Hosting a Dye-a-Long

I have had many people contact me saying that they've dyed along to some of my yarn dyeing videos.  I thought it would be fun to teach some of my friends how to dye yarn with KoolAid in person, so I invited my local Crochet Club over for a Dye-a-Long!  In this blog post I will tell you what I did to create this dye-a-long. 

Dye-a-Long Set Up

Normally I do most of my dyeing videos on my granite kitchen counter where I don't worry about the work surface getting stained.  For a dye-a-long, I needed more space, so I decided to use my wooden butcher block kitchen table.  I didn't have a plastic table cloth, so I took 5 plastic bags, cut the ends off and then secured them to the underside of the table with bits of tape.  I made sure that the overlap sections were huge.  I think my table is well protected!  

Two of my guests had me purchase yarn for them.  The first step of handpainting is always a 30 minute soak, but I decided to NOT do this step for my guests ahead of time.  Why?  Some other attendees might bring their own yarn and need to soak it, plus it gives a length of time where we can start mixing the dyes.  

I selected Kool Aid for the dyeing tutorial because it is the easiest to mix up, you don't worry about proportions of vinegar or red dyes potentially crashing out of a too acidic solution.  I decided to look up the equivalent amount of dye in each KoolAid packet to compare with McCormick's food coloring drops to have as a handy reference.  

I have a lot of KoolAid in the house.  For this dye-a-long, I selected to have a rainbow of flavors, Cherry, Orange, Lemonade, Lemon-Lime, Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade and Grape.  I put the packets in a pan that I am keeping OFF of the main table.  This should hopefully protect them from spills!

My Rainbow of KoolAid Colors.  I did a test dye when writing up the tutorial and these are the unmodified shades I got from Cherry, Orange, Lemonade, Lemon-Lime, Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade and Grape KoolAid each mixed in 1/3 cup of water and applied to a 100 g pre knit blank.  

I also made sure to supply cups for mixing dye, water, measuring cups and plastic wrap for wrapping up the yarn.

Finally, I provided printouts of the instructions we were going to follow in the dye-a-long.  I promised that I would share this handout with the entire Crochet Club so those who couldn't make the dye-a-long could participate on their own later on.  

The Tutorial - Available for Download through Google Drive!  You can use this tutorial for your own Kool-Aid Dye alongs, just please remember to give ChemKnits credit for the instructions.   When viewing the images in a web browser, the pictures appear strange, but when the file is downloaded and opened with a PDF reader program the images look normal.  


Photos From the Dye-a-Long

Waiting for everyone to arrive

The table quickly got messy as we all started painting.  (Unfortunately I forgot to take some in progress pictures until the very end.)

 After the dye had been set in the microwave, I had my friends leave the yarn behind to cool.  This is easily the longest step in the process and I knew that I could handle rinsing and drying the 6 skeins myself.  

6 skeins handpainted with KoolAid and one (far left) kettle dyed with Easter Egg Dye tablets.  

I made sure that my  Downloadable Handout contained instructions for the washing and drying so that even without a demonstration of the technique people would be able to do it on their own at home.

I love the final pictures of the finished skeins.  It is amazing how different people using similar flavors and colors of KoolAid can create such different colorways.  Now I just have to wait to see what people will knit/crochet with their fabulous hand dyed yarns!

My Handpainted Yarn

For my demo, I used black cherry, grape and blue raspberry lemonade. At least 2 packets blue, 1 cherry and 1 or 2 grape.  I diluted some cherry to get a pink but I added the vinegar to the dilution to make sure there was still some acid. I also mixed some of the colors together before applying them to the yarn to get some different shades of the red and pink.  I wanted to make sure that I added the colors in a random way around the skein of yarn, I didn't want to have super regular repeats.  

As I mentioned previously in this post, I demonstrated a second technique at the dye along.  While we were waiting for the yarn to soak, I set up pot on the stove to kettle dye some blank yarn with Easter Egg Dye Tablets.  My crochet club had a lot of fun watching the colors spread out over the yarn.  (More details from this demo will be in a future post.)  

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I had so much fun hosting a dye-a-long that I know I will want to host another one in the future.  I've also given some thought to trying to do a live streaming dye-a-long, but I haven't worked out the logistics of this one yet.  Please let me know what you think and I'll see what I can come up with!  

Chirphead's Woobie Zebra

As soon as I saw the Woobie Zebra knitting pattern, I knew that I wanted to make it for my first child.  When I found out Chirphead was a boy I needed to order some yarn to make some new projects.  I'm so thrilled that over half the projects I wanted to make for my baby boy could be accomplished out of my existing stash.  However, some projects like the following woobie required that I purchase some yarn. 

I started with the inner ears to find out whether I needed to order more pink yarn.  It turns out that I had enough!  

This project was knit on size 3 (3.25 mm) knitting needles on KnitPicks Shine Sport yarn in Black (139 g, 306 yards), White (51 g, 113 yards), Cosmopolitan (2 g, 4 yards), and French Blue (7 g, 16 yards).  I learned a lot of helpful things when I created the Tiger Woobie for my close friends' baby on the way, including to count my stitches carefully.   (Check out that post for more in progress photographs.)  

Notes from Construction

• Instead of a provincial cast on, I cast on with the long tail method.  I will pick up stitches to create the picot edge when the time comes.  (This worked well with my previous woobie.)  
• There are a few mistakes with the stitch placement.  For example, on Round 13 it says "K82, cdd, SM...."  but later on it says that you should knit until 2 sts before the last marker to make the cdd and slip the marker and put it back after.  The added decrease Rnd 1 also needs some adjustment to keep the additional cdd's spaced similarly in each round.  
• Black Ball 1 finished in the towards the end of round 14.
• Before folding for the picot edge, I counted to double check my stitch count.  Wahoo!  75, 75, 75, 75.  
• Picking up the stitches was a little hard because of the black stitches, but I think that it went pretty well overall.
  

  

  Wrong side of the folded edge

• Before the decrease stripe of black stripe 4, I counted sts as follows: 61, 61, 60, 60.  It looks like I probably had an extra cdd at some point, sigh.  I actually found where this extra CDD is located, but it wouldn't be noticable to anyone but me.   I'll keep going and adjust my stitch counts when adding the additional cdd's as I did with the tiger woobie.  (I'm afraid that skipping a CDD to adjust the stitch number now will be more noticable than adjusting hte beginning of the additional decreases.)  
• Black Ball 2 finished mid way through the first round of black stripe 6 (the border doesn't count as a stripe.)  This is much earlier than the equivalent MC in the tiger, so I am a little concerned about running out of yarn... but not TOO concerned.  
• After black stripe 10, the counts are as follows: 35, 35, 34, 34
• Next decrease round (CC row 11):  K15, CDD, PM, K15, CDD, K14, CDD, PM, K15, CDD, K14, K2tog, PM, K15, CDD, K14, K2tog, PM, K15, CDD (with first st of previous round.)  As with the Tiger, there should now be 124 sts and evenly spread between the original markers (31 sts - alternating 15 or 16 sts between new markers.)  Continue the instructions as written.  
• At the end of the 14th CC stripe, I hit 28 sts.  I switched to the MC (black) to knit the one round even before the "next round" decreases and continue to the crossing of stitches for the head closure.
  
  
  
•  White Ball 2 finished in the short rows of row 7 of the zebra head.
  
  
• The embroidery went surprsingly well.  Like I did with the tiger, I am going to secure my stitching with a bit of non-toxic elmer's glue.
  
  
• The Mane - Woa boy, I was not quite sure how to start with this one.  Shine sport is a yarn with a lot of drape, not the best for making a mohawk.  I started by securing a row of fringe that was 3 strands x 7 deep.  I then realized that it was slightly off center, so my second row of 3x7 strands seemed to fix that.  Therefore, I decided to do without a third row of fringe as was suggested in the pattern.
  
  
• To finish up, I trimmed the mane a bit to be closer to a 1.5" length rather than a 3" length that we started with.  There is still some floppiness, but then again, what horse has a mane that stands up unless they have a buzz cut?  I'm having extra fun with this trim because I got my own hair cut earlier today!  
  
  

  

  Chirphead snuggling with the in-progress woobie!

In the end, this project consumed 112 yards of White, 306 yards of black, 16 yards of French Blue and 4.5 yards of Cosmopolitan Knit Picks Shine Sport yarn. I am so thrilled with the way Chirphead's woobie turned out, and I know that I will be making more of these in the future.  Can't you see that the tiger and zebra are already best friends? 

A New Penguin Ornament

Today is my 30th birthday!  I decided that I wanted to share a project that I completed in March because it is a fitting birthday post for me.  The first Christmas ornament I ever received from Keith was a penguin, and then we got married at the New England Aquarium with our first dance surrounded by penguins.  I am now collecting penguin Christmas ornaments and therefore I wanted one of my early crochet projects to be an Amigurumi Penguin.  

This is my first time crocheting with fingering weight wool.   This pattern also looks more complicated than the other amigurumi crochet patterns I've attempted thus far.  Two colors in a round!  Since I love colorwork with knitting, I'm hopefully that I can figure this out.  The colorwork isn't so bad... but I am glad that the body as written is a single color. (It is supposed to be grey but I'm going to go with white.)  I see that some other users made a two color body, but I am going to try crocheting the single color and then see what I think.  At this point, I'm wondering why the body is created separately, but we'll see.  

So after knitting the body, I'm still confused as to why it is done separately   This is going to create an obvious seam at the neckline.  Oh well...  At least this should make it easier to sew on the feat and eyes before stuffing the little pengu.  (Never mind, they have you sew the head and body together before attaching any other pieces. If I were to make this again, I would make a continuous piece and then just stitch the bottom together at the end.  Craziness!   I disregarded the instructions and sewed on the beak and eyes before stuffing and sewing the neck closed.  (I decided to wait with the feet so I could handle the placement better.)   

This project used 3 g of Black, 1 g of white and negligible hand dyed orange KnitPicks Palette Yarn.  The entire project weighted 4 g before I started stuffing and weaving in loose ends.  I used a size B (2.25 mm) crochet hook.  

The patterns said to stuff the wings, legs and beak, but I just "stuffed" them with the loose end from the magic circle.  I am thrilled with the way this project turned out!  I'm not sure if I will make another, but this is a great pattern and you should really check it out.  

Dip Dyeing Yarn in the Microwave

Here is an old dyeing tutorial that I never posted on the blog.  In this video, I demonstrate how you can dip dye your yarn in the microwave by submerging part of a skein in dye at a time.  You can go crazy with overlapping colors and create some truly beautiful yarns.  Watch to find out more!  

KnitPicks Share Your Wishlist Contest

KnitPicks is having a "Share your Wishlist" contest running now through December 9, 2013.  There are three ways to enter: email your wishlist, share it on Facebook or share it on your blog.  Take a peak into what I'm dreaming about, because here is my wishlist! 

To make this post a little more fun, here is my most recent KnitPicks Order (hurrah for the Cyber Monday sale.)  I managed to get all 18 items for $50.93.  How is that for hitting the free shipping mark? I purchased two yarns that had been on my wish list for months (or even years), Capretta and Imagination hand painted yarn. 

 

Time for me to go play with my new pompom maker.  I have a Christmas hat for Lucky to finish up.  

Comfort Knitting & Crochet: Babies & Toddlers

While 8 months pregnant, I picked up the book Comfort Knitting & Crochet: Babies & Toddlers: More than 50 Knit and Crochet Designs Using Berroco's Comfort and Vintage Yarns by Norah Gaughan and the Berroco Design Team from my local library.  I've been knitting and crocheting for my little one for the past 7.5 months (ever since the positive pregnancy test result), and now that my baby boy is almost here I don't have much time for much more crafting, but I have years of his childhood to craft for.  This means that I need to start queueing patterns!

When I picked up the book, I was immediately excited by the title.  I want the things that I make for my baby to be functional, comfortable and COMFORTING in addition to being fun to make.  I love knitting books that have book ends, this makes it really easy to mark patterns.  This book has over 50 patterns that are split pretty evenly into knit (26) and crochet (21).  Now this number from the TOC doesn't quite add up to 50, so I have to assume that some of these patterns include multiple variations.

My favorite Knitting Patterns

• Orangelo Bib - A darling segmented bib that looks like an orange slice.  It is a simple, easy project, but the name makes it oh-so-delightful.  
• Smocked Cardigan - The smocking is done with embroidery at the end, but it adds a very beautiful element to a simple stockinette cardigan that would work for a little boy or a little girl. 
• Brattenberg Blanket - It looks like there are cables running diagonally up this blanket, but apparently this is deceptive because it is created with shifting ribbing.  
• Solaria Blanket - A round blanket with cables that radiate out from the center like rays of sunshine.  
• Bertie Bird - I'm a sucker for knit toys!  I love how ripple stitches define the feathers at the end of the wings and tail.  

My Favorite Crochet Patterns

• Cleire Cardigan - Darling crocheted cables and bobbles create a delightful cardigan.  It may be above my skill level, but I think it looks both vintage and modern at the same time.  (It reminds me of the fisherman's afghan my paternal grandmother made for my parents.)  
• Snowflake Blanket - Crochet hexagons are assembled together in a way like I've never seen before.  I may be a novice crocheter, but this is something I am dying to sink my hook into.  It feels much more modern than a granny square afghan.  
• Slice Cap - Crocheted in two different ways, options for a visor with or without ripples.  
• High Fidoodlity Blanket - Thick and thin waves of crochet give this a modern feel.  I think I would love this as a scarf, but I'm not sure if I have the skill to make it or not.  (I haven't looked closely at the pattern, this is just based on looking at the pattern itself.)  

This is not a book that would teach you how to knit, but then again I have come to think that "how to knit" and "how to crochet" sections waste pages in pattern books.  Some special techniques are defined in the back of the book, but you may need to go to YouTube or a "how to" book if you are a novice fiber crafter.  

Overall I am very excited by this book.  There are many patterns that I didn't mention, but as you can see from the ones I highlighted there are MANY that I loved.  It may even be worth adding this book to my personal library!  My only complaint is that I wish there were difficulty levels clearly indicated for each pattern.  It is hard to know whether some of the crochet patterns are well beyond my ability level or not.  

  

Another BU Sweater

Holiday time is upon us once again!  My wonderful cousin-in-law(-in-law?) saw the BU ornament I made my FIL hanging on the tree.  She exclaimed over it and I realized that I completely forgot that both she and her husband went to BU for graduate school!  Therefore, making them their own hand knit Boston University sweater ornament became a must for this year.

I created this orament using the same yarn that I dyed using left over tulip tie dye kit dye as the original.  I'm not weighing the yarn, but I should have enough (hopefully!)  The yarn base was KnitPicks Palette and I used size 1 (2.25 mm) knitting needles.)

I decided to wet block this ornament slightly after sewing it up just to give it a slightly better shape.  (I did not take before pictures.  There are plenty of pictures on the pattern page.)

The best thing about the BU sweater ornament is that you can make it for other schools other than BU!  Just change the letters and colors and you can customize your sweater ornament.