Dyeing & Reskeining Issues

I am consistently having some of the same issues when I am dyeing. I really need to figure out if it is something I am doing or if it a product of the dyes I am using.

I had been using Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes. I think they are working very well.

The problem is they seem to take forever to rinse out. It takes several hours. I am soaking them for 15 minutes, then swishing them around, trying to work the dye out for under the tied points. I empty the sink and do it again. I generally have to do that 5-6 times before the water is light enough that I can wash it.

Then I wash it with Synthrapol. I have to wash it at least twice with this. Again, there is even more color coming out as I rinse it.

Then I wash it with Milsoft. This softens the fibers and gives back some of the feel the yarn had. But there is still color coming out during this part of the process as well.

This all takes 4-5 hours. So if I want to dye, I have to have a complete weekend at home. Saturday is dye day, Sunday is wash day.

So all that is done, right. It is done. Right? Nope.

Now comes the nightmare of reskeining/making balls of the yarn.

Thing is, I haven't had an easy time of this either. I had hoped the swifts would really resolve this issue. It didn't.

I suspect part of that is about the way I have been tying up the skeins. I have been tying them all together. For instance, with this last batch there was 3 different pieces of yarn. I think it is a big problem that I tied them together. So they get tangled into each other. So it makes a mess. I suspect that is part of the issue. The next batch each length of yarn will be tied off separately.

I also fear that part of it is about the way I wash the yarn. I am trying to get the dye out from under the tie points. I think that by moving it around with my fingers, it is tangling the yarn under the tie points. Thus making a mess of it.

Here is a pic of the tangles:

This only happened at the tie points. Not at the parts where the yarn was loose. So I think that by working at those points, it is making things worse.

I really want to make this process better. I do love dyeing yarn. I love creating interesting colorways and playing with the colors. It is very free form and a lot of fun for me.

The problem is that I am not sure it is worth all this time and frustration. Every time I am pulling out my hair by the end of the reskeining/ball process. I spend hours untangling yarn. And it doesn't seem to make any sense.

I keep wondering if it isn't something in my process that is doing this. I can't imagine anyone would dye yarns in small batches to sell if they go through all this.

But part of me just keeps wondering if this isn't more about the fiber reactive vs. acid dyes. And also wool yarn vs. cotton/bamboo/etc.. I am hopeful that there is something in my process I can change so that this doesn't continue to be such a headache.

Hand Dyed Yarn Batch - Undertow

This is the batch of 100% Bamboo yarn I dyed.

It is in different greens with a bit of blue. So I named it undertow. Just reminded me of seaweed & the water.

I should have taken some pics before I tried to wind it into balls. It would show all the colors. Ah well.

Tangled bits after dyeing:

Yarn:

Sarah's Yarns 100% Bamboo

Dyes:

Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes

Skein:

Large skein made with swift. Given I had it on the largest size I could get, it should be around 12' I think.

Color Length:

Colors are in 2" to 6" sections. Random. Not self patterning.

I dyed this yarn for my sister-in-law who loved green. I used the forest green dye as well as mixing two other greens & a weaker mix of the forest green. I also added azure blue.

I like the shimmer/shine that the bamboo has. It doesn't take the dyes as deeply as the cotton. But they look really good.

Overall, I really like this batch of yarn a lot. I am hopeful my sister in law will like it as socks.

I admit I am nervous about making her socks. I am still not sure about the bamboo yarn having enough stretch. Though the swatch I knit had a lot more give than I figured it would. So I am hopeful.

I am leaning towards a simple rib for this. Mainly because I am not sure what else would have enough elasticity to it to be sure it will stay up on the calf. Open to ideas though.

I will probably do these as toe up shoes to make sure I have enough yarn to complete them. I keep wondering if I should make my bamboo socks first to check out the yarn. Or if I should just dive in on Jennifer's. Decisions decisions. *grin*

Superwash Wool & Allergies

My allergies are about itch factor. I find it itches and I get red bumps in the area where I am wearing something that affects me. I don't have hives or trouble breathing. It isn't that sort of thing. It is mild. But it is too irritating to actually want to wear anything made with wool.

When I posted to a dyeing group about my allergies, a woman told me that superwash wool should not set off my allergies. She explained they are treated with a polymer to coat the wool (thus making it machine washable). This coating should allow me to use superwash without the response I normally have.

I was certainly willing to give it a try. There are some beautiful superwash wools out there, especially a lot of hand dyed ones that are amazing.

My mother-in-law was kind enough to give me some Sockotta yarn. It was leftover from pair she did. I made a swatch in the round a couple days ago. I wore it around my wrist for all of about 10-20 minutes before I took it off. I found it was scratchy and not good for me.

I check online and read some reviews. It seems that people without wool allergies have also had some trouble with that yarn. A lot of people complained it was rough, scratchy & hard to knit. One woman even said it was so scratch she threw out the yarn. So it may not have had anything to do with allergies.

So I knit a test swatch of Sarah's Yarns Superwash Merino/Bamboo/Silk Blend. It is 65% super fine grade merino, 20% bamboo and 15% silk. Machine-wash-and-dry which has so much appeal. I wore the swatch for about 3 hours yesterday and another 2-3 in the evening. It didn't seem to affect me at all! Woohoo!

So it seems I may be able to wear some superwash wools. But it seems to come back to *some*. Not all. So I need to feel it & do a test swatch before committing to it.

On the plus side, I can always check out some of the superwash wools at NY Sheep & Wool this weekend! Woohoo! I definitely want to feel the Socks That Rock yarn after hearing so much about them. I don't know if I will buy any there. I will see. I have heard the Fold is the place that sells them. And last year the wait to pay was 30-60 minutes! That seems way too long to wait if I can order them online. But I will see.

I suspect I should limit my superwash purchase to enough to make 2 pairs of socks for me. I can always pick up wool yarn for others. But in case it doesn't work for me, I would rather not have a bunch of yarn I can't knit for myself.

*wiggles happily* In less than 24 hours I should be there!

Drops Socks with Cables in Alpaca

I cast a new pair of socks on last Sunday, the 7th.

Pattern:

Drops Socks with Cable pattern in Alpaca

Yarn:

Catalina Baby Silk in Claret

4-ply Worsted

70% baby alpaca/30% silk

2 skeins with 100 grams (3.5 oz)/218 yards each

Needles:

Knitpicks size 5 & Boyd size 5

Doing it two socks on two circs method

Front:

Back:

I am hoping to complete these for Raverly Sock Knitters Anonymous Oct. sock knit along. Hope to finish in time. Though the good news is that the deadline for the knit along is Nov. 30th. Just has to be cast on during October.

The pattern is definitely interesting. It is originally in Danish or another Scandinavian language. It took me nearly an hour to transcribe the chart & lay it out in Excel. I think it will be worth the time.

I was a bit intimidated but the complexity, but once I got used to it, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Though the cabling in the pattern on the front is a bit odd. I have never done single stitch cables with it moving between knit and purl. So that has been interesting.

The pattern is really beautiful. I really hope mine will come out well.

I think there are a couple flaws in the pattern. In the M.3 chart, it says 16 rows. In fact it is 18, just like the M.1 pattern right beside it. It also appears that in the 11th row from the top of M.2, one of the knit stitches is in the wrong spot. It should be one over from there.

I should post the chart & the written out directions I made soon. It might be helpful to others. Though I am guessing that if a knitter doesn't bother writing out charts, they would probably be fine with the pattern as it is. I just don't work that way. I like it written out.

I have about 21 1/2 cm out of 25 done for the leg. They are close to knee high. Something I hadn't done before, so it is interesting as well doing calf shaping. Though it doesn't require as much as I feared. So that is nice.

I am going to change to a size 4 needles for the heel flap & the bottom of the foot. I do worry that these won't wear very well. I am hoping the silk will help the wear, but I am not certain if it will. But hey, they are attractive and I like that they should be warmer.

Best get some things done for work. I hope to post more later today.

Ravishing Socks

I am still working on the ravishing socks. These are out of the hand dyed yarn I did. It is Elann Esprit Cotton w/Elastic yarn.

I am happy to say I have turned the heel and completed the gusset. So now it is just the foot to complete.



The yarn has some nice give. The elastic gives it some great spring. The only downside is that they are handwash. *pout* I wish I knew why they aren't machine washable. I am not sure.

The Milsoft made a huge difference in how soft the yarn is. I am definitely a fan of the Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes. They really seem to be vivid. And so far as I can tell, the color holds well. It has so far with my bruise socks.

Don't think the colors are as bright and vidid as they seem. Problem is that I took the pics with my phone so they aren't as good. I really need a new camera.

It is the basic sock pattern from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.

I am using the basic pattern, but doing it 2 socks on 2 circs. The needles are Knitpicks Options Size 5 & Boyd's Kit Size 5. I figured since I had two size 5 Knitpicks, I was going to do them on two Knitpicks needles. But I am finding with the socks I am doing for Paul that it is way easier to mix up the needles when they are the same. So despite the join not being smooth on the Boyds, it is worth knowing which is which very easily.

I feel like these socks are taking longer. Not sure why I am feeling that way. I just checked! I started them on the 23rd. It hasn't even been two weeks yet. Doh.

I am loving Ravelry. If you have access, here is the project on there. And note the shiny Works in Progress in the side bar!! I am so thrilled I was given a spot to test the code. It is so cool.

Second Socks Pics

I finished these last Friday. Nearly a week ago. I really meant to take pics sooner. But I couldn't resist wearing them the day after I finished them. Seemed bad form to photograph dirty socks! *chuckle*

They are made out of Panda Cotton Jet Black yarn. It is 55% bamboo, 24% cotton, 21% elastic nylon. Has nice give and feels good. I am wearing them again today. And they are even softer after the washing. Hooray.

The pattern is 4-stitch elongated corded rib from Sensational Knitted Socks.

I know it is hard to see them as they are black. So a lot of the detail gets lost. But the pattern is pretty and was very simple to do. It is a 4 stitch pattern with 8 repeats and only 3 of the rows were actually different. It was mostly a 2 x 2 rib with 2 rows that were different.

I did learn how challenging it is to rip stitches with a pattern like that though. I had to go back when I did a row of the foot wrong. I think that there is an area when it can be seen if you look super close. But I don't think anyone is getting that close to my feet! *laugh*

I have to say, I love the 2 socks on 2 circular sock method.

But I also have to say, do not expect Sensational Knitted Socks to do any hand holding. If not for the wonderful Cybersocks tutorial, I would have never finished these at all. Though the beauty of it is that now that I have done it once, I understand how to tweak the regular patterns for the 2 circ method.

And the best part?! No second sock syndrome. Woohoo! I am a happy girl.

Warping Board Birthday Pressie & Dyeing

My darling hubby Paul made me warping board for my birthday. Woohoo!

He worked off the pattern on Scout's site.

I really love it. It was cool of him to make it. He did a great job on it.

Though it is funny, I was talking with him about ways I think I would want to modify a warping board to make it more adjustable. Of course, this was *after* he had already started this one. Oops. He did mention he would still be willing to do that which is very sweet of him.

I did a batch of dyeing this weekend with the board. The board makes skeining the yarn for dyeing so much easier. It took longer to layout. But it also meant things where all measured out and tying off sections was faster. So I think it worked out well. I also suspect I will get faster as I get use to it.

With the first batch, I had to wind it between 2 chairs to create a 40" loop! It also meant that the yarn stretched a lot. So the socks I am currently knitting do not line up right. Some of the areas are longer than others. I still love the yarn and it was great for my first time. I also don't think anyone but me and fellow knitters will notice the dyeing issue.

I dyed two batches on Saturday. I did the second batch of the Elann Esprit which is nearly identical to Cascade Fixation. It is cotton with 2% elastic.

I really like it for dyeing. It takes the color really well. The first batch was kinda stiff after I dyed it though. So this time I used Milsoft from Dharma Dyes. I think that really might have helped.

The new batch is red & black. Going to my gothy roots. *grin*

The second batch is the 100% bamboo yarn from Sarah's Yarns. I decided that I wanted something less formal with this batch. I am not sure if the yarn will have enough stretch for socks. So I decided to go with a pattern that was not self striping. So I just did different colors. Red, purple, deep blue. Though there are pieces that aren't so deep. I am very curious how it will knit up.

I need to take some pics of the yarn. I didn't take them yesterday. I will wait til it dyes. It should be dry tonight.

And I got a ball winder! It arrived today. So I should take pics tonight and make some balls.