A Perfect Day in the Country

I believe it's officially Spring! My friends, Elizabeth and Terri, and I all trekked to Misty Mountain Farm for a dying workshop taught by the very talented Linda Witt. We had a fabulous time and the weather was perfect! We even worked in a yummy potluck lunch on the screened-in porch. A warm and gentle breeze, a bright blue sky, great friends, lots of fibery goodness, and our fabulous teacher...what a perfect combination. I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon!

I'd never dyed yarn before, so I was like a "kid in a candy shop" - trying to figure out what yarn to dye and what colors to make it! I ended up selecting three different yarns - sock yarn, mohair loop, and alpaca lace.

This first skein took me FOREVER to dye. You know how it is - first time trying something new, you want to do it right, you're afraid you'll screw up, etc., etc. Well, the teal and mulberry sock yarn (super wash Merino) represents my first attempt EVER at dying! It was so much fun and was so easy! We used an acid dye (not Cushings, but another brand that I can't think of right now) and the mordant was citric acid. If you look closely, you can see that the mulberry color is actually two distinct colors. The darker mulberry was the original dye...the lighter mulberry was the freshly mixed dye. I am so pleased with how this came out!

The next skein I dyed was a mohair loop. I decided that I wanted to make it purple....but not a dark purple. I poured off some of the dye (about a tablespoon full) into a separate container and added more water. Then, I painted it onto the mohair loop, making it lighter in some areas than others. Next, I added more dye to the diluted version and blotted a few areas with the slightly darker purple. I
strove for rather pale "hint of purple" with a very slight difference in intensity - it came out exactly how I wanted it to!

The final skein that I dyed was a lace weight Alpaca. It was luscious to fondle and really took the dye well. I decided to make this a somewhat variegated purple. I used the same dye as I did with the mohair loop, but undiluted. I painted several areas dark, then several more slightly lighter. I then finished it by blending the remaining white areas with the diluted purple from the mohair look. I LOVE how this turned out! Can you tell that I "have a thing" for purple?

Terri and Elizabeth - busily dying their fabulous creations! Linda even joined in on the fun and dyed a skein of her own.













A close-up of the mini skeins that Elizabeth dyed specifically for her entrelac square blanket made entirely of leftover sock yarn. She "painted" some squares that she brought as well. ***If anyone has any left-over super wash sock yarn, please send it to Elizabeth at Lizardknits!*** The rack shown is full of the yarns that we created this afternoon...with the exception of my purple alpaca lace weight...it was still "spinning" in the washer.

These photos should help you envision the pastoral setting for today's excursion. The studio is the left-most part of the building. You can just make out the tables in front of the studio where we had been working. Check out the vibrant blue of the sky! The animals are directly across the lane from the house....so, when we needed a brief rest, we could just sit back, relax, and watch the animals. Definitely a fabulous way to end the week!