Sunday, October 10, 2010

Another installment of same dyes, different yarns

I see the end of the Chris Sock Yarn in the near future. No, it's not bad yarn, but I purchased it from another dyer who was shifting to a different knitting related venture (Blackthorn Needles) with the intention of practicing my dyeing skills while I searched for base yarns.




This past week I had some unexpected demands on my time which cut into Fiber Charmer time much more than I liked. I was unable to do much dyeing, and I'm hoping for fewer time-eating surprises this week.
However, I did find the time to get in a little dyeing, and I'm finding the other yarns don't dye at all like the Chris yarn did. They've all grabbed the dye and don't let me push it along as the Chris does.
You can see by the pictures that it looks like I'm starting at square 1 again. The Steampunk yarns in the top photo went into a dye bath yesterday to see if immersion could even out the splotchiness.
The thick/thin yarn in the bottom photo took the dye beautifully. I'm really sorry that type of yarn isn't in fashion right now as it was a dream to dye. The other yarn in the photo is Baaamboo, which I need to reorder. It's a merino and bamboo blend, and it dyes wonderfully too. It has a frosty sheen to it since the bamboo doesn't take up the acid dye.
I'll rinse the overdyed yarns today and see how they turned out. Later this week, when I have an undisturbed dye day, I see that I have to refine my techniques and experiment with dye solution strengths for these other yarns.
As for the bases in the top photo, I like them both. One is 100% merino while the other is a merino/nylon blend. I do have a merino nylon blend from another source that I want to try also. It's truly astounding how similar bases from different sources can feel differently.
I also plan to get the etsy shop updated and get the artfire studio set up in time for the Phat Fiber Box. Boxes go on sale pretty soon. Go sign up for the email if you haven't already!
edited to add that I'm working on managing my time better. Not only am I setting aside dye days, I'm working on setting up a dye schedule. I've got colors I need to restock. Contact me with any special requests!


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