Dyeing for Some Color

It's been such a long time since I last posted, but I'm jumping back in.  Here's a bit of what I've been up to lately:

Gradient Dyed

Immersed in jars set in a water bath

Hand Painted

Most of the yarn dyeing I've done has been with food coloring, although the green and blue skeins in the third photo were dyed with Lanasets.

This next one was also done with Lanasets.  We mixed up a few bits of left over dye solutions at the end of the day and dunked in a couple of hanks of yarn.  I can't really capture the subtle tonal changes in this yarn with my crappy camera and poor photography skills, but the hues range from shades of slate blue to violet to black.  The yarn is a 50% merino, 25% bamboo, 25% nylon blend and it has a nice sheen.

I made a pair of Eunice socks, from Cookie A's Sock Innovation, with this yarn.  The book has some wonderful and challenging patterns from a very talented designer.  Unfortunately, the publisher really dropped the ball on the technical editing.  If you pick up the book (which I recommend because I love Cookie A's designs) be sure to download the errata from Interweave. 

This next yarn was dyed with Wilton's Icing Color.  It's the same base as the previous photo.

I enjoy dyeing yarn more than just about any other crafty project I've ever attempted.  It's kind of like alchemy - mad science meets sorcery.  It's so satisfying to have an idea in mind and seeing that idea become a reality, and also something magical about coming up with something completely unexpected.