podcasts

Episode 79: A Good Day to Dye

June 12, 2015April 11, 2016 by Sara

It has been too long since the last episode, but I’m pleased to provide dedicated listeners with an update on my fiber-y adventures. There has not been nearly enough progress on projects, but I have managed to complete a skein of 3-ply yarn from Haven Fiber. Our June session of Sheep to Shawl consisted of a more comprehensive look into dyeing with plants. We’re talking about the fridge for #powerpantry this month, and I want listener input about my summer reading and YAYH’s second read-along. Plus, I announce the winners of the Me Made May contest on Instagram.

The Back Porch

Corriedale 3-ply (and a mini-skein of 2-ply) Haven Fiber

rust-dyed fabric is perfect for a bento bag

bento bag tutorial https://www.pinterest.com/pin/27795722676887949/ — click the photo above for a bento bag tutorial

Sheep to Shawl

Chris provides an orientation to the biodynamic dye garden

the roots of the madder plant provide a range of color from pink to red

rinsed and chopped madder is heated to make a dye bath

we also started some sun dyeing experiments

weld on polypay fiber (top) and Jacob handspun (bottom) madder on Jacob and Hog Island handspun (center) — weld on Polypay fiber (top) and Jacob handspun (bottom) madder on Jacob and Hog Island handspun (center)

Off the Shelf

I’m relying on podcast listeners to provide some direction for my summer reading. Vote for your favorite choice in the Ravelry POLL. A read-along for the top pic will begin on June 24th and continue until September 1.

Vote for your favorite on Ravelry, or leave a comment on this post.

Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay
H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Arrows and Doorways

The design for this super-cozy cowl was inspired by textiles in a hotel lobby. Concentric geometric shapes kept playing in my mind until finally I was able to chart the pattern and get it onto my needles. The interplay of this chevron-like patterning has a mesmerizing effect–while you’re knitting and when you wear the finished accessory.

Knit up a cowl with yarn from your stash, adding some magical new mini-skeins from your advent calendar, or exchange leftover yarn with a friend. The design invites frequent color changes, and makes an ideal knit for the advent season. It could be just as striking knit with two high-contrast colors.

While most cowls of this type are seamed within a band of a single color, this pattern incorporates a technique called stranded donut grafting, an incredibly clever and completely seamless graft that allows you to maintain colorwork patterning so that your starting and ending rounds are undetectable. Really! With many possibilities for color play and a new technique to add to your skill set, this cowl pattern is really an opportunity for knitters to level-up!

NEW PATTERN DESIGN!

ONE DARK BLUE NIGHT

This hat is the third in a series of patterns inspired by teachings in Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run with the Wolves. This time, I drew inspiration from Estés’ retelling of a Japanese tale, Tsukina Waguma or “The Crescent Moon Bear,” in which a young woman travels to the cave of an incredibly intimidating and ferocious bear. She makes several journeys to the cave, leaving food and quickly retreating, until “one dark blue night,” she musters the courage to stand her ground and ask for what she seeks--one hair from a moon-shaped patch on the bear’s chest--which she is granted. The young woman returns, triumphant, to the old healer who has sent her on this quest. She believes this single hair is the magic ingredient in solving the problem that plagues her. She holds it forth, but the healer tosses the hair into the flames. The young woman is in despair until she realizes the true lesson of her quest: that using her determination, courage, and patience, as she did with the crescent moon bear, will help her to confront the challenge at hand.

The moon phase motif of this colorwork hat is meant to capture the magic of a dark blue night--when the moon shines brightly overhead, the frosty air sparkles with possibility, and we succeed in summoning accumulated wisdom from deep within ourselves so that we can apply it to our own healing. Choose colors to conjure a wintery night sky, or select a palette of your signature colors.

Available on Ravelry December 20th.

Yarns at Yin Hoo

Episode 79: A Good Day to Dye

The Back Porch

Sheep to Shawl

Off the Shelf

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