Happy long weekend to all you usa'ers... off for a long walk myself, just wanted to do cleanup before I go :)
For rene and knittingspaz...
Pic of the back stockinette panel on the "evening stockings for a young lady" from "Knitting Vintage Socks." Color is a bit off b/c of my super white calf and super red couch, but you get the idea of the panel... how the panel decreases on down to nothing, after starting @ the widest part of my calf. I was thinking, if you wanted to make the socks longer, you could just follow the written directions but keep the panel undecreased until just where the calf is at its widest point (as it is here) and then continue. It would look more like a spear tip instead of a "V", though. Like I said, these aren't really knee highs but super long socks, but I do like them a lot :) And the word super, apparently!!
The pic shows my progress so far-- I am just about to start fiddling with the heel (going to do some needle balancing to do so, since these are on 2 circs instead of dpns... shouldn't be too messy though.) The long bit of yarn hanging from the cuff is from my cast on-- the pattern has you casting on with the yarn doubled. I haven't done this before, so I don't know if its correct... bu I cast on as if both ends of the working yarn were doubled, so there are effectively 4 strands of yarn in the cast on edge. In my previous pics of these socks, you can see how the edge is puffy, even more so than in the pic from the book, so perhaps it should have only been 3 strands... No matter though, it doesn't roll, its not loose, and isn't binding at all. Very happy with this! :)
I also meant to ask if anyone knows, how I can respond to questions in comments via email? Or do you think its better to do it in subsequent posts? I always mean to via email, but when I check my comment email blogger never gives me return addresses of those who use blogger (weird, eh) and by the time I think to write back I forget... (something to do with the fact babybear gives me about a barney episode's length of computer time a day!) ;) I do really appreciate all of the kind words and hints yall send me thru the comments.
Anyhow, for responding via email, do yall use another comment host, like Haloscan? What do you think? I don't want to ignore questions, cos I learn a lot from other ppl's blogs :) ... I also use an app via Firefox that stops all javascript unless I allow it (No Script link here) so I would have to allow Haloscan's javascript to run in order to use my own comments... hm. (An aside! Even though this was supposed to be a short post!... Best firefox extension EVER? Super drag and go... highlight any text on a webpage, drag it to a "blank" space and let go-- it opens a new tab with a google search or the webpage's address...)
So quick comment question answering from my previous post ahoy...
Rachel asked if I needed to rinse the dyed yarn in vinegar, or washed any easter egg dyed yarn yet? ... I didn't have much experience with the easter egg dyes other than my previous attempt, so my methods are kinda fly by the seat of my pants. I used vinegar to the dye (actually dissolved the dye in vinegar), and also soaked the yarn pre dying in some warm water with vinegar, but I didn't rinse it in vinegar to set it. I actually rinsed the dyed yarn before putting it to steam set, and didn't have any bleed that i could tell. I think the superwash yarn is just very thirsty for the dye; all of the containers of dye were exausted into the yarn-- leaving only clearish-water, and I really wasn't worried it wasn't set as there was no leeching of dye or bleeding in the quick rinse before steaming or the good wash I gave it after it came from the steamer.
I have washed & dried my basketcase socks, which I dyed using Kona Superwash dk and easter egg dyes (same method for my dyeorama pal, pretty much-- down to the self striping) and didn't have any bleed or fade in the wash yet. I haven't rinsed my dyed yarn in vinegar before (used koolaid for the wyvern and river rapids socks, too), and their color has held well thru washing & drying (in a washing machine/dryer) since, I think :)
Jennyraye wanted to know how I skeined the yarn for dying... Its mindnumbing, but I placed 2 chairs 330" apart (actually, 300" apart, as the chair backs are 15" across apiece), tied the starter end of the yarn (wound into a ball to help prevent tangling) to a chair back, and walked back and forth winding the yarn in a super long hank that you can see in here. It took forever! :) And forever and a day to wind it into a smaller skein when it was dyed!
There *is* a better way-- scout has a spec for a "warping board" you can use to section off long bits of yarn, and I saw a *fab* update on scout's board on Almost Random where amy! uses a peg board and removable dowels/pieces so you can easily change stripe sizes (she has a great series on dying stripes going on as well, from about May 4, 2006 to current). I think the peg board is the way I'll go if I ever go for a board for stripes, I like its adaptability and the fact I don't have to break out power tools (not that I can't, but the kid gets way too excited at the noise, like lord of the flies "kill the piggy" excited, and its just too much for me to not laugh when sporting a power drill.)
After the undyed yarn was wound into the long hank, I measured off 220" sections and marked them with easily removable waste yarn... (I also tied the yarn in places to prevent knotting of the skein-- very easy to do with this length-- using a different color waste yarn than the one I used to make off the 220" sections). I then "gathered" the 220" sections together (in half) and tied them at the demarcation yarns, so I had 3 110" lengths (the 220" was doubled over) to dye. It kinda looked like a banana peel, 3 long sections connected by a nexus. I immersed the sections in the dye mix-- dye, vinegar & hot water (using either pyrex glass casserole or clear glass mason jars; "painting" or squirting the yarn isn't really an option in my tiny kitchen) and let the dye exaust in the long sections of yarn. I then rinsed, steam set, and rinsed/washed the yarn... wound it in as loose a formation I could across a wide plastic hanger (there's no way I could let it dry in the long hank across 2 chairs, kiddo would... well, yeah. not possible.) I let it drip dry (another plus for superwash, I could squeeze the excess water out of the long ends of the yarn where it would accumulate, to help it dry more quickly) til it was pretty dry. I then moved the yarn in front of a small fan and let the air circulation take care of the rest-- it was dry by the time I woke up in the morning.
And Elspeth is right, no one has guessed my knit picks order for the contest yet :) I think random.org is going to be picking our winner!
Have a great weekend, long or not :)
(edit... Rachel is a super genius (see comments). in order to email commenters back via email, on blogger, they have to have the "show email address" box checked on their blogger profile. at least i know its possible and i'm not nuts... everyone should enable their email address to be shown, just for sanity's sake :)...) happy weekend x 2 !!
For rene and knittingspaz...
Pic of the back stockinette panel on the "evening stockings for a young lady" from "Knitting Vintage Socks." Color is a bit off b/c of my super white calf and super red couch, but you get the idea of the panel... how the panel decreases on down to nothing, after starting @ the widest part of my calf. I was thinking, if you wanted to make the socks longer, you could just follow the written directions but keep the panel undecreased until just where the calf is at its widest point (as it is here) and then continue. It would look more like a spear tip instead of a "V", though. Like I said, these aren't really knee highs but super long socks, but I do like them a lot :) And the word super, apparently!!
The pic shows my progress so far-- I am just about to start fiddling with the heel (going to do some needle balancing to do so, since these are on 2 circs instead of dpns... shouldn't be too messy though.) The long bit of yarn hanging from the cuff is from my cast on-- the pattern has you casting on with the yarn doubled. I haven't done this before, so I don't know if its correct... bu I cast on as if both ends of the working yarn were doubled, so there are effectively 4 strands of yarn in the cast on edge. In my previous pics of these socks, you can see how the edge is puffy, even more so than in the pic from the book, so perhaps it should have only been 3 strands... No matter though, it doesn't roll, its not loose, and isn't binding at all. Very happy with this! :)
I also meant to ask if anyone knows, how I can respond to questions in comments via email? Or do you think its better to do it in subsequent posts? I always mean to via email, but when I check my comment email blogger never gives me return addresses of those who use blogger (weird, eh) and by the time I think to write back I forget... (something to do with the fact babybear gives me about a barney episode's length of computer time a day!) ;) I do really appreciate all of the kind words and hints yall send me thru the comments.
Anyhow, for responding via email, do yall use another comment host, like Haloscan? What do you think? I don't want to ignore questions, cos I learn a lot from other ppl's blogs :) ... I also use an app via Firefox that stops all javascript unless I allow it (No Script link here) so I would have to allow Haloscan's javascript to run in order to use my own comments... hm. (An aside! Even though this was supposed to be a short post!... Best firefox extension EVER? Super drag and go... highlight any text on a webpage, drag it to a "blank" space and let go-- it opens a new tab with a google search or the webpage's address...)
So quick comment question answering from my previous post ahoy...
Rachel asked if I needed to rinse the dyed yarn in vinegar, or washed any easter egg dyed yarn yet? ... I didn't have much experience with the easter egg dyes other than my previous attempt, so my methods are kinda fly by the seat of my pants. I used vinegar to the dye (actually dissolved the dye in vinegar), and also soaked the yarn pre dying in some warm water with vinegar, but I didn't rinse it in vinegar to set it. I actually rinsed the dyed yarn before putting it to steam set, and didn't have any bleed that i could tell. I think the superwash yarn is just very thirsty for the dye; all of the containers of dye were exausted into the yarn-- leaving only clearish-water, and I really wasn't worried it wasn't set as there was no leeching of dye or bleeding in the quick rinse before steaming or the good wash I gave it after it came from the steamer.
I have washed & dried my basketcase socks, which I dyed using Kona Superwash dk and easter egg dyes (same method for my dyeorama pal, pretty much-- down to the self striping) and didn't have any bleed or fade in the wash yet. I haven't rinsed my dyed yarn in vinegar before (used koolaid for the wyvern and river rapids socks, too), and their color has held well thru washing & drying (in a washing machine/dryer) since, I think :)
Jennyraye wanted to know how I skeined the yarn for dying... Its mindnumbing, but I placed 2 chairs 330" apart (actually, 300" apart, as the chair backs are 15" across apiece), tied the starter end of the yarn (wound into a ball to help prevent tangling) to a chair back, and walked back and forth winding the yarn in a super long hank that you can see in here. It took forever! :) And forever and a day to wind it into a smaller skein when it was dyed!
There *is* a better way-- scout has a spec for a "warping board" you can use to section off long bits of yarn, and I saw a *fab* update on scout's board on Almost Random where amy! uses a peg board and removable dowels/pieces so you can easily change stripe sizes (she has a great series on dying stripes going on as well, from about May 4, 2006 to current). I think the peg board is the way I'll go if I ever go for a board for stripes, I like its adaptability and the fact I don't have to break out power tools (not that I can't, but the kid gets way too excited at the noise, like lord of the flies "kill the piggy" excited, and its just too much for me to not laugh when sporting a power drill.)
After the undyed yarn was wound into the long hank, I measured off 220" sections and marked them with easily removable waste yarn... (I also tied the yarn in places to prevent knotting of the skein-- very easy to do with this length-- using a different color waste yarn than the one I used to make off the 220" sections). I then "gathered" the 220" sections together (in half) and tied them at the demarcation yarns, so I had 3 110" lengths (the 220" was doubled over) to dye. It kinda looked like a banana peel, 3 long sections connected by a nexus. I immersed the sections in the dye mix-- dye, vinegar & hot water (using either pyrex glass casserole or clear glass mason jars; "painting" or squirting the yarn isn't really an option in my tiny kitchen) and let the dye exaust in the long sections of yarn. I then rinsed, steam set, and rinsed/washed the yarn... wound it in as loose a formation I could across a wide plastic hanger (there's no way I could let it dry in the long hank across 2 chairs, kiddo would... well, yeah. not possible.) I let it drip dry (another plus for superwash, I could squeeze the excess water out of the long ends of the yarn where it would accumulate, to help it dry more quickly) til it was pretty dry. I then moved the yarn in front of a small fan and let the air circulation take care of the rest-- it was dry by the time I woke up in the morning.
And Elspeth is right, no one has guessed my knit picks order for the contest yet :) I think random.org is going to be picking our winner!
Have a great weekend, long or not :)
(edit... Rachel is a super genius (see comments). in order to email commenters back via email, on blogger, they have to have the "show email address" box checked on their blogger profile. at least i know its possible and i'm not nuts... everyone should enable their email address to be shown, just for sanity's sake :)...) happy weekend x 2 !!
9 comments:
If you figure out the comment issue, please let me know! I've been wondering the same thing!
nice sock!
From what I have managed to figure out so far, the commenter has to either have their email in their blogger profile or provide it when they leave a comment. I have my email in my profile, so you should be able to hit 'reply' to the comment notification email and it should go straight to me. I know you don't have your email in your blogger profile because I've tried responding to you before and couldn't find your email anywhere. Check the email address on this comment notification and let me know if you see my email address. It should begin stlrachelknits...
Thanks for answering my question about the dyes!
Ha! Rachel is a genius.
In blogger, you have to have "show email adderss" checked in your profile; it will show up on your profile, but it will also enable your email address to be shown if the blogger has their comments emailed to them.
Thrilled! Thanks Rachel! :)
I agree! Please enable the email in your profile--I love responding to comments by email. It's so much more personal!
Thanks for the tutorial on the winding and dyeing. Must try it soon! But not today....today a new toy arrived....more on my blog, probably Monday ;o)
Interesting -- I had no idea that having your email visible would help. I tried Haloscan which is nice, but since it opens up Outlook and I can't seem to get that set up, it's not entirely helpful. But I do get email addresses that I just type into gmail.
I wish everyone had that checked. You can reply to me - I definitely have it checked. :)
That sock looks great - very, very cool.
I am glad you are spreading the word about enabling the email in your blogger profile. It's so much more fun to be able to respond to one's comments.
The back of your sock looks really pretty. Is this sock from Vintage Socks? I am thinking of ordering myself a sock book and I think Vintage Socks is the one I am going to get.
I wish everyone would turn the show email on! It is so frustrating! (as I go check to make sure mine is on!)
Thanks for the links for the warping boards - I'll have to try that with my cone of HA.
The socks look great - I love the V panel in the back!
I like the decreasing panel in the back. Your blog is aptly named. :)
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