I’ve worked more on the entrelac shawl than on the SotS this weekend - something in me wanted the soothing ease of stockinette and really didn’t feel up to lace. Lace, to the lazy part of me, feels too much like work :) And since I know I need to have all my wits about me to do it even reasonably well, I decided to leave it alone for a couple of days :)
On the other hand, the shawl is progressing nicely and before too much longer, I’m going to have to start thinking about what to do for an edging or border. (Aside: Are edgings and borders synonymous terms or are they two different things?) I believe I’m going to have enough of the lavender heather to manage it with though I think a single line of the orange and the red might be nice as well.
I also did a little dyeing - much more in the nature of an experiment than because I was after a particular color. Well, I guess I was after a color…
See, I’ve been chasing a true blue. You all know my parameters - food safe colors only. Most of what I play with consists of Easter egg dye tablets and Kool-aid :) In the tablets, the blue color has a fair amount of green in it. It’s a nice color - but it’s not pure blue. I want a blue I can mix with red and not get muddy tones because there’s some green in there that the red doesn’t like. So when we were shopping last week and I saw this:
And I tried one other thing while I was at it. Reading the ingredients on the Kool-aid package showed me that there was a considerable amount of citric acid in the content. So I crossed my fingers and didn’t bother adding vinegar. You know that there has to be acid in the dye solution for the wool to take up the color. Here, I was figuring that there would be enough citric acid in the Kool-aid to do the trick. And there was!
Friday I went out in search of a little retail therapy to cure what had started out as a rather depressing day. In between downpours, I dashed to the mill shop and made a nuisance of myself for an hour or so pawing through displays, checking out new merchandise but just not hitting on anything that floated my boat. Finally I wound up in the front of the shop looking through the knitting book selection. I had Evelyn Clark’s book Knitting Lace Triangles in mind when I started looking - until I spotted a copy of Barbara Walker’s second treasury of stitch patterns. It was an old edition but in reasonably good shape and I have wanted this book forever.
I have hardly put it down since I brought it home :)
Have a great week all - I probably won’t be posting Wednesday because I’m going to be out all day :)
No trackbacks yet.
I like the blue that you ended up with, but I am sorry it wasn’t what you were hoping for.
Yay again on the book score!
Thanks Lisa :) I agree - it’s a very pretty color. I think I’m going to have to look at the icing dyes again and see what they have to offer.
The book was a serious “The universe loves me!” kind of score :)
Kool-aid tends to be lighter, I think, than some other things. The Wiltons dye have the true blue that you’d like to have. It is food safe, because it is used for cakes, icings, etc., and they have a variety of the deeper shades. Our Wal-Mart carries it and I’m sure Michael’s does as well. I’ve seen it in the area where they sell supplies for wedding cakes and decorations.
I forgot the word “may” in my sentence about ‘true blue’ in Wilton’s dye - they may have it. The blue I used was pretty blue, but it was more of a baby blue, or maybe cotton candy blue. Definitely blue not aqua. (The monkey socks in my Ravelry projects and some previous blog posts have the blue, plus pink and purple)
Have you tried the liquid food colors? They usually come in a set of four—red, yellow, blue and green. Maybe a drop or two of that blue added to your “recipe” would give you the color you want.
Gorgeous photo of your entrelac shawl and I just love that yarn you dyed. You’re right though, it’s more of an aqua then a true blue.
Kathleen - I know I can get it at Michael’s and while I know that WalMart carried it, they also have a much more limited selection. So I will definitely get to Michael’s and see what they’ve got. If not a cobalt, perhaps a navy I can dilute a little?
Charlotte - I have tried liquid food colors and may do so again. I did have a bottle of blue - but as seems to have been the case so far, it had a fair bit of green to it.
On the other hand, liquid food dye is so intense, only a little is needed - as you suggested - just a few drops.
Opal - Thank you :) I’m so tickled with the shawl colors I practically chortle when I’m working on it.
I do like the Kool-aid color and will figure out what to make with it in due time, I imagine. It would look nice with a pure white or a navy blue...maybe both?
your entrelac shawl looks anything but the soft option there Robbyn! And the colours look great!
Maybe it was not the shade of blue you wanted but I adore the blue you obtained. Could you let me have the proportions so I can try to recreate it? Thanks a lot. I’ll ask a friend from Philly to get me that particolar flavor of Kool Aid (here in Italy we do not have it, alas!) and then I will have a go. I have several skeins of undyed Trekking sock wool I kept aside just in case… The shawl is gorgeous by the way. I can’t wait to see it finished. I was thinking… I know you have not much time but in case you would like to, I’d love to get more acquainted with you. :) You know my email. Happy Knitting and have a good week.
Laura - The proportions were 2 packets of Kool-aid to 50 grams of yarn. You can use more or less to vary the intensity of the color, but that’s my rule of thumb.
I am looking forward to having the entrelac shawl to wear this winter - but that a little ways down the road yet. I am really thrilled with how the colors are working though. I though they’d be nice - I didn’t know they’d be spectacular!
Nat - Oh, but it really is! Rows of mindless little stockinette blocks with only a very occassional change of color. Very soothing :)
And in the end, you’ve got this tremendous shawl that looks like you wove it together with 3” wide knitted ribbon :) But you know how simplt it really was!
I’ve used that kool-aid in a very concentrated form for dyeing and it made a bright teal. I haven’t found a true blue in the kool-aid either. I did this one with only kool-aid: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beckylyn/1364089196/in/set-72157600862369214/
Becky - I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that we were able to find a Kool-aid blue of any kind :)
Handsome yarn!
