Knitting Dragonflies

A short post before I leave for work….. This pattern is easy and looks more complicated that it is. I was looking for a fairly simple project to occupy me and while blog reading, (because if you can’t knit, crochet or spin you can still read about it), I ran across this on the Knitting Up A Storm blog, from Anna Peck. Give it a look! This is a great step by step tutorial, enjoy and thanks Anna!! In the process of going through my stash, I started dyeing up some yarn to work with for this pattern, I had the idea of making the skeins painted in random light to dark mix. I started with two skeins and decided to dye 4. Hey, new rule, if I work two jobs, I get to wear my PJs when I’m off. I’m using a larger needle size 13 to get a lacy effect, and relaxing in the process. Everything is better with knitting. (I think this could be a beer commercial *grin*) Ravelry link below and photos http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knittyknitter/the-dummy-clap-shawl-scarf—shrug May your...

I’ve been amazed at blending and creating colors from just the basic three colors. It started as yarn dyeing, and took me to watercolors, which helped me understand color on a whole different level. I haven't painted in a bit. But I have been playing with yarn dyeing….. The inspiration, a photo from a spice market in Morocco! The spices, the colorful clothing, and the sky! I discovered if I do my yarn dyeing in multiple steps, laying the colors in one at a time, (wash, add another color, wash repeat as many times as you desire) that the colors come out cleaner! I’m loving the results. The above set is Morocco spice, especially dyed for someone! It is best to think of the color wheel and lay in your lightest colors first, do some planning. Think of what color the overlapping colors will make. Red is the strongest, so I always add that one last. Want to warm it up? Put the entire skein in a weak color bath of a warm color, red, orange, or yellow. Cool the color, try a weak...

Therese at Blueberries, Art and Life is my painting mentor. Thanks to her I found a new creative outlet. First a photo, then a sketch with a sharpie marker. After that, I started working on layering the paint on the paper in washes, and letting the colors mix there, instead of mixing them on my palate. I started with my sketch… I then layered cobalt blue, and then alizarin crimson, the areas where these over lapped they made a grey. After this I continued added one color at a time in a dilute wash. Until I was satisfied with the results. This method was fun and I like the results. I’m going to try another similar to this. Layering washes has also helped me in my yarn dyeing process. I now am following suit with my fiber, and applying one color at a time. Although with fiber this has a much longer drying time, but it is worth the time and effort it takes. First successful example I actually listed this hand painted yarn on my Etsy site if you are interested in knitting wit...

Kumara Bed Socks; I fell in love with this pattern from the Interweave Knits Holiday 09 issue , and like so many patterns, knew I needed a pair of these. After starting with one yarn, that “wasn’t making me happy”, these sat around the house and “mocked” me for quite some time, until I cast on again with some of my own hand dyed yarn using the Spicy Mama Colorway. I like the fast repeat of the colors. The yarn is worsted weight and the color repeats made it an exciting knit. The pattern was easy, I like the look of a little lace and some dainty cables. Quick to knit, (once I actually got knitting), and I’m very happy with how they turned out. I can’t wait to wear them around the house, and to bed during those wintery nights, or maybe I’ll just turn the AC up…. May your knitting needles fly as fast as dragonflies… Technorati Tags: kumara bed socks , knit , knitting , hand dyed yarns

I've gotten some wonderful gifts in the mail recently!! Thank you times a thousand!! From my Doppelgänger, Vicki at Dragonfly Soars I received a package full of LOVELY fiber!! I can’t wait to get spinning with these! The braid is BFL from Girlontherocks.com , I love the turquoise (i just painted my living room a lighter shade of this color) and the golden yellow mixed in. The green batt is a super soft batt of blended wool and soy silk from Ogle Design.etsy.com , a perfect spring batt to spin, this green color with a little blue added really puts me in the mood to get out in the garden. From Paula The Quilter , I received five skeins of excellent wool to dye! I’m not sure what colors these want to be yet, but I’m ready to get my pots out! The sun is out today and I haven’t done any Solar dyeing since last fall. Hummmm… I got a huge package of glitz and angelina to add to my spinning from Jane on ravelry!  Thank you Jane!! Great for you to add a lot of sparkle or ju...

Sun, and bright blue skies! I’m in the mood for some bright yarn and some Reggae music from Jamaica ! So pick a song from the top 25 this week and get some sunshine into your life. So I got my dye pot out, and decided to try some kettle dyeing! I used the kettle dyeing tutorial from Fiber Fever’s blog (throwing knit fits since 2006). It is easy and understandable. So with just this amount of info, I got started… I quickly found the red dye over powers everything else, I was trying to half orange and half red. But I like the extreme vivid colors, I found if I didn’t stir it in and let it “settle” on top, and then stuck a chopstick in straight down, and just “wiggled” it a little, the dye dispersed without getting too even. Then I tried some blue and green, ooo pretty. I’m trying to keep a little white in it for more variation, and the colors look cleaner.   This pot has 1/3 red and 1/3 orange, 1/3 yellow, just a little wiggle, and then after bringing to a s...

I’ve had an energy spurt with the onset of spring and nicer weather. Thank goodness the sun has shown up, just in time. Here is what I have going on over here…. I pledged to finish my simple diamond lace shawl, and I am working on it! [ rav link ] I frogged my Kumara bed socks   [ rav link ] and decided I would use some of my hand dyed. I picked my Spicy Mama color way   I was anxious to see how it would knit up…just getting started, but I’m very pleased with the colors. I had some round bamboo handles in my stash that I have never used, I found a pattern by Patons, a nice cabled bag pattern , and decided I need a sunshine color for it. [ rav link ] I kettle dyed up several skeins of this I think it will make a pretty summer bag. I have been spinning with a girlfriend of mine, who is moving back to Michigan soon. She is the only spinner I know down here! Even though she is a new wheel spinner, she has already started wrapping and coil spinning! I am f...

I’ve been on a hat knitting binge this winter. I had some of my hand dyed berry yarn, that need to become a hat! One skein dark with purples it in, the other blues. I found this hat through Ravelry, a free download. free Owl Hat pattern by Ruthie Knits. Just starting here and I’m pleased with how the colors are flecked through out. This pattern works up very quickly, perfect for a fast gift and great for just about anyone. If you look around on Ravelry you can see the many different versions. Some have small beads in the eye area. I thought I was going to add eyes, but when I couldn’t decide what color or size. I just opted out. I especially like the version by sekini , she made the owls in a different color, it changed the whole look of the hat!  I would definitely make this pattern again, and try it her way. May your knitting needles fly as fast as dragonflies…. Technorati Tags: Ruthie knits , knitted owl hat pattern , hand dyed yarns , kni...

In the attempt to get a different look to my dyed yarn, I tried to dip the yarn into separate dye pots. Wow, I love the look, clean colors, more definition.  I used this article from Knitty to guide me. Of course it is more work. My hats off to all of you who hand paint yarn! I started with some vibrant shades of violet and green. I couldn’t find what I wanted and ended up using this tutorial on food coloring. From Spindle and Wheel. I used the Neon food colors that I found at a baking shop. They came in a paste. The mixing was quite a bit of trial and error. To come up with the right color and salt/vinegar mixture, this resulted in lots of little bundles of dyed yarn, and several pages of notes. I wanted the colors fairly close together to get a nice repeat when knitted. Wheee…This really exercised my arm muscles, dipping into the green, I tried to make five different bands of color. Then the purple, also five bands. Then wrap it all up into saran wrap and microwa...