Hand painted yarn

Oh how I love the hand-painted yarns from Malabrigo and Madelintosh !! Wish I could have lots of them in my stash, but the prices are too high to buy these in bulk. So, instead, I thought of trying to hand paint some yarn for myself and see how it turns out. Here is the result of what  I've been upto last evening

It is a total of about 400g ( about 1464 yds), and I know just what I want to knit with it. Now the big question is.....when do I start !!!

 

Yarn dyeing experiment

I have been reading a lot lately about hand dyeing yarn at home using food colours or acid dyes, and I must say, I was really tempted to give it a try. And so I did ! Here is what all I required -

• A hank of undyed pure wool

 

• A bottle of food colour, well I actually used two since I needed a pinkish hue, I mixed some yellow to red to get a lightish red, and then reduced the concentration of colour to get a sweet rose-ish pink. Well I did not quite measure the number of drops, though as an afterthought I think I should have. It was more like a hit-and-trial to get the right shade. Here is the food colour I used



 

• Water
• Vinegar - a tablespoon per cup of water. Vinegar is needed to provide an acidic pH to the colour solution, so that the yarn picks up the colour well and completely.

 

Okay, so I first prepared the required colour, tested it on a dry paper towel with a toothpick, and then added it to the vessel which had about six cups of water with vinegar. When the solution started simmering, I added the dry yarn to it, dry because I wanted the colour to get soaked in varying quantities to the yarn for a slight tonal colouring. Here is my yarn simmering in the colour bath

 

I then covered the vessel and let the yarn simmer for about 10 minutes. I could have kept it a little longer, but I was scared I'd end up with burnt yarn, so I decided to put off the stove after 10 minutes, and let the yarn cool down in the vessel itself to a tolerably hot temperature.

I then thoroughly rinsed the yarn with plain tap water and mild detergent to remove any access colour.

To soften my yarn a bit, I added hair conditioner and rinsed it further

And this is how my yarn looks after drying

Well, it is not as tonal as I wanted it to be, but I am still quite pleased with the result.

I bought about 800 g of undyed yarn, and since I'm quite encouraged with this experiment, I'm planning to dye a sweater quantity for myself. But first, I need to plan a suitable project for this lovely sweet-rose coloured yarn.......any suggestions?!!



A Visit to KnitPro Manufacturing Unit

As a part of my orientation in the company, I had the opportunity to visit the KnitPro manufacturing unit, and see for myself the entire process of making knitting needles and crochet hooks from various materials. It was indeed an overwhelming experience to be able to witness and study each minute detail of the seemingly simple, but very complex process of knitting needle manufacturing. I also got a chance to interact with the staff and supervisors. Many of the women workers were knitters themselves, and I had a lot of fun discussing knitting techniques and ideas with them. I was truly amazed to see how stringent quality checks were applied at each and every step of the entire process, to ensure that only the best finished products reach the customers. Though I was expected to share my knowledge with the staff there, I ended up broadening my own horizons with the invigorating discussions I had with them. We discussed various yarn types and their characteristics, and how each feels on various types of needles and hooks. I also got to test a new type of needles that were under trial before going into mass manufacturing, must say I was thrilled to be able to lay my hands on something even the most experienced knitters had not. And to make my visit even more memorable and satisfying, I was treated to a huge glass of rich ' lassi ' which kept me "fulfilled' well past dinner time !

I shall always be grateful to the organisation for this opportunity to visit the manufacturing unit, and the warmth with which I was treated by the staff there.

Did I rub a magic lamp ?!!!

I'm sure you've heard of dreams coming true, but there are some dreams which are meant to be just dreams, to be thought about and felt good about, but never to realize what it is like to see them come true. Do I sound confused....I guess I still am...quite a bit !!!

Being a physician and a healthcare manager is something I've always taken pride in, but at the same time, I was equally in love with my crafty passions, and got more involved with crafting when I left my hospital job to be at home for my newborn. These last two years of being a stay-at-home-mom have been my best years in terms of finding time for knitting pretty little things for my lovely children and also gifts for near and dears. I got sooo involved with knitting and crochet that I started contemplating having a one-of-its-kind craft store, where a craft lover would find all kinds of crafting accessories and tools, where I could sit, chat and laugh with my Ravelry friends, and where I could connect and meet with people following all sorts of crafts.... So is this the dream which has come true...?? Well, not completely...partly....but I'm surely on my way to realize more soon !!

I was offered a position of a Knitting and Crochet Consultant by Knitpro, the company that manufactures my very favourite and precious knitting needles and crochet hooks. To my surprise, I did not know whether to feel excited about the offer . Afterall, I was a doctor and was supposed to be looking for suitable jobs in the healthcare industry ! Then a little voice in my heart said "Hey, isn't this what you so want to do?? And does everyone get a chance in their lifetime to give up what they are trained to do, and do what they find happiness in ?!!" And that was the moment I decided to take up the opportunity and see how things work from there.

Who knows...it might be the beginning of bigger dreams coming true......I guess I should start asking for craft store name suggestions..just in case !! What say ?!