Dyeing Sock Yarn Blanks

Once of our activities last weekend was a session on dyeing sock yarn blanks. The blanks had been machine knit with two strands of sock yarn (wool/nylon) and pre-soaked to receive the food colouring dye.

We worked in art room of the facility (a former school). The table tops were covered in newspaper and we were divided into groups of two to share the tables. We then covered our working area with plastic wrap.

I chose dark colours - blue, green and purple and painted my blank (which was knit in the round) in stripes. I carefully turned it over and painted the other side accordingly.

We then covered our blank with more plastic wrap and rolled it up in preparation for setting the dye.

This was done by microwaving the yarn for 2 minutes on high, letting it cool for an hour or so, and 'nuking' it for another two minutes. We then left the yarn to cool until it was time to go home. We were given Ziploc bags in which to transport it and instructions to let it sit for 24 hours (cheated and only waited 18 hours). Then we were to rinse thoroughly until the water ran clear, squeeze out the moisture and let dry.

It took a few rinsings until the water ran clear. Mostly the green kept running and running. I was very happy to note that all the colours had lightened as I was initially concerned the purple was way too dark.

Today, I wound the two strands onto my ball winder and swift simultaneously. Then wound the skein from the swift onto the ball winder, creating two more or less identical balls, ready to knit.

I look forward to seeing what the knit socks look like. I have a mostly stocking stitch pattern in mind, probably with some ribbing.

Escher? Another Syncopation pair? Maybe another pair of Pavillion socks? I'll have to do some more thinking on the topic...