This post may be a bit lengthy and I apologize for that. It’s in two parts which have some bearing upon each other.
Part One - To Dye For
Quite some time ago, Myria presented me with her beloved mitts. They had become a bit tattered over the course of three years of semi-heavy duty usage. This was actually not a problem for her, but I wanted to see if I could repair them so I found the original ball of yarn - what was left of it - and proceeded to fix things (minor holes) as best I could.
While I was working on the mending, it occurred to me that Myria really should have new mitts for this winter and toward that end, I ordered some yarn - Kntipicks Bare, fingering weight, 70% wool, 30% silk. The originals had been made out of pure merino and I’m hoping that the silk content in the new yarn will improve strength and wear. Merino is lovely stuff, soft and kind to the skin, but it isn’t especially sturdy.
The yarn came in about a week later and I started to set things up to dye it (she wanted the same style and color as before) when I noticed a dark grey substance across one end of the hank. It looked as though the hank had been brushed against some sort of thick liquid which had then dried on the yarn. I ceased dyeing preparations and called Knitpicks,.
To sat they were helpful would be understating things considerably. They not only didn’t want me to send this skein back, they immediately shipped a replacement for me which I received in another few days. It was pristine and perfect so the dyeing commenced using the same formula I had used for the original merino: Tea Rose.
Eventually, it occurred to me that I still had the first skein that was sent, the dirtied one, and I might as well try washing and/or dyeing it. I first tried cleaning it. Whatever the stuff was, it seemed to have solified to the point where it had become part of the yarn. It looked a little like tar, though it didn’t have that characteristic odor - and it didn’t show any signs of softening, loosening or anything else in the hot water. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I dumped it into the dyepot with some grass green tablets and let it go. This was the result…
What I wound up with was a hank of pale, spring green yarn with some bright and disconcerting red areas! Now I knew what the “dirty” stuff had been, though it hadn’t looked red at all. I suppoe it could have been anopther substance entirely, one that acted as a mordant on the green dye in those areas where it adhered to the fabric. That gets further out into speculation than I want to go so suffice it to say I got a mostly green hank with some assertive red spots.
Fugly - about the fugliest yarn I’ve ever dyed. After it had been washed and dried, it went into the cupboard. Out of sight, out of mind :)
And then, a couple of weeks ago, I ran into it again. How? The usual way :) I was scrounging around for something else and suddenly found myself with a handful of hideousity. And I stood there staring at it and wondering. The green was very pale. Surely a strong enough dose of some other color would dumb it into submission - wouldn’t it?
Back into the dye pot it went, this time with enough red and purple dye for a platoon of prom dresses. I figured even if it came out totally mud-colored, it would be no great loss; I sure wasn’t going to use it as it was anyway.
This is what happened and believe me, that was quite a bit better than I had expected. A sort of deep/dull magenta with some greenish-greyish notes. Even if it wasn’t spectacular, it was at least useable. I watched it in the kitchen as it dried over the next couple of days and couldn’t help thinking that some blue on top of that might yield interesting results. Myria advised me to leave well enough alone but the notion wouldn’t go away. So yesterday…
Now this I’m really pleased with. This is not only useable but desireable - all muted tones of purple, magenta and teal. Whee, what fun! I have a couple of things in mind to use it for but that will have to wait until it’s entirely dry.
Part Two - Old and New
I completed Myria’s new mitts a couple of nights ago. I got through the first one in no time and the second one seemed to take months. The new ones, as the old ones, are the Dana Victoria mitts pattern with a couple of slight variations. The new mitts are longer so as to extend further up the arm for (hopefully) added warmth. They also have additional bobbles around the tops at the ends of the leaf/vine motifs - just because :)
Here they are just prior to finishing and…
...in comparison to the older mitts.
It was interesting to note the felting of the leaf motifs up near the top of the old mitts, where they would have been in almost constant contact with the thumb and fingers.
And I know my Myria - she’ll wear the old ones until they’re utter strings and rags before she switches over to the new ones. And I guess that doesn’t bother me too much. They’re her mitts, after all, so she’s the one who gets to decide how and when they’re used.
I don’t know how you all feel about such things, but I am thrilled right down to my toes to see an item that I’ve knit that well worn and loved.
Makes me feel like I done good :)
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Thanks for sharing that neat dye story. Very interesting.
I have missed you making posts on a regular basis. I’ve always enjoyed reading them.
The new mitts look great. I would do like Myria, wear the old ones for everyday and keep the new ones for good.
Take Care.
I’ll keep watching for new posts. 
when you got to the re-dyed [ pinkish ] version my thought was ” pretty” but the last iteration is just divine!
I am soooooooooooooo in love with it and let’s face it - if you were aiming for that blend you could probably never pull it off :]
The final dye result is really beautiful. I can’t wait to see what you decide to make with it. I can’t believe how fast you whipped up the mitts! I’m still trying to work on my speed…
The final dyed result is gorgeous - well done you and serendipity!
And, yes, I’d be thrilled if someone wore my knitted items “to death”, so to speak! Unfortunately, no-one around here wants handknits: WM says it’s not cold enough and DD thinks I should be knitting for those less fortunate - which, of course, I do. But sometimes, I get to thinking and wishing and…
Linda -
Well, I thought the dyeing progression was somewhat amusing since the result was so nice and (at least from the looks of the original) so unpredicted!
Thanks for reading :)
Susan -
Bingo! If I had been trying for these kinds of colors for this yarn, I wouldn’t have even known where to begin. It’s one of the interesting factors in using food-safe dyes. They tend to be transparent (like water colors) rather than opaque (like oils) and you have to factor that in to your thinking when you’re talking about overdyeing another color!
Greta -
The speed is illusory. I had the fist mitt gone a loooooooooong time ago but the second took forever. I was working on it back in July, if you can believe that. Trust me, speed is so not my long suit :)
Lynne -
Serendipity seems to be exactly the right term. I wound the ball this morning and I can’t wait to start something with this yarn! These are so my colors :)
Hey Robbyn!!!!!!!!!!
I really liked how the pink colours scame out, a bit moody, but the last overdye is really brooding! What do you have in mind to knit with it?
I am thrilled to see you posting again - I’ve missed you. Never mind, life’s been busy as usual. I’m resolveing to spend more time with my firends, on line and in person. We’ve all been missing out 
Hugs Nat :)
Brooding, eh? I guess I can see how that interpretation is possible. I haven’t settles on what to use it for yet - mitts, scarf, hat perhaps? I’ve never made an adult hat out of fingering weight yarn - that should only take me until spring to finish!
That dyeing came out gorgeous. And yay for the worn-to-deaths: when I was a kid, my mom let me help design a sweater she knitted me, and I then insisted on wearing it till the sleeves were 3/4 length and I can only imagine now what the rest of it looked like on me.
Guess which one of us six siblings took to knitting like Mom had?
Hey Alison!
I have been having ideas about that yarn this very afternoon. Perhaps combining it with something I’ve had stashed for quite a while now - so guess what I’m going to play with today!
As to guessing which of you and your sibs took to Mom’s knitting skills - no bet :)
