Well, friends, it was bound to happen: I'm addicted to creating my own yarn.
For Christmas, Nick bought me a yarn dyeing kit from Walnut Farm Designs that came with three hanks of naked yarn, four dye colors of my choice, instructions, and various other supplies needed for a first dyeing experience. I've talked about trying my hand at dyeing yarn for at least a year - probably longer because I'm obsessed with indie dyers (if you couldn't tell by the fact I buy from them almost exclusively) - which means it was high time I put myself to the test. At someone else's expense.
Not surprisingly, Nick wasn't keen on just buying me more yarn for Christmas, so this satisfied two needs: 1) he could get me a gift that was something I'd use and b) I need more yarn, always. It was a good compromise, although I'm sure part of the reason he agreed was to keep me out of his hair for a few hours while I played color chemist. I'm also 99% positive he didn't think I'd actually use it, so he was okay with getting me something that would be shoved away instead of taking up valuable counter space in our kitchen.
He was wrong.
Last Saturday, Nick went away for a couple hours, so I dove in. Of course, I couldn't just dye the yarn a solid color because I love the road fraught with difficulty. I needed yarn that spoke to me and represented who I am, even if it turned out terribly.
I needed SPECKLES.
So I used a combination of spray bottles and sprinkling to create the look I wanted. Although NONE of the yarns came out exactly as I'd envisioned, I still like the results. Even more, I loved the process. While it won't be happening immediately, there will be more naked yarn and dyes purchased someday soon.
Do I plan on selling hand-dyed yarn? I'm not sure. The thought's crossed my mind, but I'm too much of a n00b to have a process in place that allows me to mass produce. Plus, I don't trust myself yet. We'll see how my first project turns out!
And in case you're wondering - NO! I will never abandon the indie dyers I've grown to love over the years. Perhaps a full list of my recommended dyers is due, eh?
PS: If you haven't already, be sure to check out my new knitting-only Instagram, @jennlikesyarn! I've been trying to update with my project statuses every couple days, so you'll see more frequent (and real-time) updates there than on the blog. Plus, I'll probably respond to comments ;)
In the meantime, I'm:
Listening to: Pod Save America
Knitting: Hygge Socks