Sunday, October 31, 2010

Lost and Found


I've been playing with natural dye and having tons of fun lately.

It began during my trip to Istanbul.  I had a wonderful chat with a rug dealer at the Grand Bazaar.  He was not pushy to sell at all (all we ended up buying were the cheapest things in the shop - few pillow covers, the only thing we could afford.)  After the sale, he invited us to sit down for some tea. We talked about so many things, his trips to the U.S. and his favorite place was Montana, and the friendliness and easy attitudes of Americans that most people in other parts of the world don't see.  We talked about Orhan Pamuk's books.  We talked about Turkish culture, and Grand Bazaar.  And we talked about rugs and dyes.  He said, "but natural dyes are much better. Sure they fade over time, but the colors are so much more subtle and interesting.... "  We talked about cochinal bugs, etc.  Ever since then I'd been thinking about natural dyed yarn.

I'd actually never seen knitting yarn with natural dyes before except for the ones I did with turmeric which was soooo not lightfast.  I don't mind color fading over time and that is what natural dye does, but when color fades noticeably within 2 or 3 days, it was discouraging.  So on my last trip down to Bay Area, I stopped by A Verb for Keeping Warm Berkeley store.  It was a little jewel of shop.  I was immediately drawn by the color of the natural dye yarn they have in the store.  Though I had no money left to buy any yarn there, I thought to myself, I must try dyeing some yarn myself using natural dyes.  Few weeks later, I ordered some dye from Botanical Colors and some yarn, and began my dyeing frenzy.

After much playing, I had a big load of yarn.   So I decided to at least knit coupla quick projects up to see how they look.  I made a pair of mittens for myself and a pair for Paul.  I really do love the way the colors came out.  I learned big way that different yarn takes dye so differently. Superwash yarn take up way more dye than non-superwash.  BF Leicester yarn (like the brown mittens) does not take up nearly as much dye, thus gives a more delicate coloring.



So I wrote down notes for the mittens.

Mittens 1 




Yarn: fingering weight. 
         Color A: orange, dyed with madder, color B: light gray, dyed with logwood gray.
Needles: US #2 
Gauge: 33 sts x 38 rows = 4" x 4" over colorwork pattern.
Finished Measurement: ~4 1/4" width x 9" height.


Garter Pattern (total 4 rounds): k 1 round, p 1 round, k 1 round, p 1 round.


With yarn B, CO 70 sts.
Place first marker at the beginning of the round, place second marker after 35 sts to indicate half of the round.
Work Garter Pattern once.

Begin Chart 1 over the first 35 sts, repest for the next 35 sts.

Work Garter Pattern once in yarn B.

Switch to yarn A and k 4 rounds.

Work Garter Pattern once in yarn B.

Begin Chart 2 over the first 35 sts, repeat once for the next 35 sts. 
Work all 28 rows of chart 2.

From now on, work only with yarn A.

Next round (decrease round - decrease because gauge difference of single color from colorwork knitting):  *ssk, k8, ssk, k11, k2tog, k8, k2tog. Repeat from* (total 62 sts left.)
Next round:  k all sts.
Next round (thumb placement over 9 sts):
        For right hand – k 10, slip the last 9 sts from right needle back to left needle, use 12” waste yarn and knit the 9 sts again. Resume knitting with yarn A and k rest of the round.
        For left hand – k 34 sts, slip the last 9 sts from right needle back to left needle, use 12” waste yarn and knit the 9 sts again. Resume knitting with yarn A and k rest of the round.


 (shown left hand mitt) knit 34 sts after second marker. 


  
 slip 9 sts from right needle to left needle


k 9 sts with waste yarn


K all rounds until 1 1/2” from finger tips. 
Next round:  slip first marker, ssk, k to last 2 sts before second marker, k2tog, slip second marker, ssk, k to last 2 sts before end of round, k2tog.
Repeat the decrease every round until only total 6 sts left.
Next round:  * ssk, slip the st from right needle back to left needle and pass the next st over it. (2 sts decreased.). Repeat from *
Cut yarn and thread it through the last 2 sts. 

Thumb:
(This is easiest with 2 needles to pick up sts. If you use other methods to work in round, it’s easiest to pick up with 2 needles first and then redistribute them as you like over needles.)
With first needle, pick up 1 st on the row to the right side of waste yarn, pick up the 9 sts below the waste yarn, pick up 1 st on the row to the left side of the waste yarn. 
With second needle, pick up 1 sts on the row to the left side of waste yarn, pick up the 9 sts above the waste yarn, pick up 1 st on the row to the right side of the waste yarn.
Total 22 sts pick up.
sts.

Join yarn, knit  in round until 1/2" from tip of thumb. 
 
  
pick up 9 sts below waste yarn, and 1 st on either side
pick up 9 sts above waste yarn, and 1 st on either side

pulling out waste yarn


   
ready to knit in round 


Begin shaping for thumb:
Next round:  ssk, k to 2 sts before the second marker, k2tog, ssk, k to last 2 sts, k2tog.
Repeat the decrease every round until only total 6 sts left.
Next round:  * ssk, slip the st from right needle back to left needle and pass the next st over it. (2 sts decreased.). Repeat from *
Cut yarn and thread it through the last 2 sts. 
 
Weave in ends.

Block.

 Chart 1



Chart 2 




Mittens 2



Yarn: Sports weight. 
Color A -  Light Brown - Dyed with Cutch, Madder and modified with iron.  
Color B - Yellow - Dyed with Rabbitbrush flowers and modified with iron.

Needles: US #2

Gauge: 30 sts and 40 rows = 4"  x 4"  (the row count is not as important since you can lengthen or shorten the mittens.)

Finished measurement: 4" width x 11" height

CO 60 sts 
place first marker at the beginning of round, and place the second marker after 30 sts. 
Use Color B and work Garter rounds for 4 rounds (k 1 round, p 1 round, k 1 round, p 1 round.)



Switch to Color A and work cable chart row 1 for 30 sts, place marker, repeat for the next 30 sts.
Continued the cable chart for the first 30 sts, and work only row 1 for the next 30 sts for the entire mitten.
Work until desired length for thumb placement (about 6" from the CO).

Next round, thumb placement over 10 sts:
      For right hand – work to second marker, work 11, slip the last 10 sts from right needle back to left needle, use 12” waste yarn and knit the 10 sts again. Resume knitting with yarn A and finish rest of the round.
      For left hand –  work to second marker,  work 29 st (1 st to the end of round,) slip the last 10 sts from right needle back to left needle, use 12” waste yarn and knit the 10 sts again. Resume knitting with yarn A and finish rest of the round.

Continued in established pattern until about 1 1/2" from fingertips (mine was another 3 3/4" from thumb placement.) 

Begin shaping top:
 (Now stop repeating cables on the first 30 sts,  just work them in row 1 only)
Next round:  sm, ssk, work in est patt to 2 sts before second marker, k2tog, ssk, work  in est patt to last 2 sts, k2tog.
Repeat the decrease every round until only 4 sts left.
Next round:  k2tog twice. 
Cut yarn and thread it through the last 2 sts.

Thumb:
(This is easiest with 2 needles to pick up sts. If you use other methods to work in round, it’s easiest to pick up with 2 needles first and then redistribute them as you like over needles.)
With first needle, pick up 1 st on the row to the right side of waste yarn, pick up the 10 sts below the waste yarn, pick up 1 st on the row to the left side of the waste yarn. 
With second needle, pick up 1 sts on the row to the left side of waste yarn, pick up the 10 sts above the waste yarn, pick up 1 st on the row to the right side of the waste yarn.
Total 24 sts pick up.
work in round in est patt (or just purl all sts) until 1/2" from tip of thumb. 

Begin shaping:
Next round:  sm, ssk, work to 2 sts before next marker, k2tog, ssk, work to last 2 sts, k2tog.
Repeat the decrease every round until only 4 sts left.
Next round:  k2tog twice. 
Cut yarn and thread it through the last 2 sts.

Weave in ends.

Block.  




Saturday, October 23, 2010

Sweaters

Here are coupla sweaters I made in the last month or so.
This one was inspired by the one Kira Knightley wore in "Love, Actually."



I changed the design a bit by skipping the ribbing at bottom.  My cable band came out a bit narrower too (not planned)  but  I like it.  It was knitted with Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere, perfect yarn for pure luxury.






Then there was "Quack, Quack."
This was knitted with Elann Peruvian Sierra Aran.  Absolutely lovely color, too bad my camara cannot capture the depth of it.   I had this idea of an asymmetrical collar jacket for a while and I finally got to it.  The body was knitted top-down, the the collar was picked up stitches worked in short-row.  It came out pretty close to what I had planned. 


Friday, October 15, 2010

Rabbit Socks


I've been gathering flowers from Rubber Rabbitbrush  for dyes.  The yellow they produced is so brilliant and pretty.  I think its color fastness is really good for natural dye.  So far I have not seen fading on the yarn.  It dyes easily and the color gets absorbed into the yarn beautifully and very quickly.   I've been doing a lot of dying with Rabbitbrush, I just can't get enough of the lovely yellow and the shades I could play with.




First boiled the flowers for an hour, and then I strained the liquid for dye bath.  Added water to the dye, then added the yarn.  It really didn't take long to dye since the color got soaked in very quickly.  

I played with dip dye for variation of tones on one skein to see how it works, also threw in just a bit of iron at the end to give it a hint of green into the yellow.  As far as knitting up, I wasn't sure how I like it.  It's varied a bit much for my taste.  I have found that I like more even dye job when it comes to knitting.  But after a soak, the dye even out slightly and I'm loving the result.





Main stitch pattern for the socks was "Twin Leaves Pattern"  from the Second Treasury of Knitting Stitches by Barbary Walker.  To frame either side of it I came up with Twist Stitch Column (a very easy st that I think I saw it somewhere but cannot remember the exact source.)

Here is how I did it using 2 circular needles.
Needles:  US #1

CO 56 sts,  divide into 28 sts on each needle.
First round, on needle 1 work 3rd to 6th st of round 1 of TSC. (k2, p2) 6 times. On needle 2 work 3rd to 6th st of round 2 of TSC. (k2, p2) 6 times.
Second round, on needle 1 work 3rd to 6th st of round 2 of TSC, (k2, p2) 6 times. On needle 2, work 3rd to 6th st of round 1 of TSC. (k2, p2) 6 times.

Repeat last 2 rounds 3 more times (total 8 rounds worked.)

Leg:
On needle 1, work 3rd to 6th st of round 1 of TSC, work round 1 of Twin Leaf Patter over next 22 sts, p2 (the p2 are 1st and 2nd st of TSC).  On needle 2, work 3rd to 6th st of round 2 of TSC, work round 1 of Twin Leaf Pattern over nest 22 sts, p2 (these 2 sts are the 1st and 2nd sts of TSC.)
Cont' in established pattern until 6 Twin Leaf Pattern are completed. 

Heel flap:
work and move the first 3 sts from needle 1 to needle 2, move the last st on needle 1 to needle 2.  (24 sts on needle 1 and 32 sts on needle 2.)  Work back and forth in st st over the 24 sts on needle one and slip the first st of every row until 23 rows are finished.  End with a RS row.

Heel Turn - work over the 24 sts on needle 1:
First row (WS): sl1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Second row (RS): sl 1, k3, ssk, k1, turn.
Third row (WS): sl 1, p to 1 st before gap, p2tog, p1, turn.
Fourth row (RS): sl 1, k to 1 st before gap, ssk, k1, turn.
Repeat third and fourth row until all sts are worked (14 sts remained on needle 1.)

Gausset:
First round:    With needle 1, pick up and k 12 sts along the righ side of heel flap, pick up and p 1 st between the heel flap and next st on needle 2.  Continue in est patt with instep stitch on needle 2.  With needle 1, pick up and purl 1 st between needle 2 and heel flap, pick up and k 12 sts along the left side of heel flap, k 14 sts, and pm to indicate beginning of round. 

Next round: k to last 3 sts on needle 1,  k2 tog, p1, continue in est patt on needle 2, for the first 3 sts on needle 1, p1, ssk,  then k to end of round.

Next round: Work in est patt evenly.

Repeat last 2 rounds until only 24 sts on needle 1 (total 56 sts on both needles.)

Work in est patt evenly until 2" before tip of toes, end with an even number round.

Work sts in est patt to the last 2 sts on needle 2.

Toes:

Move the last 2 sts on needle 2 to needle 1, and move the first 2 sts on needle 2 to needle 1 - 28 sts on each needle.

Round 1:  begin with needle 1,  *k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts on needle 1, k2tog, k1, rep from * for needle 2.
Round 2:  k all sts.
Repeat the 2 rounds 4 more times -  total 36 sts left.
Repeat only round 1 'till only 20 sts left.
Cut yarn.  Graft sts on needle 1 with sts on needle 2 together using Kirchener stitches.

Block. 


 Charts (click on the image to open it to larger and clearer image.)

Twist Stitch Column Pattern (TSC)












Twin Leaves Pattern