Sunday, September 02, 2012

Sun and Sea and Sand

Way back in the spring, when I was on the short row scarve/shawl kick, I knit up a skein of yarn I had bought at the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters Fair a few years ago.  It was a greyish pink, with bits of grey/blue-black.  The tag said "Isis" and 100% rayon.  However, when I washed it, the colour all washed out!  It was left with a slight pink tint, with faint blue bits.
 

 I finally decided it was time to re-dye it.  I threw it in with the load of laundry I was doing, and it seemed even paler.  I had some Rit dyes, but no colours I liked.  I have some Procion MX dyes, but only 3 colours.  One of those was turquoise, and I love turquoise.  I mixed it up and set it up to dye ombre, starting with the tip being in the dye and gradually lowering it into the dye bath, 5 minutes at a time.
 I didn't see a huge difference between the dark tip and the light points, but when you place the shoulder points on the lower tip, you can see the difference.
 I was hoping for a darker colour, but I forgot how much the shawl weighed, and only measured out enough dye for 50gr.  The dye bath seemed pretty intense, so I threw in a few dishcloths that needed freshening up (dye will not magically erase stains though--I see this thinking on re-fashioning blogs all the time.  It might blend the stain a bit, but it's still there!).
When I was knitting this, I couldn't remember exactly how to do the increases/decreases.  One of the long sides is different from the other because of this.  I tried to even it out when I blocked it, but it is still noticeable.

Ack, look at how frizzy my hair is!  The shawl looks great with this dress, though my other dress is more of a teal colour :(  But it'll also look nice with solid coloured clothes.
We went to the West Bowmanville beach last night, and were totally shocked at how cold it was this time.  So calm, but freezing.  Is summer over?  It was only a couple days ago we were easily swimming in Lake Ontario, further east!

Yarn In:  14 828gr
Yarn Out:  12 317 + 100gr =  12 417gr
Balance:  2411gr more In than Out
Cost:  $317.59/251 days = $1.27/day

2 comments:

Kathe Lewis said...

Very special pattern, where can I find that? Would be nice in a thin fluffy mohair or angora blend...
Kathe, Denmark

TracyKM said...

Hi Kathe
The original pattern was published in Machine Knitters Source, back in 1999 or 2000. The magazine right now isn't on my shelf, so I'm not of the exact issue. It's pretty easy to get the idea. I think I will write up the basics for a post! Check back soon!