The server is being moved for my website, wool2dye4.com. If you cannot reach me, I do apologize. The webmaster is working on it, and I am trying to be a good customer and to wait for him to get the kinks worked out.
I ask you to be good customers and wait for me, too. Orders are still working, through PayPal, so if you are desperate -- I know the feeling! -- you can order through PayPal and attach a note. The notes are a part of the PayPal form and I'll get the message.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Friday, October 27, 2006
It Felts, It Felts
Looking for a great felting yarn? ANDEE felts up beautifully. It also takes dye beautifully. Remember, ANDEE is a 50/50 blend of merino with alpaca, so it is a very soft yarn and makes a fulled/felted fabric that is nice to touch.
Another good felting yarn is the bulky Cestari. This one is listed on the SPECIALS page of the website.
Purses, anyone? Entrelac hats?
Another good felting yarn is the bulky Cestari. This one is listed on the SPECIALS page of the website.
Purses, anyone? Entrelac hats?
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Royal Wool Winder
I now carry the Royal Wool Winder, which winds yarn into soft center-pull balls. This is an accessory which every knitter on earth should own. Cost: $35.
Monday, October 23, 2006
More about BFL UltraSock
We are expecting the arrival of the new BFL UltraSock around mid-November. For some time I've been talking and writing about my search for a great sock yarn, and this is it. The spinners in England are preparing this yarn exclusively for Wool2Dye4. Here are the particulars:
BFL UltraSock is a superwash yarn in fingering weight with 1,900 yards per pound. It is put up in 8 oz skeins and one-pound cones. (Actually, the weights are quarter-kilo and half-kilo, but I'm not going to fight the metric war! This means that you get a little extra yardage.) It is unscoured and spun into a nice, round 3-ply yarn. It is a firm yarn, so if you enjoy cable work or lacy detail in this weight, you will like the round presentation. You can get 5 skeins of 375 yards from each pound, enough to knit 5 pairs of socks.
Blue Faced Leicester has a long fiber staple and yarns spun from this fiber are particularly strong. One of the most notable characteristics,though, is a subtle luster in the appearance of this yarn in it's natural undyed state as well as once it is dyed. It takes color beautifully, too. Blue Faced Leicester has been designated by the British Wool Trade Board as a rare breed, making it a very exciting yarn for me to present in my lineup.
This is 20% off the suggested retail price of $58 per pound.
For several years we have all been reading about and hearing about the special softness of Merino. What you'll find with Blue Faced Leicester is a yarn which may be even softer and stronger than merino, and with the luster that is its trademark.
I am excited to present this yarn to my customers. Help me get the word out, please!
BFL UltraSock is a superwash yarn in fingering weight with 1,900 yards per pound. It is put up in 8 oz skeins and one-pound cones. (Actually, the weights are quarter-kilo and half-kilo, but I'm not going to fight the metric war! This means that you get a little extra yardage.) It is unscoured and spun into a nice, round 3-ply yarn. It is a firm yarn, so if you enjoy cable work or lacy detail in this weight, you will like the round presentation. You can get 5 skeins of 375 yards from each pound, enough to knit 5 pairs of socks.
Blue Faced Leicester has a long fiber staple and yarns spun from this fiber are particularly strong. One of the most notable characteristics,though, is a subtle luster in the appearance of this yarn in it's natural undyed state as well as once it is dyed. It takes color beautifully, too. Blue Faced Leicester has been designated by the British Wool Trade Board as a rare breed, making it a very exciting yarn for me to present in my lineup.
- Pricing will be:
- $23.20 per 8 oz skein
- $ 46.40 per one-pound cone
This is 20% off the suggested retail price of $58 per pound.
For several years we have all been reading about and hearing about the special softness of Merino. What you'll find with Blue Faced Leicester is a yarn which may be even softer and stronger than merino, and with the luster that is its trademark.
I am excited to present this yarn to my customers. Help me get the word out, please!
Friday, October 06, 2006
BFL UntraSock ... soon to be a reality
At last I have decided on the makeup of the BFL UltraSock, and expect to have it in stock within 8 weeks. My supplier / manufacturer / spinner in England is a delightful business companion. He even called me a few weeks ago when we were working out figures and facts such as the number of twists per inch and micron count. What fun for each of us to hear the other's accent!
The new BFL UltraSock will be a three-ply yarn in superwash Blue Faced Leicester. The feel is very similar to Wool2Dye4 SuperSock, but with a bit less twist,which is to say that it does not curl naturally upon itself as the Wool2Dye4 SuperSock does. (The curl is not a bad thing in that yarn, but a signal that the resulting fabric will be quite firm and strong.)
Three immediately apparent qualities of the Blue Faced Leicester UltraSock are the natural ecru color, a slightly golden tone, and the bloom of the fibers when subjected to the dye process. The third unique quality is the slight luster of the fibers which is also apparent when the fibers are dyed. It is truly a beautiful and soft yarn.
It will be available in 8 oz skeins and one-pound cones in approximately eight weeks. The development of this new yarn is a very special undertaking for me because I have exclusive distribution rights in the United States. It did take a while to come up with the right yarn, but the results are just right. I expect this yarn to set the standard for hand-dyers.
The new BFL UltraSock will be a three-ply yarn in superwash Blue Faced Leicester. The feel is very similar to Wool2Dye4 SuperSock, but with a bit less twist,which is to say that it does not curl naturally upon itself as the Wool2Dye4 SuperSock does. (The curl is not a bad thing in that yarn, but a signal that the resulting fabric will be quite firm and strong.)
Three immediately apparent qualities of the Blue Faced Leicester UltraSock are the natural ecru color, a slightly golden tone, and the bloom of the fibers when subjected to the dye process. The third unique quality is the slight luster of the fibers which is also apparent when the fibers are dyed. It is truly a beautiful and soft yarn.
It will be available in 8 oz skeins and one-pound cones in approximately eight weeks. The development of this new yarn is a very special undertaking for me because I have exclusive distribution rights in the United States. It did take a while to come up with the right yarn, but the results are just right. I expect this yarn to set the standard for hand-dyers.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Folk School
Back from a weekend course at John C Campbell Folk School. Located in the farthest southwestern tip of North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains, this place has perfected the entire experience of adult classes, mountain getaway, casual learning environment, and all at a relaxed pace. I definitely recommend it. Website is www.folkschool.org.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Out of Town for 4 Days ... Folk School!
I will be out of the studio for four days, Sept. 14-17, 2006. All orders received between Thursday and Sunday will be shipped on Monday.
This will be my first trip to the John C Campbell Folk School, just outside Asheville NC, and I am looking forward to being a student. Everyone who has been says it is like summer camp for adults ... except that it runs all year long. I convinced my husband to go, too, and he's taking Barbeque & Open Kettle Cooking. My class is Landscape Quilting. (no fiber classes available)
Here is the link to this special place: http://www.folkschool.org
This will be my first trip to the John C Campbell Folk School, just outside Asheville NC, and I am looking forward to being a student. Everyone who has been says it is like summer camp for adults ... except that it runs all year long. I convinced my husband to go, too, and he's taking Barbeque & Open Kettle Cooking. My class is Landscape Quilting. (no fiber classes available)
Here is the link to this special place: http://www.folkschool.org
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
SuperWash Is Not SuperDry
When a yarn is described as 'superwash' it means that the fibers have been treated so that they will not grab onto each other and felt, with normal wear and tear. This means that they can be washed by machine, but my advice is that if you do wash superwash wool by machine, use a gentle cycle and a wool wash such as Eucalan in a shortened cycle, if possible. There are other good wool washes / conditioners on the market, and some people even use hair conditioner in the rinse cycle. We want to limit the amount of rough treatment on the fibers to the bare minimum. This means we should add the item to the tub once the water has already filled so that the water will not be rushing onto the fibers, giving them another opportunity to felt/full.
Drying in the dryer is definitely not recommended, though. Superwash might mean you can wash your fabric by machine, but the best way to dry it is to lay it flat to dry. Lay the wool fabric on a heavy towel and roll it up; then put pressure on the roll but do not squeeze. Squeezing puts strain on the stitches and on the fibers themselves and shortens the life of your precious work of art.
If you must wash the item in the machine, put it in a lingerie bag before you drop it into the water. I keep several lingerie bags in my laundry room for use in dye classes. After the dye process, after that final rinse in Eucalan (which is what I use), I place newly dyed skeins into lingerie bags and toss them into the washing machine. Then, with the water taps turned OFF, I run the spin cycle. I have never had a felting/ fulling problem with this procedure, and also use it when I wash my handknits.
Mantra time: SuperWash is Not Super Dry.
Drying in the dryer is definitely not recommended, though. Superwash might mean you can wash your fabric by machine, but the best way to dry it is to lay it flat to dry. Lay the wool fabric on a heavy towel and roll it up; then put pressure on the roll but do not squeeze. Squeezing puts strain on the stitches and on the fibers themselves and shortens the life of your precious work of art.
If you must wash the item in the machine, put it in a lingerie bag before you drop it into the water. I keep several lingerie bags in my laundry room for use in dye classes. After the dye process, after that final rinse in Eucalan (which is what I use), I place newly dyed skeins into lingerie bags and toss them into the washing machine. Then, with the water taps turned OFF, I run the spin cycle. I have never had a felting/ fulling problem with this procedure, and also use it when I wash my handknits.
Mantra time: SuperWash is Not Super Dry.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Update on Blue Faced Leicester Sock Yarn
About two months ago, my enthusiasm for creating a new Blue Faced Leicester sock yarn surely came through in my writing. I had the Name-That-Yarn Contest, exchanged letters with many of my customers and new folks as well. Before the naming contest I sent out a skein of the sample yarn to ten of my customers with whom I had established a sort of email acquaintance, and I asked for their feedback. Generously and frankly given, it was apparent to all, including me, that this particular yarn was twisted too loosely to be a good sock yarn; however, it is the perfect shawl yarn.
All of this was passed on to my colleague in England, with whom I am working to create this new BFL sock yarn. I had bought 120 pounds of the disappointing yarn, sign unseen, and decided to sell it off at rock bottom prices. (It is listed as BFL Special Purchase on the website under the Fingering category.) I admit that buying sight unseen was not a smart business move, but this is how we learn. It was an expensive lesson.
My manufacturer has been trying out different weights, trying to match the micron count of the samples I sent him of my best selling sock yarns (Wool2Dye4 SuperSock and Kona Fingering.) On Labor Day he called to say that he has just received the sample BFL top (roving) back from the superwash process and his mill is about to spin up three samples for me.
This is exciting, really interesting, an entirely new venture in my little business. Again, I plan to send out samples to my customers who are known sock knitters. If anyone who reads this is also interested in trying out the new yarn by dyeing it, washing it, knitting or weaving with it, please send me an email (SheilaMahone@wool2dye4.com) or post a reply here in the blog. I will be choosing a new Yarn Review Board when the samples arrive.
Stay tuned. I hope to chronicle the development of a yarn in the blog. This does not happen overnight, though, and that is something I am learning. The busy season is just starting up again, and I have no idea when the new yarn will become available. In the meantime, I continue to offer a good variety of undyed yarns for sock knitting. Click on the links on HOME page for a list.
All of this was passed on to my colleague in England, with whom I am working to create this new BFL sock yarn. I had bought 120 pounds of the disappointing yarn, sign unseen, and decided to sell it off at rock bottom prices. (It is listed as BFL Special Purchase on the website under the Fingering category.) I admit that buying sight unseen was not a smart business move, but this is how we learn. It was an expensive lesson.
My manufacturer has been trying out different weights, trying to match the micron count of the samples I sent him of my best selling sock yarns (Wool2Dye4 SuperSock and Kona Fingering.) On Labor Day he called to say that he has just received the sample BFL top (roving) back from the superwash process and his mill is about to spin up three samples for me.
This is exciting, really interesting, an entirely new venture in my little business. Again, I plan to send out samples to my customers who are known sock knitters. If anyone who reads this is also interested in trying out the new yarn by dyeing it, washing it, knitting or weaving with it, please send me an email (SheilaMahone@wool2dye4.com) or post a reply here in the blog. I will be choosing a new Yarn Review Board when the samples arrive.
Stay tuned. I hope to chronicle the development of a yarn in the blog. This does not happen overnight, though, and that is something I am learning. The busy season is just starting up again, and I have no idea when the new yarn will become available. In the meantime, I continue to offer a good variety of undyed yarns for sock knitting. Click on the links on HOME page for a list.
Friday, September 01, 2006
September Shortage of Kona Fingering CONES
During the month of September, the importer of Kona Fingering on CONES will be out of stock, cones only. The skeins will still be available, though. At this writing I am waiting for my last shipment of cones and that may just be a few dozen, if that.
If you absolutely must have this yarn on cones during the month of September, I can have it wound from two 8 oz. skeins. There will be a winding fee of $1.75, which is just what it costs me to have the one pound cone wound.
Watch for further notices about the stock situation of the Kona Finger cones.
If you absolutely must have this yarn on cones during the month of September, I can have it wound from two 8 oz. skeins. There will be a winding fee of $1.75, which is just what it costs me to have the one pound cone wound.
Watch for further notices about the stock situation of the Kona Finger cones.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Dye Classes
Dye classes are available to groups here at the Wool2Dye4 studio. Group size is limited to 5 students (six, if you beg me). Classes last four hours. Cost of the class is $20 plus purchase of one 8 oz skein of yarn to dye in class. Students bring a lunch, and I furnish drinks and dessert.
To organize a class and reserve a date, email info@wool2dye4.com. My studio is in Lynchburg Virginia and there are terrific Bed and Breakfasts nearby for lodging.
The picture is of the most recent class's dye jobs -- all colorful and vibrant, and one black skein of Licorice Twist (which will become part of a Halloween stocking).
Monday, August 28, 2006
Felting Yarn at a Good Price
I have in stock about 40 pounds of a bulky yarn that felts very well. Cestari Fine Merino, Babies Breath comes in 4 oz skeins of about 210 yards each. Cost: $10 per skein.
This is a good price to try out some new skills. This yarn is good enough to give you a nice finished yarn -- if your experiments turn out well! -- but not prohibitively expensive.
It is listed on the SPECIALS page of the website. To order, just email me and tell me how many skeins you'd like. I will invoice you through PayPal and ship when your payment clears. Easy!
Good for felting, hats, Kool Aid dyeing, acid and natural dye experiments, warm wraps/scarves. This is a good deal.
This is a good price to try out some new skills. This yarn is good enough to give you a nice finished yarn -- if your experiments turn out well! -- but not prohibitively expensive.
It is listed on the SPECIALS page of the website. To order, just email me and tell me how many skeins you'd like. I will invoice you through PayPal and ship when your payment clears. Easy!
Good for felting, hats, Kool Aid dyeing, acid and natural dye experiments, warm wraps/scarves. This is a good deal.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Pricing Hand Knit Items
A friend who has been in the retail end of the yarn business for years recently reminded me of the formula for pricing handknit items.
Cost of materials plus $0.15 x number of yards = Cost of Hand Knit Items.
Cost of materials plus $0.15 x number of yards = Cost of Hand Knit Items.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Aran Sweater Yarns
Today a customer wrote that she is about to begin an Aran sweater, and wanted me to help her decide if Andee or Montana would be a better choice. Her concerns were that the yarn be smooth enough to make good cables and that it feel soft against the skin.
My answer: Montana will probably make a nicer cable. It is a firm three-ply in a very round yarn, which always makes better cables. It is a soft Merino and will probably knit up into a good Aran Sweater.
My suggestion: Blue Faced Leicester ARAN. This is the very yarn that is used in the British Isles for Aran sweaters. It is a three-ply, nice and round. When I first saw it, I thought that it was a little big for an Aran sweater, but it has some stretch to the fiber and knits up into a truly nice fabric. It also makes cables that have definition.
My answer: Montana will probably make a nicer cable. It is a firm three-ply in a very round yarn, which always makes better cables. It is a soft Merino and will probably knit up into a good Aran Sweater.
My suggestion: Blue Faced Leicester ARAN. This is the very yarn that is used in the British Isles for Aran sweaters. It is a three-ply, nice and round. When I first saw it, I thought that it was a little big for an Aran sweater, but it has some stretch to the fiber and knits up into a truly nice fabric. It also makes cables that have definition.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Bulky Blue Faced Leicester
A new yarn has arrived from England, a bulky BFL in two-ply. Interesting, fluffy, and definitely bulky at around 560 yards per pound. This yarn is wound onto half-kilo cones, which is just a touch more than one pound, and sells for $40 per cone. I've been needing a bulky yarn and I think that the BFL will be a good one. Yes, it is bit more expensive than merino, but not out of sight, and it is Blue Faced Leicester after all, a rare breed.
Soon a picture and description will go on the website. First I will list it on the SPECIALS page while waiting for my webmaster to post it on the HOME page and integrate it into the website.
Soon a picture and description will go on the website. First I will list it on the SPECIALS page while waiting for my webmaster to post it on the HOME page and integrate it into the website.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Louet Gems Pearl in Stock!
I am carrying a new yarn, the Louet Gems Pearl. What a soft yarn this is. It is 100% SuperFine merino in superwash. My first concern is landing a great sock yarn, since I am trying to put together the best line of undyed sock yarns out there. This yarn is perfect for socks, and I'll probably use a size 2 in the 12" circular Addi Turbos which I favor. I can also see this as a perfect weight for shawls. Baby clothes and fine sweaters will be nice in it too.
My first shipment is in skeins only of 8 oz and 1 pound. Actually, they each weigh in at over 8 oz and 16 oz since they were wound off of a kilo measurement, but for argument's sake I'll stick with the ounces rather than grams measurements. This is consistent with the measurements of my other yarns on the website.
Yardage: 8 oz skeins have at least 795 yards, and the pound has at least 1,590 yards.
Before I decided on taking on the Louet Gems I browsed several blogs on the Internet and found nothing but compliments for it. Some people came out and said it was their favorite yarn to dye, others their favorite sock yarn. So, I am feeling confident that this will be a good addition to my sock yarns and fingering weight yarns.
Over the summer I am trying to locate and buy stock of some good new sock yarns for Wool2Dye4. At the same time, the website is being updated so the Louet Gems is not yet posted in the permanent lineup. It is, however, found on the SPECIALS page of the website. Also, it's mentioned in the crawl across the HOME page.
I expect to introduce two other sock yarns within the next month, also. I am having fun finding these yarns, meeting new people -- reps, spinners, etc. -- and finding space for the new shipments in the studio!
Sample? Send me an email and I'll get out a good sized sample to you.
info@wool2dye4.com
My first shipment is in skeins only of 8 oz and 1 pound. Actually, they each weigh in at over 8 oz and 16 oz since they were wound off of a kilo measurement, but for argument's sake I'll stick with the ounces rather than grams measurements. This is consistent with the measurements of my other yarns on the website.
Yardage: 8 oz skeins have at least 795 yards, and the pound has at least 1,590 yards.
Before I decided on taking on the Louet Gems I browsed several blogs on the Internet and found nothing but compliments for it. Some people came out and said it was their favorite yarn to dye, others their favorite sock yarn. So, I am feeling confident that this will be a good addition to my sock yarns and fingering weight yarns.
Over the summer I am trying to locate and buy stock of some good new sock yarns for Wool2Dye4. At the same time, the website is being updated so the Louet Gems is not yet posted in the permanent lineup. It is, however, found on the SPECIALS page of the website. Also, it's mentioned in the crawl across the HOME page.
I expect to introduce two other sock yarns within the next month, also. I am having fun finding these yarns, meeting new people -- reps, spinners, etc. -- and finding space for the new shipments in the studio!
Sample? Send me an email and I'll get out a good sized sample to you.
info@wool2dye4.com
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
... And the Winner is .....
... BFL Ultra. This was submitted by my husband, and he is not interested in a pound of yarn! SO ... the runner up is Susan Grogan. Susan? If you read this, please contact me and I will send you a pound of BFL yarn.
Actually, I'll send you a pound of the current BFL Special Purchase (which, if you've read previous posts, was supposed to be my big new exclusive, but which was not quite the yarn I am looking for) ... and when the actual sock yarn comes in, I will send you a pound of the real thing.
Thank you for the 65+ name suggestions sent in by readers, some to my personal email address. I loved Susan's suggestion: her group calls BFL by the name of 'Biffle' and it has a nice ring to it. I decided on BFL Ultra for marketing reasons. Currently my best selling sock yarns are Wool2Dye4 SuperSock and Kona Fingering. The new yarn, once it is approved and spun, will go in this lineup, and I wanted something to set it apart which was suggestive of my other exclusive yarn. I think that BFL Ultra will be a good companion to Wool2Dye4 SuperSock.
Actually, I'll send you a pound of the current BFL Special Purchase (which, if you've read previous posts, was supposed to be my big new exclusive, but which was not quite the yarn I am looking for) ... and when the actual sock yarn comes in, I will send you a pound of the real thing.
Thank you for the 65+ name suggestions sent in by readers, some to my personal email address. I loved Susan's suggestion: her group calls BFL by the name of 'Biffle' and it has a nice ring to it. I decided on BFL Ultra for marketing reasons. Currently my best selling sock yarns are Wool2Dye4 SuperSock and Kona Fingering. The new yarn, once it is approved and spun, will go in this lineup, and I wanted something to set it apart which was suggestive of my other exclusive yarn. I think that BFL Ultra will be a good companion to Wool2Dye4 SuperSock.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
BFL Special Purchase Pix ...........
Please click on the image to see more detail of the yarns.
I am happy that the unique luster of Blue Faced Leicester comes through in these photos. The white is the BFL Special Purchase as it comes. The dark Green was an experiment with overdyeing three colors with the open dyepot method. The fibers bloomed the most of the three experiments. The multi-colored skein, right side, was a combination of open dyepot and steamed package. I wound up a ball and dyed the bottom half with Mahogany as it sat on a vegetable steamer in the dyepot, then skeined it when dried, rewet it, and dribbled Colonial Blue and Fuschia over about 80% of the white space. This was oversprayed with white vinegar, wrapped, and steamed. The fibers bloomed nicely, but not as much as with the first experiment. The orange wound ball and knit sample is my Kool-Aid (mango) experiment. Again, I left some white space, and oversprayed with white vinegar
before 2 sessions of 2 minutes in a plastic covered dish.
The fibers opened very well with the Kool-Aid.
Reviewer's Comments
Below are some of the comments received from customers who reviewed the Special Purchase BFL yarn. This is the one I had hoped would be my BFL exclusive sock yarn. It has wonderful qualities -- one weaver says it is good for warp, people are knitting socks with it, scarves, shawls. It would be wonderful for a fine sweater. Many, many uses for this beautiful yarn. I wanted to share some of the reviewers' comments:
"The yarn is gorgeous, a really nice drapey hand and lovely luster, *however* (this comes from my experience knitting with my handspun) I would definitely add more twist to this, especially for socks. "
"Even though the staple is fairly long - 3-4" is what I pulled out, to make socks that won't wear out I'd have to knit these on a 000 or 0000. I think this is more a laceweight than sockweight yarn."
"Originally, I started knitting a swatch with #2's, but the fiber didn't seem dense enough - I'm going to make anklets out of the yarn and didn't feel as though they'd be sturdy enough - so I switched to #1's. They seem perfectly suited to this yarn and it's final intended purpose. I'm getting right at eight stitches per inch. I'm convinced that this yarn would lend itself well to a variety of stick sizes depending on the look and final outcome desired.Only semi non positive thing I can say about it, is that it splits a bit while it's being knit - but c'mon, it's a three ply, very fine yarn that's essentially being knit with toothpicks! It's feels so nice to knit with, that I'm completely willing to overlook the splitting, and just be more careful - this probably wouldn't be a problem if I were using larger needles for an open lace pattern."
"I started my socks on #2 needles also and was not pleased, but am VERY happy with them on #1 needles. I really like the yarn it is so soft and beautiful, feels wonderful. ... I'm loving this yarn the more I knit the more I'm loving it."
"After dyeing, I washed in wool wash and then soaked in a rinse bath with a teeny bit of hair conditioner mixed in to give the yarn a little more softness. It came out feeling almost as soft as the merino superwash from Henry's Attic, but not quite. That coupled with the (in my opinion) slightly too-loose ply would make me think twice about using it instead of the merino, and the price difference would definitely be the clincher."
"I was a little concerned initially because of the looseness of the twist. Once it was soaked for a few hours in warm water and vinegar, it began to bloom a bit. As I was dyeing it, using acid wash dyes, it was apparent that it was going to take and hold the color really well. I wanted to try doing a variegation of a color, working with my Mayan Sunshine colorway. It goes from an almost tinted white to a deep golden yellow. The colors held without too much wicking or traveling of colors.
Once it was dyed and the colors were set, it took a couple of days to dry in this Boston rain and humidity. Once it was dry? This is one of the softest yarns! It has such a nice soft hand, and it drapes nicely in the skein. ... When it came time to knit a swatch, I found it best FOR ME to use a US #3 needle. (I broke a pair of US #0 while casting on… man-hands I guess.) It knitted up nicely, and very uniformly. I still felt that the twist could be a little tighter. I ran into a bit of separating of the plies while working with it. I really had to pay attention to what I was doing."
" ...my initial critique of the BFL yarn still stands -- takes the colors very well and retains them well, but the loose ply is a real downfall. I knitted a little swatch and it does knit up well, but when touch-knitting the needles tend to split the yarn a little. I have to keep one eye on it or I end up with lots of split stitches. I will say that I'm a beginner at touch-knitting so we should take that into consideration. ... I do think it has a nice hand and it's fairly stretchy once it is knitted up. It will make nice, comfy socks, so all in all I'd say on a scale of 1 to 10, it would rate about 7 or 8, so I think it's a pretty good sock yarn."
"...and I'm going to alert my yarn-dyeing addicted-to-knitting-socks friend that she should get her checkbook ready. Splitting shouldn't be a problem for her, particularly if she knows that it's an issue. Wouldn't be an issue for me either. I use sockweight for lace shawls all the time, but I don't dye (yet). I may have to start though!"
"The yarn is gorgeous, a really nice drapey hand and lovely luster, *however* (this comes from my experience knitting with my handspun) I would definitely add more twist to this, especially for socks. "
"Even though the staple is fairly long - 3-4" is what I pulled out, to make socks that won't wear out I'd have to knit these on a 000 or 0000. I think this is more a laceweight than sockweight yarn."
"Originally, I started knitting a swatch with #2's, but the fiber didn't seem dense enough - I'm going to make anklets out of the yarn and didn't feel as though they'd be sturdy enough - so I switched to #1's. They seem perfectly suited to this yarn and it's final intended purpose. I'm getting right at eight stitches per inch. I'm convinced that this yarn would lend itself well to a variety of stick sizes depending on the look and final outcome desired.Only semi non positive thing I can say about it, is that it splits a bit while it's being knit - but c'mon, it's a three ply, very fine yarn that's essentially being knit with toothpicks! It's feels so nice to knit with, that I'm completely willing to overlook the splitting, and just be more careful - this probably wouldn't be a problem if I were using larger needles for an open lace pattern."
"I started my socks on #2 needles also and was not pleased, but am VERY happy with them on #1 needles. I really like the yarn it is so soft and beautiful, feels wonderful. ... I'm loving this yarn the more I knit the more I'm loving it."
"After dyeing, I washed in wool wash and then soaked in a rinse bath with a teeny bit of hair conditioner mixed in to give the yarn a little more softness. It came out feeling almost as soft as the merino superwash from Henry's Attic, but not quite. That coupled with the (in my opinion) slightly too-loose ply would make me think twice about using it instead of the merino, and the price difference would definitely be the clincher."
"I was a little concerned initially because of the looseness of the twist. Once it was soaked for a few hours in warm water and vinegar, it began to bloom a bit. As I was dyeing it, using acid wash dyes, it was apparent that it was going to take and hold the color really well. I wanted to try doing a variegation of a color, working with my Mayan Sunshine colorway. It goes from an almost tinted white to a deep golden yellow. The colors held without too much wicking or traveling of colors.
Once it was dyed and the colors were set, it took a couple of days to dry in this Boston rain and humidity. Once it was dry? This is one of the softest yarns! It has such a nice soft hand, and it drapes nicely in the skein. ... When it came time to knit a swatch, I found it best FOR ME to use a US #3 needle. (I broke a pair of US #0 while casting on… man-hands I guess.) It knitted up nicely, and very uniformly. I still felt that the twist could be a little tighter. I ran into a bit of separating of the plies while working with it. I really had to pay attention to what I was doing."
" ...my initial critique of the BFL yarn still stands -- takes the colors very well and retains them well, but the loose ply is a real downfall. I knitted a little swatch and it does knit up well, but when touch-knitting the needles tend to split the yarn a little. I have to keep one eye on it or I end up with lots of split stitches. I will say that I'm a beginner at touch-knitting so we should take that into consideration. ... I do think it has a nice hand and it's fairly stretchy once it is knitted up. It will make nice, comfy socks, so all in all I'd say on a scale of 1 to 10, it would rate about 7 or 8, so I think it's a pretty good sock yarn."
"...and I'm going to alert my yarn-dyeing addicted-to-knitting-socks friend that she should get her checkbook ready. Splitting shouldn't be a problem for her, particularly if she knows that it's an issue. Wouldn't be an issue for me either. I use sockweight for lace shawls all the time, but I don't dye (yet). I may have to start though!"
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