Anecdotal Knitting

For details on dyeing with tea, please see my previous post.

Before this vest that I knit was pale green.

After simmering in black tea dye liquor for an hour, it is now a lovely camel beige color.

A tea dyeing experiment, on the left the un-dyed cotton cloth, next is the cloth left undisturbed in black tea dye liquor at room temperature for a week, and the last on the right is the  cotton cloth simmered with the loose tea leaves while making the dye liquor, this cloth has a slightly mottled effect.

I simmered about 150 grams of loose tea from previously used tea bags in water for an hour to make the dye liquor. I then simmered each clean garment separately (previously soaked in water to thoroughly wet out) in the dye liquor for about an hour.

The first garment is a white cotton knit shirt with stains from coconut water on the front.

The shirt after over dyeing in tea with the coconut water stain almost matched exactly.

The second garment is an indigo cotton batik dress, before and after over dyeing in tea, a subtle change, but a better color for me.

This motif was traced from “The Motto Book” cover, then enlarged. Embroidered in split stitch in over-dyed wool yarn, measures 7.5 inches x 6.5 inches.

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Knit Picks fingering Gossamer merino wool, colors are Sunrise (shown here over-dyed in Acid WashFast Golden Yellow) and the original Blue Jeans.

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Dip dyed small skeins to produce a range of colors quickly, original colors are in the center.

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My method for dip dyeing: Wind yarn into small skeins, soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Boil a pot of water (8 – 10 cups or more) with 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt, keep this pot boiling. In another pot on the stove (used for dyeing only, not for food) add a couple of cups of the boiling water and a tiny pinch of dye powder, keep the heat high enough to keep the dye bath at a simmer. Squeeze the water out of a skein of yarn and swish it in the dye bath until the desired color is achieved. Wearing rubber gloves squeeze out the excess liquid from the yarn and set aside (in a dyeing only vessel) to cool.

Discard the dye bath and repeat the process with more water and dye for the next color.

Once all the skeins are dyed and cooled rinse out the excess dye in cool water.

Simmer all the skeins together in a pot of water with 2 tablespoons vinegar for 20 minutes. If you are concerned about bleeding, separate the darks from the lights and simmer in two batches. Or if you want a mottled variegated effect, don’t rinse any of the skeins, simmer all together without stirring.

Let the water and skeins cool to room temperature then rinse again and let dry.

From Katherine Shaughnessy’s book “The New Crewel”, sampler of sixteen stitches on broad cloth, sewn into a 14″ pillow. One strand of wool lace weight knitting yarn – Knit Picks Shadow in Sunset and Grape Jelly – which was over-dyed.

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Split stitch inspired by motifs copied from hand painted tile tables at Torrefazione. One strand of merino wool fingering weight knitting yarn, over-dyed in Acid WashFast – Knit Picks Gossamer original color Blue Jeans.

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The original tracings from the tile tables.

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Pattern: Based on Chevron Cardigan and Hat by Nashua Handknits
Started: 6.8.08
Finished: 8.18.08
Yarn: 109 yards of Freedom 54 yards/50 grams, 263 yards of Knit Picks Andean Silk 96 yards/50 grams – 3 strands = 88 yards, 99 yards of Jumbo 33 yards/50 grams, 880 yards of Knit Picks Glimmer Denim 440 yards/50 grams – 8 strands = 110 yards. Grand Total 406 yards. Over-dyed it all to a range of greens and browns.
Needles: #10 1/2
Gauge: 4.5 stitches/in, 6 rows/inch
Notes: I only followed the sideways construction of the Chevron Cardigan for this pullover V neck vest.

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Pattern: Barbara Walker’s Sleeveless Sweater in “Knitting from the Top”
Started: 4.29.08
Finished: 5.8.08
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, 110 yards/50 grams, 5.4 balls, 594 yards.
Needles: #7
Gauge: 4.5 stitches/in, 6.5 rows/inch
Notes: Over-dyed left over worsted weight yarns in WashFast Acid and Jacquard dye – blue and black.

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This photo shows more realistic colors.

Pattern: Revontuli – “Northern Lights” by Anne M. download here.
Started: September 4, 2008
Finished: September 21, 2008
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Silk – over-dyed, 137 yards/50 grams, three balls of rust, two of golden yellow, one of olive green, 811 yards total.
Needles: Knit Picks Options #5
Notes:
Yardage per stripe: 1-olive 30 yards, 2-rust 41 yards, 3-golden yellow 55 yards, 4-olive 66 yards, 5-rust 92 yards, 6-golden yellow 110 yards, 7-rust 129 yards, 8-olive/golden yellow 143.5 yards (repeat rows #104 – 121), 9-rust 135 yards (only 14 of the last 22 rows).

409 yards of rust + 267 yards of golden yellow + 135 yards of olive = 811 yards total.

Blocked to 72” x 29”

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Here is the original pattern photo, they used self striping yarn.

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Started: August 29, 2008
Finished: September 2, 2008
Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Treasure and Ambrosia – over-dyed, 110 yards/50 grams, 187 yards total.
Needles: Knit Picks Options #5
Notes:
This will be a small sample, fichu size, measured 30” x 13” off the needles, 37” x 18” blocked.

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