Peek at the past
Not that long past, but is was two summers ago. My friend PJ (whose backyard was used for this experiment) forwarded this picture to me yesterday.
I have since then I’ve found better ways to dye sock yarn in stripes, but this was fun (though a bit hot).
On the warmest day of the year in Maine–I’m from the desert; it NEVER gets hot here–I pulled out PJ’s utility table and set it up under a tree. I used my warping pegs to lay out the yarn. I had made the warp pegs back when I considered weaving (that was a short experiment). I took giant nails (they are about 8″ long and as thick as my little finger), and put two through a 5″x10″ 1″ thick board. I then used c-clamps to attach them to the table.
I covered the table with plastic wrap (I use a LOT of plastic wrap when I dye) and then wound the yarn like a warp. Then I painted the yarn using my favorite colors: Jaquard’s Hot Fuschia and turquoise, some bright blue and a bit of navy. I did some interesting things like tying cotton string every 1/2 inch before using the fuschia dye to try to get a fair isle effect (it didn’t work well).
Here are the socks (you may have seen them last year):
When I was done painting the yarn, I wrapped everything up in the plastic wrap and steamed the whole mess. I like the way it came out, but it was a lot more work than I planned on it being.
Next time I’ll use a shorter warp–I’ve figured out how to get what I want without walking 15 miles to do it.
