Hat to dye for (and Pi too)

My knitting mojo is back with a vengeance. The Pi Shawl is coming along nicely and here is a photo with the first and second parts complete.





Knitting this is making me very happy and the fact that the pattern is broken into pieces is a bonus. When a portion is published, I knit on it until finished and then go back to my other project (which I really need to blog about).


What I really want to blog about is a hat that came out in the newest edition of Vogue Knitting. Color work calls to me and this hat just made my heart do cartwheels.



Buying new yarn hasn't really been on my list of things to accomplish so I searched through that big bag of KnitPicks Palette and found some things that might just work.






The pink was not 'wine' enough. Then thoughts went running through my mind and a pretty good idea came.









Some of the pink yarn went onto the knitty knoddy








and was cooked....for too long! The yarn turned black with too much dye.



After a second try, the perfect shade was produced

The first try is on the right and the second on the left










This is the color before and after








All ready to cast-on.

Dying my Hand spun

The fiber is natural Romney purchased long before Georgia came to live with me. Some was spun on my drop spindle, and is still there (I should check and see how it is doing).



This is over spun a bit and has little twisty pieces here and there. Other than the Alpaca, this is the only other hand spun I've produced-so far.



This kool-aid dye recipe is where I began.


Bare Romney hand spun

After 2 minutes in dye solution

After 4 minutes in dye solution (rested 2 minutes between heatings)

During rinse

Soaking in wool wash

Clear water after soak

Hang drying while weighted

Close up (little twists visible)