Latte's Kool-Aid Sweater

Latte was way overdue for a new sweater. I was overdue for a Kool-Aid dyeing experiment. Here's what we both ended up with.

The Model:
Latte is a sweet little Miniature Poodle who adopted me almost ten years ago. She's all happy to be snuggled in her new wool sweater!

The Yarn:

Some buttery-soft, butter-colored lambswool recycled from a commercial sweater in a DK weight.

The Dye:

Three flavors/colors of Kool-Aid unsweetened; Tropical Punch, Orange, and Slammin' Strawberry-Kiwi.

The Technique:
After soaking the skeined yarn for about 30 minutes in warm water with a drop of dishwashing detergent (wetting agent), it was squeezed and placed in a Corningware casserole.

Each flavor/color of Kool-Aid was individually mixed with a cup of warm water, then poured over the yarn as seen below. This method will allow the original color of the yarn to still show.

The lidded casserole was then placed in the microwave and "cooked" on high for three minutes. At the beep, the yarn was allowed to rest three minutes. This process was repeated twice more, and the yarn was then set aside to cool.

After cooling, the yarn was gently washed and rinsed in warm water, given a turn in the spin cycle of the washing machine, then hung to dry.

The Sweater:
A couple of days later, I cast on for Latte's new sweater. The pattern is Casey's Coat from SNB Nation in size medium. It's trimmed with a bit of Lamb's Pride in Onyx from my stash.

Kool-Aid Blues

Meet my most recent Kool-Aid dyeing experiment: I call it Blue Water.

I used Blue Raspberry, Grape, and Lemon-Lime. Rather than using the colors as is, I did a little mixing to get some different shading. It was then steam-set in the microwave. I did not, however, do a very good job documenting my process. Guess this means I'll just have to do it again. Darn.

I used about 100 yards of a lovely bulky wool that was recycled from a thrifted sweater. It's so soft and took up the dye easily. It'll be a great garment worn next to the skin.

And here is my yarn knitted into a Thorpe, a great design from Kirsten at Through the Loops. I dyed a bit more for the trim that was just a mixture of Blue Raspberry and Grape. I love the effect.

Rationalizing

I've really been trying to stay out of stores for a while now. Not only because I'm trying not to spend money, but also because I've been scolding myself about my stash taking over my living space! As you know, I love thrift stores. I (almost) always find something that begs to go home with me to be rescued.

Today, I found myself with an hour between clients in an area close to THREE thrift stores! What a dilemma!! Well, I succumbed to the call...kind of.

In one shop, I found these lovely handknit wool mittens for 99 cents. While they were a pretty shade of yellow, it's just not a color I wear often. A little Kool-Aid later, and I had bright cherry-red mitts!!

I then embroidered them with a bit of recycled white yarn and some sparkly beads. Ta-dah! Christmas mittens!!

My second find was this lovely linen tablecloth. It's hand-embroidered and is in pretty good shape. There is one small hole (about 1 cm) that I think I can cover up with another flower. Not bad.

Okay, so I didn't strictly stay with my "no-stores" plan. I did, however, keep it in control. Kind of like having a bite of a cookie instead of the whole package, right? (I love rationalization, don't you?!)

I Love Kid Art!

Just take a look at some of the great dyeing and weaving "my" kids at school did!!

This lesson incorporated several senses.
- Eyes: colors, patterns, texture
- Fingers: soft wool, rough sticks, motor skills
- Nose: Kool-Aid, rosemary, lavender

The kids were so creative and the results were great! Love!!

Mixing our Kool-Aid colors to dye the wool.

His favorite color is green!!


Group weaving fun!


Finished weaving by "A"

Finished weaving by "E"

Yes and No

In a science lab, some experiments can go very well and others can go very wrong. That is the story of today's dyeing experiments. There is good news and there is bad news.

First the good...

As I have already stated publicly, I am a confirmed Kool-Aid addict. Today, I divided a skein of Paton's Merino in Winter White into three (almost) equal portions. Then I dyed them in Lemonade, Orange, and Cherry Kool-Aid. I am pleased with the outcome and I'm envisioning a Flame Hat, or maybe a Fake Isle, or maybe a stained-glass effect, or maybe....

Now for the bad news...

Today's dyeing experiment involved Wilton's Delphinium Blue. I used the same technique as with my Moss Green. Remembering that a little goes a very long way with the Wilton, I started with just a bit. The yarn kept taking up dye, so I kept adding more...about 3/4 teaspoon total. This was about four-five times as much as I needed of the green. Another odd thing was happening... the yarn was not turning blue. Instead, it was streaked with fuchsia. Even my spatula turned the same color.

I continued to work with it, hoping the blue would take over, but it just never did. When the yarn stopped taking up dye, it was an odd blue/purple and fuchsia streaked mess.

I am not at all satisfied with the results, and I am now curious why I got these results. (My science professors would be pleased.) I am guessing it had to do with the vinegar. Since this was the last of my recycled yarn from this sweater, I'll need to wait to do any more experimenting with the "Definately NOT Delphinium Blue."

Fruit Basket Hat

Taa-Dah!!! Here's what my Fruit Basket Yarn became...

I modified for my adult head the Children's Cotton Hat in Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I'm pleased with the way the colors in the yarn worked out. I had originally thought about making a hat for my great-niece, but...the wool was a little scratchier than I wanted for her. It is, however, just right for me! So in celebration of the last day of the Kool-Aid Dye Along, I made myself a hat!!

Fruit Basket Yarn

So it's nearing the end of the Kool-Aid Dye Along at Get Stitchy and I feel like I've got a good handle on how it works. But then I saw Allie's yarn photos...she dyed her yarn in balls rather than in hanks. Hmmmm...I start getting ideas. What if....

So I took a 100-yard ball of the wool I just reclaimed from a thrift store sweater, and dyed one end in Watermelon Cherry.

Then I drained it, flipped it over and dyed the other end in Orange.

Because I was concerned about the dye reaching the center-most portion of the ball, I wound it loosely. After dyeing, it looked like this.... mmmmm, fruity....

Even though I soaked it well, wound it loosely and allowed the yarn to take up all the dye, I still found some undyed areas near the center. But I like the effect. I'm thinking it will make a cheerful little hat for a darling little girl I know.

Tabula Rasa

Clean slate. Starting from scratch. Empty canvas. Blank paper. January.

I love that feeling. Every January, as I pack away the holiday decorations, clean up from all the celebrations and look into the year ahead, I see such wide open options. I have been making resolutions; some the same as every year (health, finances, relationships), and some new. I am finding a renewed excitement in my "hobbies" of knitting, spinning, and the like. I am now looking at options to create a revenue stream. I'm still seeking my niche.

I am also doing more experimenting with recycling and refashioning knits. This week I bought a Banana Republic men's wool sweater. The poor thing had been worn, but probably never washed. I imagine the guy that owned it saw the tag that said, "Hand Wash, Dry Flat" and decided to just donate it to the thrift store. I could see it was worth saving.

I frogged one sleeve to see how it would handle. (I had to cut off the cuff...it was just not salvageable.) It made a skein of just over 100 yards of beautiful soft wool with little slubs. The fronts and backs should yield at least another 400 yards. It would be gorgeous as is or hand dyed. The other sleeve (also sans cuff) was unseamed and then felted in the washer. It made a very soft lovely fabric. I may use it as part of a bag, or ?? The possibilities are almost endless... I love that feeling!

Grape Hat

I am the Queen of UFO's. And if not THE Queen, I am definitely a full-fledged member of the sisterhood! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to work on that habit, and maybe even give up my throne.

My single skein of Paton's Merino that I dyed with grape Kool-Aid has been sitting here staring at me for the past couple of weeks. I dyed it as part of the Get-Stitchy Kool-Aid Dye Along. It was a great experiment, and needed to become more than just a pretty purple ball of yarn.

I finally got my hands on a copy of Fiber Trends' Felted Hat pattern. This was it. The pattern was extremely easy to follow. It's knit with a double strand on size 11 needles, so worked up very quickly. Having heard horror stories about light-colored wool yarn not felting, I was a little concerned about this skein. Remember, it did not start out purple.

I didn't need to worry after all. With just one and a half cycles through the washer, the hat was just the right size. I used an upside-down gallon jar to block it. Now, I am pondering embellishments...

...to be continued.

Black Cherry Pi

I have been reading The Opinionated Knitter. Every time I read or re-read anything from Elizabeth Zimmermann, I am thoroughly inspired to become a better knitter. I love her enthusiasm for the craft and her straight forward writing style. I am so glad her works live on.

For some time I have been considering making an EZ Pi Shawl. Remember this? Well, based on her design, it became this...

Alas, I did not have quite enough yarn to make the shawl as large as I wanted. I like the pattern, but by the time I was at 288 stitches, I was getting a bit bored with the stockinette effect and decided to add a lace stitch. I bound off with a picot edging to conserve yarn. When it was blocked, it was only about 36 inches in diameter...not really shawl size.

I had Kool-Aid dyed the yarn in variations in strength of Black Cherry. When worked up, I didn't really like the effect, so re-dyed the finished shawl in yet another vat of Black Cherry, this time with a slosh of white vinegar. There are still some light and dark areas, but I find these acceptable and indicative of hand-dyed garments.

Here is is all blocked and just the perfect size to be a side table tidy. Of course, it's next to my knitting chair! (The orange tone is due to the lighting.)