Happy Sunday!

I am happy to report that after running almost constantly four months straight, my air conditioner is alternating on and off.  A couple days ago I was guzzling my early morning coffee and suddenly the room went silent.  Gone was the constant hum of the a/c whirring away.  For a second I panicked and thought it had died, but I checked the thermostat and discovered it was 78º inside, which is exactly where I set it. It came back on after a couple hours, running like a champ. I could definitely tell the difference yesterday as I was dyeing.  And according to the WUnderground 10-day forecast we’ve seen the last of the 100º days, at least for a while.

Yesterday’s dye session began with remainder dyes that I blended and consolidated into just four jars (Yippee! Surprise colors!), so I only had to prepare six new jars.  I ended the day with just a few little squirt bottles that I’ll use next time to create “Magick Black” — whatever it becomes it will definitely be very dark and likely not repeatable, and probably only enough dye for 1 or 2 mini-hanks, which I’m planning for the next dye session.  Lots and lots of mini-hanks.  More on that down below.

I used several different techniques this week, some old and some new.  All of today’s collection are Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards), dyed as Twinsets.  Twinsets are great for larger-than-socks projects (scarves, shawls, etc.), and it is recommended that you work with both skeins simultaneously, alternating every 2 or 3 rows/rounds to minimize pooling and to ensure a consistent coloring throughout the project.

As many of you know, I stopped assigning names to my dye jobs many years ago and I dye  pretty much everything ‘on-the-fly’ so every Twinset is a unique combination and coming up with new names is difficult for me.   BUT, having said that, many of this week’s collection struck me as needing to be called something, just because of how it looked at the time.

Like Twinset #842-843 said, “Too much cream in my coffee.”   Twinset #856-857, with the lighter brown-ish sections reminds me of the wilting edges of dying flower petals.   And there are several Twinsets that make me think of Impressionist water colors of old country gardens.

There are two actual DumpDyes this week (Twinsets #844-845 and 852-853), and both turned out with some amazing combinations.  Either of these would make stunning spiral-stripe socks, and there is enough yarn in a Twinset to make fraternal twin knee-highs to really show off your colors.

All of these are normally $27.50 per skein (matching Twinsets get a 10% discount), and for this weekend you can select any two or more from today’s collection and/or any previously posted Blog Reader Special and I will take an additional 10% off your total order.  This offer is valid through Monday night.

To claim the yarns you want, just send me an email with your numbered selections.  Yarns dyed during 2022 have a BRS22 number and are already discounted as well ($20.22 per skein) so if you select those be sure to indicate BRS22.

I expect to have this week’s collection processed and ready to dye on or about Thursday.

Available Yarns
Rack 1 – 834, 835, 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841, 842, 843, 844, 845
Rack 2 – 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857

Mini-Hanks?

I am just about out of my regular yarn to dye until the supplier situation is fixed.  I was promised a shipment to come this week, but when I checked the tracking number yesterday with UPS it said the shipment was cancelled.  I’ve been with my supplier almost 12 years without a problem, so I assume this cancellation has to do with their shutting down and shifting inventory and so forth.  I’ve written them to inquire but it’s the weekend so I won’t know until tomorrow if this shipment is coming or not.

Thus, all I have left of my regular yarn  is a few dozen remainder cones, none of which have full four-ounce skeins on them.   So I’m going to spending my free time pulling 100-yard mini-hanks and dyeing those up.  Most will likely be solid or nearly-solid minis that will be suitable for contrast stripes and accent colors for toes, heels, and cuffs on your socks.  If you get enough of them you can make some amazing wild-color baby blankets.

Follow