I *so* passed my oral exam for board certification in clinical neuropsychology! Now I have way more letters after my name, and I'm having a lot of fun signing off on reports, just to check out that sig line.
Love,
Jenny, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
(and I dyed some more yarn tonight, too!)
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Yipes, stripes!
For some reason, I've been rather fascinated with the Regia Canadian Colours sock yarn, ever since Alison picked up a few dozen skeins of it and flaunted it all over her blog this year. I love to cool stripy-ness of it, and the unconventional colour* combinations, and I just have a thing for self-striping sock yarn. So after much debating over what type of yarn I should dye for my dear yarn buddy for the Dye-O-Rama swap, I've decided to shamelessly rip off a couple of the colourways and try to make my own, using only my bare hands, a sponge, some koolaid, and several skeins of knitpicks color-your-own yarn. (Note: the bare hands part has been revised to the put some gloves on part, due to my newly blue fingertips.)
Here's the results of skein number 1: It's a Canadian Fashion Colour. What colourway do you think I was aiming for here? I'm swatching it up as a Claudia recipe sock, with a picot edge. It's probably a bit bright for my yarn buddy, and probably for me, too, but it's growing on me a lot.
So how does one go about making a self-striping yarn that has lots of stripes of different sizes? You go and math it up, all by yourself! First, you need to figure out how much yardage you need for one round of the sock. For myself, my standard sock recipe consists of 64 stitches on size 1 needles. I first estimated about a yard around, but found out from skein 1 that a yard is actually two rounds, thus making one round about 18 inches.
Second, count the number of rows that make up your pattern repeat. For skinny stripes, such as in the Toronto yarn, the repeat is only about 8 rows. For big sets of stripes, such as Winnipeg or Jazz, the repeat is around 36 rows. For tonight's tutorial, we're going to make our own version of Jazz. So 36 rows times 18 inches = making an 18 yard skein (for those of us who haven't found the time to make a really cool warping board like Scout's). An 18-yard skein is really long, and definitely takes longer to make than the attention span of a 4 year-old boy can accomplish.
After making a ridiculously long skein, which is approximately 18 yards around (I say approximately, because it's hard to maintain even tension on a skein that size around two kitchen chairs), you tie it with a small piece of waste yarn at 1-yard intervals (or 18-inch intervals if you're feeling quite picky about it - I just didn't feel like cutting 35 pieces of yarn at the time). Put some water and a glug of vinegar into a bowl, and soak the yarn while you're making up your dyes.
To figure out the pattern sequence, you'll need to put on your glasses if you have them, find a swatch of the yarn knitted up in some image online, and count the microscopic little rows on your monitor. Jazz looks like it has 5 colors, plus white: a light blue, orange, red, maroon, and dark brown. For these, I used: Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade, toned down with a touch of orange and brown; Orange for orange, Cherry for red, Black Cherry for maroon, and Grape + Orange for brown. I added a bit of vinegar to each dye cup, and mixed each flavor at the ratio of about 1 packet to about 1/2 cup of water. I used a bit less water for the brown, since I wanted it to be dark, and a bit more for the blue, since I was aiming for a bit lighter color. To dye sections, I followed the sequence of colors, using the yard-marker ties as a guideline.
I sponged on the dye, and wrapped up each section in saran wrap as I finished it. If there were four rounds of a color on the swatch, then I dyed two yards that color. If there was one round, I did a half yard. I'm sure I'll have some bleeding into the white sections, but other than mopping up the colored sections and not dyeing them an inch or two before the white section, I'm not sure how I can avoid that.
When I finished painting all of the sections, everything was wrapped up in plastic wrap like little colored sausages.
I tried to keep the white sections on top to minimize the color bleeding from the other sections. Then I put the whole thing back into the glass bowl with just a touch of water in the bottom, and popped it into the microwave for 2 minutes, then turned, then 1 minute.
When there was steam visible in the packets, the yarn had cooked enough. Now I just need to let it sit overnight until it is cool.
Tomorrow, I'll wash it to make sure any excess dye comes out, and hang it up to dry. I can't wait to see how this batch turns out!
*I feel obligated to add the extra U here, since it's a European yarn.
Here's the results of skein number 1: It's a Canadian Fashion Colour. What colourway do you think I was aiming for here? I'm swatching it up as a Claudia recipe sock, with a picot edge. It's probably a bit bright for my yarn buddy, and probably for me, too, but it's growing on me a lot.
So how does one go about making a self-striping yarn that has lots of stripes of different sizes? You go and math it up, all by yourself! First, you need to figure out how much yardage you need for one round of the sock. For myself, my standard sock recipe consists of 64 stitches on size 1 needles. I first estimated about a yard around, but found out from skein 1 that a yard is actually two rounds, thus making one round about 18 inches.
Second, count the number of rows that make up your pattern repeat. For skinny stripes, such as in the Toronto yarn, the repeat is only about 8 rows. For big sets of stripes, such as Winnipeg or Jazz, the repeat is around 36 rows. For tonight's tutorial, we're going to make our own version of Jazz. So 36 rows times 18 inches = making an 18 yard skein (for those of us who haven't found the time to make a really cool warping board like Scout's). An 18-yard skein is really long, and definitely takes longer to make than the attention span of a 4 year-old boy can accomplish.
After making a ridiculously long skein, which is approximately 18 yards around (I say approximately, because it's hard to maintain even tension on a skein that size around two kitchen chairs), you tie it with a small piece of waste yarn at 1-yard intervals (or 18-inch intervals if you're feeling quite picky about it - I just didn't feel like cutting 35 pieces of yarn at the time). Put some water and a glug of vinegar into a bowl, and soak the yarn while you're making up your dyes. To figure out the pattern sequence, you'll need to put on your glasses if you have them, find a swatch of the yarn knitted up in some image online, and count the microscopic little rows on your monitor. Jazz looks like it has 5 colors, plus white: a light blue, orange, red, maroon, and dark brown. For these, I used: Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade, toned down with a touch of orange and brown; Orange for orange, Cherry for red, Black Cherry for maroon, and Grape + Orange for brown. I added a bit of vinegar to each dye cup, and mixed each flavor at the ratio of about 1 packet to about 1/2 cup of water. I used a bit less water for the brown, since I wanted it to be dark, and a bit more for the blue, since I was aiming for a bit lighter color. To dye sections, I followed the sequence of colors, using the yard-marker ties as a guideline.
I sponged on the dye, and wrapped up each section in saran wrap as I finished it. If there were four rounds of a color on the swatch, then I dyed two yards that color. If there was one round, I did a half yard. I'm sure I'll have some bleeding into the white sections, but other than mopping up the colored sections and not dyeing them an inch or two before the white section, I'm not sure how I can avoid that. 
When I finished painting all of the sections, everything was wrapped up in plastic wrap like little colored sausages. 
I tried to keep the white sections on top to minimize the color bleeding from the other sections. Then I put the whole thing back into the glass bowl with just a touch of water in the bottom, and popped it into the microwave for 2 minutes, then turned, then 1 minute. 
When there was steam visible in the packets, the yarn had cooked enough. Now I just need to let it sit overnight until it is cool. 
Tomorrow, I'll wash it to make sure any excess dye comes out, and hang it up to dry. I can't wait to see how this batch turns out!
*I feel obligated to add the extra U here, since it's a European yarn.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Lemming
As you may notice from the recent crop of KAL buttons on the sidebar, I'm feeling like a bit of a KAL ho at the moment. But to be fair, I've already cast on for about half the items in the Mason-Dixon book, so the KAL is a bit of a no-brainer there. And I don't need an engraved invitation to knit some socks up with Trekking XXL, which is still my absolutely favorite sock yarn of all time.
Given the scattered nature of my knitting right now, you would be correct in assuming that I've got a lot going on in other realms. I'm going to go take that darn oral exam again tomorrow, and hopefully it'll go better than last time! I feel more prepared this time, though. I'll keep you all posted.
Given the scattered nature of my knitting right now, you would be correct in assuming that I've got a lot going on in other realms. I'm going to go take that darn oral exam again tomorrow, and hopefully it'll go better than last time! I feel more prepared this time, though. I'll keep you all posted.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
We ... just got a letter!
Actually, a package of goodies from my no-longer-anonymous sock pal! It's from Jenny of High Energy Knits in Georgia- hooray!!! Look at all the fabulous things she sent along:
In addition to an absolutely gorgeous pair of socks that fit me perfectly (yes, they are spectacular!), a little sheep tape measure (awwww...), a postcard from UGA (coincidentally, my alma mater for 2 of my degrees), and some really cool locking stitch markers! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jenny!!! While Jenny mentioned that she and her family have a history in my neck of the woods, Athens is one of my favorite places I have lived, and my husband and I lived there for a few years while we were in graduate school there. I particularly miss this place and this place. A lot. Let's just say I was ecstatic to find that the Grit had finally published a cookbook a few years ago, a few years after we had moved away from Athens.
I've never had an opportunity to check out the Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn before, and I really like it a lot. Very soft and cuddly on the feet! The colorway is beautiful, and looks a bit like stained glass. And I'm wearing them right now even though it's warm outside, too.
Thanks so very much, Jenny! You completely rock. :-)
xo, your happy, gleeful sockpal, the other Jenny
Monday, May 01, 2006
Sendoff party
Tomorrow is the big day for all of us Sockapalooozers - the day we pop our handknitted socks of love into the mail to go out into the big wide world! Here at the vertigowoolhaus, we had a little celebration to see the socks off. All the handknit socks came out to wish their friends a safe trip.
The Lorna's Laces adapted Spearfish socks were sad to see their Lorna's Laces friend leave. There was much hugging.
Toward the end of the party, the socks were feeling a little lonely and maudlin, and started singing along to the Billy Joel songs that were wafting outside on the breeze from the neighbor's house. Evidently, despite their apparent beauty and softness, the socks cannot carry a tune in a bucket. Even when drunk.
(sing us a song, you're the piano man...)
The naughty Bumblebee jaywalkers took advantage of this opportunity to try to put the moves on the socks, but I think I was able to intervene in time to prevent anything dire from happening.
(hey baby, come here often? You're a Jaywalker? You naughty girl, I'm a Jaywalker, too, baby. I'd jaywalk all over your... oh crud, here comes the knitter.)
The Lorna's Laces adapted Spearfish socks were sad to see their Lorna's Laces friend leave. There was much hugging.
Toward the end of the party, the socks were feeling a little lonely and maudlin, and started singing along to the Billy Joel songs that were wafting outside on the breeze from the neighbor's house. Evidently, despite their apparent beauty and softness, the socks cannot carry a tune in a bucket. Even when drunk.
(sing us a song, you're the piano man...)The naughty Bumblebee jaywalkers took advantage of this opportunity to try to put the moves on the socks, but I think I was able to intervene in time to prevent anything dire from happening.
(hey baby, come here often? You're a Jaywalker? You naughty girl, I'm a Jaywalker, too, baby. I'd jaywalk all over your... oh crud, here comes the knitter.)Bon voyage, guys! (And yes, I'm going to watch the mailbox like a hawk later this week. I'm so excited!!!) Thanks so much to Alison for setting this up again.
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