Pattern: Mona by Cookie A.
Source: Knit, Sock, Love
Materials: Kona Superwash Fingering hand-dyed with mushrooms, and US 1 needles
My Modifications: None! I am almost always tempted to change things up a bit when I knit socks, but Cookie A. is a sock designing genius after all, so I decided to follow the directions exactly.
My absolute favorite thing about these socks is that the slight variegation of my hand-dyed yarn matches that of the yarn pictured in Cookie A.'s book. Both pairs of socks have a similar amount of light flecks which are highlighted by the texture of the pattern. I had fun setting up a photo to demonstrate:
As mentioned in a previous post, it was just a happy accident that it turned out this way when I tied the skein up a little bit too tight before leaving them overnight in a dye-bath made from Jack-o-Lantern mushrooms. I ended up liking the yarn enough to repeat the experiment. The second time I increased the variegation by tying off more areas of the skein, and decreased the time in the dye pot for a lighter color. This time the green tones really came through:
Can you believe that the licorice hue of my Mona socks and the olive tones of this new skein came from the same mushroom dyebath? Dyeing with natural materials continues to fascinate me. I hope to attend a workshop on the subject someday. For now I'm educating myself through books and experimentation. It is especially fun to work with sock yarn because every skein can be unique and still be enough yardage for a knitting project. There are only so many pairs of socks I can knit from my own hand dyed yarn however, so I am starting to dream of my own Etsy storefront. If I do open one, you will be the first to know!
As you know by now, I have been linking my Wednesday and Friday posts with other crafty bloggers over at Tami's Amis. She has really started something, as there were 31 posts listed on the most recent WIP Wednesday. It's been fun to see new projects, learn about blogs I wouldn't have found otherwise, as well as to both give and receive encouragement on the knitting front. If you haven't already, I encourage you to join in!
Posts
Those are beautiful socks. I really love that olive color of the next batch and can't wait to be a customer of your sock yarn - Etsy or not!
ReplyDeleteFascinating! And good luck on the store.
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed! And slightly embarrassed, given your yarn dyeing results today and mine. Oh well, gotta start somewhere, right? Do more, please! Make me smarter. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the hand dyed yarn. The socks are pretty cool too. One day I will give dyeing a go!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful socks. Mushrooms huh? You got me intrigued
ReplyDeleteBeautiful yarn on both fronts! I've always claimed to hate mushrooms, but maybe you've finally found a good use for them.
ReplyDeleteOh, those blue socks are just fabulous! (I do not need to cast on a sock project right now, I do not need to cast on .... )
ReplyDeleteLove your Mona socks! I'm looking forward to that pattern in the ksl KAL for April. And the yarn is lovely. Are Jack-o-Lanterns a variety of chanterelle? I've only ever used those to make soup, now I'm wondering what they would do to yarn....
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited that you dyed that (completely beautiful!) yarn with mushrooms. I love both colours that you got with them, and that more olive-toned skein is going to be gorgeous, the colour and variegation both look amazing.
ReplyDeleteAll of these awesome dyeing projects I've been seeing on Wednesdays and Fridays are really inspiring me to go buy some plain yarn and try it myself!
Nice socks-- that's amazing that you dyed the yarn with mushrooms!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is simply picture perfect! Love that your feet are in the same pose!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! Your hand-dyed yarns are gorgeous! Love the socks too. I haven't knit any socks for way to long. Going to have to get going on that~
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a happy knitting Saturday!