Happy Sunday!

I wasn’t sure how this weekend’s Dye Day Festivities (I like that term and will likely use it again) would turn out, but I think I did fairly well in the end and would like to think I have a good collection of different yarns for you this week.

Thanks to a variety of circumstances (mostly) beyond my control I didn’t have enough yarn for a full collection of Phydlbitz Sock. I dug into the back of the work room and came up with some other yarns also in small quantities, so there is a larger BRS collection than normal.

Most of the Phydlbitz Sock were dyed to appear as solid or nearly solid, but they were all dip-dyed in multiple colors. Layering the colors, instead of mixing into a single dye solution, allows the colors to build on the yarn. Twinset #753-754 was dipped using the what I call the baby-soft technique, using 3 different light washes in different sections — I used turquoise and 2 other blues on this Twinset.   Twinset #755-756 was dipped multiple times in a variety of light washes, but held in a way that creates a fade effect.   Twinset #759-760 was first dipped in a light blue, then got some hand-slaps of random purple and a darker blue, and then redipped to blend the colors.

Twinset #761-762 is a wash of blended browns (espresso bean and teddy bear brown), which results in a brown that I think is better than the jar of plain brown.  I like it a lot.  Twinset #763-764 is layer upon layer upon layer of a blue then a gold, then a blue, then a gold, repeatedly.  It sort of reminds me of the green I used to have in my front yard before the heat wave and water conservation requests came down and turned my yard mostly brown.  🙂

The next rack starts 9 Superwash Merino DK (280 yards) worsted wt., (210 yards) and then ends with 8 Merino Sport wt. (330 yards).   The SWMerino worsted wt. were all dyed in a variety of splatter techniques, no Twinsets, and I think all of them would be super for quick-knit holiday gifts like hats or scarves.  I think some of them would work well as contrasting stripes, like #769 and 772 or may #768 and 773.  If you want to imagine what any particular pair would look like together, just let me know and take a picture of just the ones you want to see.

The Merino sport wt. yarns were all dyed as Twinsets and all dip dyed using re-blended remainder dyes from last week.  With 660 yards in each Twinset, there is plenty for a good winter scarf, for sure, or perhaps one of the shorter style shawls that have become popular lately.

I am a firm believer in the ‘waste not want not” philosophy. Not only does this cut costs (dye is expensive) but by blending and reblending, I end up creating unique colors that I might not even consider if I were trying to create a new color on purpose.  I learned many years ago that I cannot always create colors “on purpose”, and now most of the time I let the dyes do what they do and I just try to trust the process.  And more often than not, even when I question my own sanity at some of the results, it seems like someone somewhere wants that exact color and they didn’t even know it until they saw it.  So much of the time I feel like I’m just along for the ride.  🙂

I started the Dye Day Festivities with the Merino sport wt., in order to use up the remainder dyes first.  I ended up having to mix up all new dyes for the rest of the day’s work, but when I was done I had 8 jars of remainder dyes again.  During the clean up process this morning, I mixed together the remainder dyes — blues together, the gold into the brown, and added the teal to the gray — so now I have four and a half jars of remainder dyes for next week.  I expect most of them will become solid or nearly solid colors on the Phydlbitz Sock next week — excellent for lacework where you want the stitching to stand out and not get lost in a lot of colors mixed together.

All of this week’s yarns would normally sell individually at $27.50.  For today and tomorrow (Aug 20-21) you may claim any two or more yarns (matching or not) from this new BRS collection (BRS23 – #753 – 781) or $25.50 each.  Normally Twinsets have a special discount, but for today you are free to split a Twinset and still get the Preview Pricing discount.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email (ray@knitivity.com) with your numbered requests.  I will mark your requests off from the Available Yarns tally chart below and then send your PayPal invoice.  If you haven’t ordered from me before, PayPal will collect your shipping details, but if you are outside the U.S., please let me know with your request.

International Customers: As I mentioned on Facebook recently, the cost of International shipping continues to rise.  I can fit 6 skeins of yarn into a single Tyvek envelope, and recently  discovered that 6 skeins of yarn will ship for the same cost as just 1 skein of yarn!  You can make your selections and let me know if you want me to ship right away or if you want me to hold them so you can pick a few more in the future.   I will invoice for your initial selection(s), plus shipping, and then hold your initial selections until you ask for more.  This way you know your shipping has already been paid up front and when you have 5 or 6 yarns selected, I can ship them all together. You don’t have to do this, of course, but if you aren’t in a rush for a particular yarn, this is one way to minimize your shipping costs.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 753, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760 761, 762, 763, 764
Rack 2 – 765, 766, 767, 768, 769, 770, 771, 772, 773,   774, 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780, 781

Follow