On The Rolling Sea

Or at least that’s what it feels like. No, I don’t feel any better today, darn it. Showering this morning was very interesting — like being on a boat. As an old sailor, I’d like to think I can handle some rough water. I always have one hand for me and one for the boat…er, house. At least it isn’t constant but more like it comes and goes, especially when I get up. Thanks, everyone, for your kind thoughts. It will go away soon. Sooner would be even better.

Meanwhile I got quite a bit of knitting done on the Hepburn Cardi and some on the OYT Socks. I tried dyeing some Sisu (superwash wool and nylon) yarn for Granddaughter Socks. The request was for pink but my first try came out very bright indeed!


That was 3 different red dyes and what I thought was a microscopically teensy bit of dye sprinkled lightly over. But the superwash wool soaks up dye colour like a sponge so it never got a chance to blend at all. Next try was a little better:


I put just a splash of red dyestock in the acid water and popped in the pre-wetted skein. Which immediately sucked up all the dye anywhere it touched! The water was instantly clear and I hadn’t even nuked it yet (which I did anyway to increase the colourfastness). It’s still quite variegated pink and white but I think it’s much more acceptable since it’s wanted to go with a party dress and silver shoes. (Quite the elegant dresser, my KiKi is!) I’ll still knit the first yarn into another pair but the lighter one goes on the needles first.

This exercise made me realize that if I wanted a more homogenous and pale pink with this yarn, I’d have to start with no acid in the water and possibly some salt to slow down the uptake. Then soak the skein in the dye for awhile before adding the acid. That would give the dye a chance to reach all the fibre before the acid makes it stick permanently. I did want some mottling and variegation but not quite to the extent that I got, especially on the first skein. I wasn’t really thinking it through or measuring carefully and just letting serendipity slap me upside the head. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m not particularly fond of pink? My granddaughter loves it though, like most little girls, so that’s what she gets.