2010
Can’t pull the wool over your eyes!! Alright, I am so excited about this project that I have become slap-happy. |
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by Stacey on April 29, 2010
In my previous job life as a bookstore girl (where I lovingly took care of the knitting section), I remember when Toni Carr‘s book Knockdown Knits was released. I immediately snapped it up – it was so much fun to read & such great projects, even for those who aren’t roller girls like Toni. (With my incredible clumsiness, I would be a danger to myself & to others!) Imagine my delight when I started working on IDP and discovered that Toni was already a part of it! Of course I had to do an interview! How long have you been knitting? I started seriously knitting about 9 years ago. What motivated you to learn to knit? In all honesty, my Grandmother lived all by herself, way out in the country. I knew she was lonely and could use some company, but the fact that she is deaf caused a communication ... |
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by Stacey on April 29, 2010
We are throwing ourselves a little party in Portland to celebrate our new spring yarns – and you’re invited! If you are in the Portland OR/Vancouver WA area on April 7th, please come join us at the Ecotrust building from 7-9 in downtown Portland! We are going to have samples of our new yarns available to play with (so bring your needles & hooks!). All attendees will be entered in a raffle for fun Knit Picks’ products (new yarns, kits, needles sets) and, while we won’t be selling products at the event, the first 200 guests will receive a coupon good for 10% off of their next online yarn purchase. We are also going to have a panel discussion with local area designers, moderated by Kelley! Plus you can meet all us crazy Knit Picks people in person! It’s going to be a lot of fun & we hope to ... |
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by Knit Picks Staff on April 29, 2010
Spring is here! It’s a gorgeous sunny spring day in the Pacific Northwest. The sun is shining, my flowers in my garden are still alive (I have a black thumb). I’m not even wearing a coat today! Speaking of flowers, have you seen our new spring kits that we introduced today? I’m excited about the Backyard Garden kit. I’m much better at knitting flowers than growing them, and these flowers will bloom all year! Kerin is both an amazing gardener and the designer of this kit, and all of the bugs and blooms in this kit are incredibly detailed and realistic looking. Each insect, leaf, or flower in this kit is quite small, only a few inches across, so you can knit a couple of them in an evening. It was really fun to think of things to embellish with the Backyard Garden kit. Headbands, wreaths, magnets, crib mobiles, ... |
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by Knit Picks Staff on April 29, 2010
I have a new design out! Introducing, the Tilt-a-Whirl Spiral Kit! (in Blue or Brown!) Spiral knitting is a simple trick that produces jog-less stripes which twist and spiral up the piece like a barber pole! It can be worked on DPNs or circular needles, and in this project is used for socks, fingerless mitts, and a slouchy beret. I got to use some of my favorite colors of Stroll Hand Paints in this kit, and the resulting pieces are lightweight, fun to knit, and easy to wear. Trying to name this kit was a challenge, but we all loved the fun colors so much, we decided to go with something that we had (mostly) fun memories of: |
