Dye Some

I started this set before I left for Australia, intending to have it available at Amy's sale. That didn't exactly work out.

I didn't get it done until today - I hadn't done any beading since the day my father died. It has no significance; just the way things have turned out, as I've been a bit consumed with knitting hexagons.

At SOAR, Toni sold out of the Blue Moon merino-bamboo before I could make up my mind/persuade myself I needed some, so I bought some au naturel and dyed it myself.

OK, I realise that's it not exactly competitive in the hand-painted fiber world, but I like it and I think it'll make pretty yarn. I'm curious to see if merino-bamboo makes as luscious a yarn as merino-tencel, which I think might be my current favourite.

It spins like buttah baby, makes a delightful yarn with body, drape and shine, and is gorgeous knitted up. Repeatedly. From the same skein. Without washing or steaming or ironing or in any way trying to get the kinks out. Actually, I suspect it's the tencel which allows it to be so fickle and forget the stitches it previously loved, loving only the stitches it's in and forgetting about the old ones. Shades of CSNY.

I have a couple of Lambspun blends (merino-bamboo-something and merino-silk-alpaca-something) in the dye-pot, and some yarn soaking even as I type. When I start to dye, I just want to do more. 

Hmmm, in the stash I spy a whole pound of soy silk, which takes dye beautifully, and might fit into the crock-pot, which the soaking wool-silk-kid will not. I'm wondering if it'll even fit into the dye-pot - it's over 1400g, about three pounds and my big dye-pot is not huge. Guess it'll be kettle-dyed a la Manos.