Sunday, July 22, 2007

Wow! Knitters sure are helpful people!

I put out a call for pattern testers to my online knitting group and got a TREMENDOUS response! In fact, I sent the pattern out to many more than I had originally intended to, but I really wanted good feedback on this one and I know some people are probably not going to follow through on actually knitting the bag once. You know how it is -- other projects take precedence, the yarn for the bag is not in the budget right now, whatever... We all have plenty to do without knitting becoming another chore, so I hope no one stresses over knitting the bag. I'm happy for them to have the pattern, whether they knit it right now or next year.


In fact, I have about decided to submit this pattern to Knitty, which would make it free to everyone in the world anyway (provided, of course, it gets selected for publication). I may be fooling myself, but I think I have as good a chance as anyone else of having a pattern published! After all, the chances are 0% if I never submit it, right? So, from that perspective, the odds of my becoming a published designer will go up immediately when I press SEND on the submission email! I'm not too worried about being rejected -- I made it through far worse things and I'm still alive, happy, and living a blessed life. Therefore, nothing ventured...

Bet you want some kind of fiber content, huh? Don't blame you. Give me a few minutes and I will take pictures of the dye pots stewing in the sun. Just wait right here...back in a flash...


Okay, here they are:













I wound 15 100-yard hanks of Plymouth Stone Cotton (cotton/acrylic blend) yarn. The dye is Dylon and I chose to do 4 hanks of Terracotta, 3 hanks of Vivid Turquoise, 4 hanks of Chocolate Brown, and 4 hanks of Olive. I covered the pots with a black trashbag and left them in the direct sun (85 degrees F today) all afternoon. When I'm finished posting, I will go and rinse the yarn in vinegar and hang it to dry.


"What," you ask, "are you planning to do with this yarn?"


" Why," I reply, "I don't have the faintest idea."

Check back in a day or so to see if the yarn has Revealed Its Purpose...


That's it for today. This is Miss Me reminding you to... Knit Like You Mean It!









2 comments:

MA DESIGNS said...

please tell me how you keep your yarn from getting tangled when you are dyeing it. I enjoyed your pictures, I want to try that, but i am worried about getting it into a ball afterwards.

Anonymous said...

Hi!

I wind my yarn into a long hank on a swift. You could use a lampshade or a chair or some patient person's hands if you don't have a swift. Before you move the hank around much, tie it loosely in at least four places, weaving the yarn you tie with in a figure-eight through the strands. This will keep them from entangling as you work with the yarn. When the yarn has been dyed and is completely dry, place the hank back on the swift, remove the ties, and wind into a ball by hand or with a ball-winder.

If you would like to see pictures of this process being done, just Google a phrase such as, "winding yarn on a swift," or "using a yarn ball winder" and you will find lots of information. Let me know if you have any other questions!

By the way, don't spend much time worrying about getting yarn tangled. It happens occasionally no matter what you do, but it is, after all, only tangled yarn. Well worth the risk for a little fun...

Marie