Dying a sock blank

Jeanne, me and Vanessa

Isn't it funny how people naturally attract to each other?  My coworker,  Vanessa and I are both knitters.  My friend from church and I are both a little more "basic". By that I mean that we both like to create from the beginning (we will be spinning the fleece of our sheep next year. )

Dying sock blank

I mentioned to several of my friends that I was taking this class and two decided to join me. This is a class of faith!  As we decorate the white sock blank, the only thing that we know is a polka dot will not really create a polka dot when we knit later.

We were encouraged to leave a good amount of white space, take a picture of our blanks and then later take a picture of the socks (when we finish them). It is more of an art and it will take several iterations to get the hang of designing for the finished product. Vanessa is hoping that hers will leave you with the feeling of sunflowers.

Vanessa's sock blank

Jeanne decided to create a hidden message.  The heartbeat of an unexpected baby to a woman who was told by doctors that she would not be able to conceive. I would expect that the words will be like dots of color. In a mostly white sock.

Secret Message

There was a fourth woman in the class that I didn't know. I like the design that she drew. I  hope that I get to see what it looks like finished. 

Creative colors

After we finished setting the dyes and rinsing the excess color out, we took them home and dried them. We were emphatically told to make sure that we pushed the colors into the blank but didn't allow it to puddle. I  did that properly with my yellow and brown.  Notice that two threads are pulling off at the same time.  That will allow for matching socks.

Two identical yarns for matching socks

Yes, those who know me will expect this next part. I  had to test it to see what would happen if I didn't press it through.   I like the effect.  It looks speckled.  It will be interesting to see what it looks like when I knit with it.

Testing out the process

We had a great time.  Jeanne and I realized that we would need to do many more of these so we are buying a knitting machine to share. You can't believe how often in the last 6 months that I've kicked myself for getting rid of an old knitting machine over 10 years ago that I was given at a garage sale! 

Test results