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Permalink Reply by Diane R. Schafer on June 18, 2009 at 6:21pm: I am looking for anyone that would recommend a cotton for making wash cloths and hand towels for the kitchen. I appreciate any help.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on June 18, 2009 at 6:31pm: Diane,
I only knit dish clothes for the kitchen, and use any worsted weight (i.e. Sugar N Cream, Peaches N Cream) for those. Though I think the Simply Cotton in worsted weight would also be good. I've knit some bath clothes in that and they turned out great. If I were going to knit towels for the kitchen, I think I would use CotLin by KP.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on June 18, 2009 at 6:36pm: Susan: That's exactly what I got for my dish cloths! --P; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on June 20, 2009 at 8:48am: This is a question about hand dying yarn. I am a new spinner, and nearly all of my fleece/fiber is white. I have been reading the hand dying tutorials, and there really isn't anything about dying the rovings before spinning. Also, once the yarn is spun, is there some way I can do color painting - similar to the way the sock blanks were painted? I'm trying to get an idea of my possibilities before I get started into the dying thing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on June 20, 2009 at 12:08pm: Susan: You can dye roving or finished yarn. With roving, you won't get the effect from sock blanks, but it's pretty, too. You just dye the different sections different colors. With yarn, you can divide a hank up into--say--three sections and pour the prepared dye over each prepared section (prepared yarn=soaked in water or water with salt and vinegar, depending on your dye and whether it comes mixed with its own mordant). KP has instructions for Kool Aid dying, and also for using regular dyes. Maybe I saw it in the shopping section under "Bare" yarn or the Jacquard dyes, or maybe it was in the "Learn" section of the KPC. If you dye the roving, you may want to re-card the roving, as it sometimes mats or felts slightly, making it harder to spin. Now you know everything I know, which isn't much, LOL! --P; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on June 20, 2009 at 12:54pm: Peggy,
Does the heatin the dying process felt your yarn? I have an idea of how I would like to dye some yarn, but am a little scared.... no wait, that doesn't sound like me AT ALL... ol' jump in head first Susan.

Thanks for the information. This combined with the tutorials gives me what I "think I need" to proceed.

My fiber buddy has also offered to help me too. Boy am I getting in over my head!S; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on June 20, 2009 at 2:25pm: Susan: I think the heating process is what caused the effect. It wasn't exactly felted, as I was able to pull the fibers out, but it was much easier after I ran it all through Linda's drum carder. I could have split the roving and predrafted, but this will be so much easier. I found some chocolate Corriedale. They're sending me a sample. I think that will be good for the body, and the yoke will be my Kool Aid dyed fiber in dusty blue, burnt orange, taupe and white. Yum! I can hardly wait. --P; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on June 20, 2009 at 2:48pm: Peggy,
I think that will be VERY pretty. Well, gotta go... some of my husband's family came to spend a few days (nephews family), and his cousin and family are coming over in a while for a bond fire.
I gotta play hostess with the mostest. Easy! I'm done spinning for the day, the DH let me spin all afternoon. He's really not a bad fellow at all.

S; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on June 20, 2009 at 4:38pm: You're a very lucky woman, Susan! --P; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Knittina J on June 24, 2009 at 3:38am: I just finished knitting a sweater from Shine Sport. I want to block it. I want to even out my knitting and get rid of the curl around the armholes and neck edge. I've read you can block a cotton sweater in the washer but have not seen any directions. What method should I use? Thanks for any help.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by stitchwitch on June 24, 2009 at 6:28pm: To those who plan on making toys for Toys For Tots.
DON'T GIVE THEM YOUR HARD WORK.
Toys For Tots may not advertise the fact but I talked to a volenteer on the bus and found out that Toys For Tots throws out any and all handmade toys.
I am not trying to put the organizetion down, they do good work. It's just that they should be telling the public this right up front instead they just put crafters by saying that handcrafted toys are not NEW. Let's face it if the time it takes a mass produced toy to get from the factory to the store is a a lot longer than something someone like me could have finished the day before and taken a bus or even walked to the nearest drop off point.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by knitstertoo on June 25, 2009 at 12:57pm: Everyone,

I ordered Learn To Knit Socks and it arrived today. The heel and kitchener instructions mean nothing until I get to that point. I want to use sock/fingerling weight yarn. If I am able to achieve the gauge necessary is it alright to use the yarn? Or do I have to use the sport weight called for in the basic sock pattern?

I am working on a gauge right now with a KP Essential fingerling weight yarn. This is my first pair of socks and since I am having company, who missed her plane and I have to pick up at 8pm, I shall work on this today.

Angela; ▶ Reply to This