A Little Dyeing, A Little #INKtober

I knew I was avoiding that dye session for my friend for a good reason. Making anything to the specs of someone else has always put undue stress on me to the point I eventually decided commission work was not for me. Dyeing should be different, especially as there is no payment for my services involved but still, it's just my personality that it is important to me to produce accurately what is asked of me. I had two swatches to work from, only planned on doing a half yard each of two dye powder colors so decided to try a different method from my usual freezer bag method. I had a book with a method that is supposed to work well for quick, small piece dyeing and thought this would be a great way to try it out. Fabric is soaked in soda ash solution first, the fabric is swished through dye solution and set to batch. I used these Oxi Clean tubs to hold the fabric. I know they look the same but one is using Basic Blue dye, the other Bright Blue - both Pro Chem dyes. No setting up gradations, just dyeing up the darkest value of each.

Swatches against results using Dyeing To Quilt book

To my surprise, both half yards came out very light, with a few dark places. I honestly don't know why that would have happened. One did look like it could be a match with one of the swatches. The other swatch leans towards having a little purplishness to it and it was difficult to tell if the other half yard would be a match if it were darker.

Basic Blue on bottom close match to rectangular swatch. Bright Blue on top no match to triangle swatch

I decided to just dye them again, same dye solution, same amount, but using my tried and true method of putting the soda ash solution in bags, adding the dye solution and then the fabric. They came out darker and I decided that the Basic Blue one was close enough to a swatch to call it a match, but the Bright Blue was no where close.

Back to square one, I looked at my inventory list of dye powders with my friend's dyes listed at the bottom and realized that she had only two blue dyes in what she'd passed on to me. Perhaps the Navy was used to get the color of the purplish blue swatch. With nothing to lose, I quickly dyed up a half yard with that, but again, it wasn't even close. Now I'm looking at other blue dye powders in my collection and may try dyeing up quarter yards of several of them to see if I can do better. Very frustrating and why I really don't like the idea of trying to dye to match anymore. So much effort goes into what can be disappointing results.

Speaking of disappointing results, I've been wanting to try dyeing a unappealing yellow tablecloth that was used at my grandparents' Golden Wedding Anniversary. I've seen pictures of the table it was on, topped with a lace tablecloth that I also have. That yellow just isn't appealing but there's a really pretty design running around the border - I believe this would be called damask. Wasn't sure of the fiber content, but being the 1950's when this was used, I was pretty sure it would be linen or cotton. I never cleaned up after my big dyeing session last fall, loath to throw out unused dye solution but never gaining the umph to keep dyeing until it was gone. I had visions of pouring it directly onto the tablecloth and letting the different colors mix and seep and cover up all that yellow. Well, here I was a year later needing to clear the dye cart for this new dye project so soaked the tablecloth along with the cotton half yards and draped it into two bins set side by side. I meant to take a picture of that but flipped one side into the other bin before I remembered. You can already see the dye did not move like I thought it would 

They say dye solution is only good for a week at best, if stored in a cool place. Yes, results may not be as good or strong the older the solution gets, and this solution had weathered a very hot garage all summer. Still, what did I have to lose? Most of the dyes were in the purple range, maybe a blue in there and one that must have been a brown. What an ugly mess if you look at the piece as a whole. But I never meant for it to be kept whole, but to be cut up taking advantage of various places and colors. Still, I really did think the dyes would migrate more. And while the purples and blues came out quite light, look at the brown!

Here's a great example of how the dye does bring out the pattern in the cloth. It needs more dyeing but for now, I've folded it up and put it away. It might have worked better if I'd cut the tablecloth into smaller pieces but I didn't want to fool with that right now. This might be a good candidate for some snow dyeing this winter.

I have made some progress on my #INKtober sketches. I'm running up against an old problem with sizing as I sketch. I can't seem to sketch small and some of the bridges end up getting cut short. Still, lots of fun researching pics on line and then trying my hand at sketching them with a minimum of detail - something that is also difficult for me to do. I'm a detail person at heart! 

These are for Sherrie who reminded me to sketch the Tacoma Narrows Bridge near where we both lived at one time. The original bridge had some engineering faults that caused it to sway during high winds, earning it the name of Galloping Gertie. It eventually came down in spectacular way, twisting and turning as you see here until it tore itself apart. A new bridge served well into the years after I left the area in the nineties, but growth demanded more lanes to handle increased traffic. The solution was just to build a second bridge next to it, which I found quite intimidating the first time over it during a visit.

I do find drawing arcs a challenge. They tend to do well on the way up from the left but tend to drift down out of proportion as I finish them. Better on the Manito Park bridge but it really is longer. Either the initial arc should have been longer or the spacing of the other arcs closer together. I did a lot better on the floating leaf bridge.

So I was happy to get back to bridges with straight lines. Still struggled with sizing so the whole top and bottom bridge fit on the page. Still quite a few days of practice yet to solve that.

It's A Cardigan!

Watermark Cardigan designed by Marie Greene of Olive Knits

Mid-week saw me putting in the last knitting stitches on the Watermark Cardigan as I added the button bands after knitting the neck band ribbing. I can't actually say it's done, but to have the knitting done makes it feel done. However, just like quilting, there are some finishing touches to attend to - weaving in those dangling yarn ends, sewing on buttons and blocking - before I can actually wear it. Based on how my gauge swatch looked after blocking, all that lace should open up and relax, but my, isn't it beautiful as it is now?

I gotta say, the chickens were squawking in the hen house as the fox neared the door (a reference to aforementioned playing yarn chicken). I tapped into my last ball of yarn to finish the last sleeve, then picked up stitches to do the ribbing at the neckline. I was getting nervous, giving the ball a squeeze to get a sense of how much was left. I wasn't sure if I'd make it, ready to undo my gauge swatch for extra yarn if necessary. As I picked up stitches for the first button band, I decided I simply couldn't keep checking that ball of yarn to see how near I was to using it up. Once I finished the second button band, I finally took a look and this is all the yarn remaining! Validated my decision to count rows as I knitted and stop slightly before rather than slightly after the inch and a half ribbing width.

As the end grew near, I got out my button collection to see if I had anything on hand that would work. I so wish I had just 5 more of those green buttons on the right but as you can surmise from the card they are attached to, these are pretty old and not to be found currently. The cardigan takes a small button - no more than 1/2, and I am tempted to use one of the two kinds of glass beads that probably came off either my grandmother's or mother's clothing long ago. I thought maybe a white or off white buttons would work, but I'm not convinced. I'm leaning toward the darker of the mottled brown buttons which came off of a man's shirt - probably my late husband's or maybe my dad's - newer than the rest.

I'm giving myself a break before making these final steps - I was quite amazed at how released I felt, a real weight lifted after this daily work since July 1st. To be honest, beautiful and interesting to work on as it was, it was starting to feel a bit of a grind after so long, and I was ready for it to be done. Now I can allow some other things to be worked on in that time I allotted to the cardigan. In fact, with the weather moving from cold and wet to sunny and 60's as the week wore on, I treated myself to another lake walk at the easy to manage loop at City Beach. At one point as I turned to look far across the lake, I had another "pinch me" moment, a little disbelief that I actual live here with this kind of access to beautiful Lake Pend Orielle. 

It's #INKtober!

As October loomed, I considered whether or not to squeeze in daily drawing for this year's #INKtober. I've let daily work on the Watermark Cardigan fill creative time, so wasn't sure if I could actually make time. And then the muse whispered in my ear: bridges. Hmmm . . . I do like to have a theme to follow and I do love bridge structures, so I made the decision to at least start and see if I could keep up with it. This is a fresh sketchbook and I decided that in order to keep time for each sketch at a minimum, I'd only use a Japanese brand Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Flexible pen - one I got in a selection of such felt pens - to keep me from spending too much time on detail. I got that tip from an urban sketcher I follow who also wanted to participate in #INKtober with quicker sketching than her usual detailed work. I think it's working. I started with sketching the different types of bridge construction before moving on to actual bridges.

As usual, there are some whoopses even as trying to draw loosely (or maybe BECAUSE I was drawing loosely) but good practice, and it should get better as I get back into shape. I'm using pictures from internet searches as my guides, although there will be at least one photo I'll use that I took myself. There will be bridges I've seen in person as well as famous bridges. Should be fun.

And now that it is officially October, most of the trees that have been holding back are now letting their leaves turn. With another week of beautiful fall weather leading to another cold and wet weekend, I made it to the Bay trail again and was rewarded with views of cottonwoods finally going yellow and other trees showing their colors.

Brilliant against the blue sky.

How lucky am I to live by this gorgeous lake with this nearby trail lined with these cottonwoods.

With the crochet bag done, I've started another project for that small block of time after lunch when I'm watching a news program. This is called "Distance Scarf" for some reason but has quite a beautiful pattern made up of cables turning this way and that. The yarn is a skein I bought years ago when a local alpaca rancher was shearing, spinning and dyeing up wool from her herd and selling it in a downtown shop. She even added to the tags the name of the alpaca the wool came from. It's the most gorgeous raspberry color, soft as a cloud and expensive enough that it was a real splurge to buy even a single skein. It's sometimes difficult then to figure out what to do with a limited amount of yarn, particularly when it is a special yarn, and so it has sat in my yarn stash waiting. A few years back I decided I'd like to knit a scarf or cowl for a cousin, and then settling on this yarn while I dithered over cowl or scarf, and now at last getting to it with this recently found pattern. The beginning is really fiddly as you go from a few stitches to enough to make about a 4 inch width, and the yarn slippery on the equally slippery knitting needles, but it's going faster and easier now that all the increases have been made and a sequence established. I want this done for a Christmas gift, along with a couple of small shawls, so I best get going!

It's A Sleeve! It's A Bag!

Well, this is exciting and yes that really is the right length for the sleeve of my Watermark Cardigan. The pattern gives options for this short length as well as a mid length ending above the elbow and a full length. The short length is what I saw first and fell in love with, and now as I near the end as well as the end of my yarn, I think I may have ended up playing "yarn chicken" had I gone with a longer length. The pattern designer kept reminding us that garments "grow" when blocked, by how much depends on the type of yarn, so don't worry if the body and sleeves seem shorter than you think they should be when done. I'm halfway down the second sleeve and should be able to finish it tomorrow.

And more excitement with putting the last stitches in the crochet bag which completed the handles. I've already put some yarn in it, even though there are yarn ends to weave in. Think burying machine quilting threads on the back.

 

The leaves are still pretty stubborn about turning color, although some of the ones that turn red are getting with it. The cottonwood leaves with a few exceptions are still very green and the birch behind my place has only scattered leaves turned yellow. I feel it's still early so the slow turn is fine with me. 

The Equinox

And that's exactly how it was.

I'd been watching the weather reports and saw that a cool front with rain was about to arrive. The first day of fall looked like my last chance for a while for a walk along the Bay Trail.

View from the Bay Trail - two sailboats in the distance

I'd been avoiding it, worried that an issue I've been having along my left hip would flare midway, making it difficult and painful to get back to the car which required navigating the steep hill to the parking lot. But I'd had no trouble at all on the Sunday walk around City Beach with a friend, so I decided to risk it.

Not many trees are sporting colorful leaves yet

City Beach is a wonderful place to walk, but it is along paved sidewalks through people picnicking and playing in the water, and a little further out, boats coming and going from the marina. The Bay Trail, little more than a quarter mile away, has dirt to walk upon and huge trees belying the fact that the city is so close by. It is cool, quiet, the main sound being the gentle lapping of the lake against the shore.

Although hard to see (poor cell camera) there are bright red berries on the mountain ash

Yes, other people walk there too, but not in droves. A few people were fishing along one stretch, several others I passed had dogs along, others were doing what I was doing, getting a good peaceful restorative walk in before the rain settled in.

I knew I needed it, but not how much until I was there, listening to that lapping water. . . . 

A Quick Update

What a lovely weekend we had - and I took advantage with a Sunday walk at city beach with a friend I haven't gotten together with in a very long time. Seventy-five degrees, light breeze, people splashing around in the water or steering a boat back to a slip - it was so delightful. Sorry, did not think to take pics but trust me, it was beautiful. Before heading there, I sat with my crochet bag and did a few rounds at the top now that the pattern part is finished. Next round starts the handle! It feels so close to done.

I'm equally excited about the progress on the Watermark cardigan. Suddenly I was at the ribbing along the bottom. 

When I took this picture I still had more rows of ribbing to knit and today I got them done. Next row is binding it off, then on to the sleeves.

I have several smaller knitting projects I'd like to make for Christmas gifts, and once that crochet bag is done, I can get going on them. I also need to get on with a small dye session to produce a particular blue fabric for that friend who gifted me her dye supplies. I put that off all summer and am hoping I haven't in the process stalled progress on a project of hers. She didn't really indicate if she needed it for what she showed me she was working on, just that could I dye it up "the next time you dye some fabric." Well, I really don't dye up fabric anymore unless there's something specific and that hasn't happened since I did that big dye session for her last fall. I make too big a deal out of it and put it off when actually I only need to dye up a few pieces of fabric. Just need to get organized and get it done!  

Project Progress

Robert Benchley once said: “Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing.” Yeah, that's me, and what led to my foot dragging about a few things that then led to it being a stressful week as I could no longer put them off (multiple tries before rental insurance document successfully uploaded to renter's portal, getting over dread of seeing NP re suspicious moles, etc.). Still, I actually got quite a bit done on the "fiber" front.. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way because I am doing small bits on more than one project, but I have managed one finish and marked major turning points in others. Let's start with the leftovers from the antique quilt. To refresh your memory, above is what I had to work with, more than I wanted to just toss, less than would make for an easy way to use them.

Pieces overlapped, pinned and ready for stitching

Zigzag stitching hardly shows

Several of you suggested I make a needle case, which I thought a great idea. I fitted the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, overlapped slightly and zigzagged together with white thread. Nothing fancy here. Not terribly pretty either, but I forged on. After squaring up, I had a piece 11" x 15". Way too big for a traditional needle case. But you know what I really need? A needle case for my circular knitting needles.

I took up knitting as a teen, and once my mother saw how into it I was, she found a beautiful zippered case for my growing collection of straight needles. It had one wider slot that would hold my first circular needles, bought so I could make a poncho (it was the 60's, what can I say?). But once I discovered Mobius scarves that required different sizes and lengths of circular needles, and started finding sweater patterns requiring them too, my circulars no long fit in my case. I've been stuffing them in the front pocket of the binder where I keep patterns, and although it sort of works, a separate case for them would be much better. I spotted this piece of hand-dyed fabric left over from my business days with friend Judi, and decided why not? Matching old with new would perk things ups a bit and the hand-dyed tightly woven fabric would make a sturdy lining for my case.

I decided a layer of batting would be a good idea and sandwiched a piece of Thermore between the patched together outside and the lining folded to create pockets. I found a piece of red twine for a closure and caught it in the line of stitching down the center.

I finished the edges that holds the whole thing together with the same blanket stitch I used on the tote bag. 

Front

Messy back

And that's it! Here's the front and back - again, not the prettiest but very functional. I may decide to run another line of stitching down the center of one side - some of my needles are packaged such that they would fit in the smaller pockets that would make - but I'll wait until some of my circulars currently in use are freed up and ready to store. 

So that's my finish. A partial finish could be that I completed the back of the red sweater (which unlike the other two sweaters is knit in four pieces that will be sewn together later). Lots of curling in this unblocked piece so it was difficult to get it arranged, but there IS a little shoulder/neckline shaping at the top, but not much - it's a drop shoulder design. Sitting on it is the crochet basket which, once the base was completed, magically started up the sides with the change of a stitch. When I worked that first row, it felt a lot like when I made my first coiled fabric bowl on faith and found that the slight tipping of the flat base made the sides appear. As for my other knitting projects, the Autumn Wave sweater is past the yoke "wave" pattern and sleeve stitches have been put on waste yarn for later while front and back are now joined and worked down an inch or so. The Watermark sweater continues its slow progress but I was excited to get out the measuring tape and realize I'm only a few inches from starting the ribbing at the bottom. Now that cooler weather has arrived, I'm very anxious to get these done so I can wear them!