Yesterday we learned about lifelines in knitting lace and left the Arum Shawl knitted with Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed yarn soaking in warm water mixed with Soak detergent. Arum Shawl immersed in water with Soak detergent After a few hours, I took the shawl out and wrung the water out of it. I prepared the KNITTER’S PRIDE Steel Blocking Wires Set for blocking the shawl. The set comes with 6 wires of 38”, 6 wires of 20”, 3 flexible wires of 38”, 20 t-pins and 1 measuring tape – everything you need for blocking. The finished Arum Shawl is ready for blocking using blocking wires set and t-pins ..read more

Yesterday I talked about the progress on my lacey Arum Shawl project, worked with Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed – Ochre. I also mentioned a lifeline. What is a lifeline in knitting lace? A lifeline is a thread, preferably a smooth yarn like cotton or nylon, that’s threaded through all the stitches once you finish a pattern repeat or a section of a lacey pattern. This way, if you need to unravel your work when you make a mistake, you can go back to the lifeline. This avoids having to unknit every stitch. All stitches will be on the helper thread or lifeline, and you can put them back on the knitt ..read more

In my previous post I wrote about the reasons for creating a swatch for my lacey shawl project worked with Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed – Ochre. The Arum Shawl pattern has row by row written instructions for the lacey pattern and as well as a chart for the same pattern. For me it’s easier to follow the chart. I use the row counter to keep track of the pattern row I’m working on. Arum Shawl lace pattern chart and row counter The pattern is worked over 18 rows, and I’ll reset the counter every time I start a new pattern repeat. The pattern also asks to decrease one stitch every 4 rows. Oh, how ..read more

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about my new project, a lacey shawl using the Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed – Ochre. I chose the Arum Shawl free pattern, a lacey shawl pattern written for the Kingston Tweed yarn. This is how the pattern describes the finished object: “Warm, yet lightweight and airy, this shawl is optimal for mildly cool days. Kingston Tweed adds a touch of rustic texture.” I can’t wait to start this project and to see it grow into a lovely shawl. But there’s more to do before casting on. First things first. I must make a swatch. You’ll probably ask, why do I need to make a swatch f ..read more

Join me this week to learn more about a yarn that I like working with. It comes in a variety of great colors and has a slightly rustic feel. The yarn is Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed – Ochre. 3 Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed, skeins with labels, row counter, stitch markers and blocking wires It’s a lightweight yarn: 177m (194yds) per 50g (1.75oz) hank. The content is a mix of 50% wool, 25% alpaca and 25% viscose. What do I know about these fibers and what can I learn about the yarn? Wool will keep me warm and creates good stitch definition. The alpaca will add warmth and a little halo to my knitt ..read more

This week I’m having fun dyeing yarn with Rit All Purpose Dye and Ready to Dye Yarn from UNIVERSAL YARN. I was very pleased with yesterday’s results from warp painting, but it was a lot of work. Today’s process is much easier – kettle dyeing with Rit All Purpose Dye liquid in Eggplant or should I say Aubergine which sounds much more exotic. Rit All Purpose Dye liquid in Eggplant or Aubergine and UNIVERSAL YARN Superwash Merino Sock Yarn I’ve done kettle dyeing before with both natural and acid dyes. This is a first with Rit dyes, but I’m approaching the process exactly the same. I added hot ..read more

This week I’m having fun dyeing yarn with Rit All Purpose Dye and Ready to Dye Yarn from UNIVERSAL YARN. Yesterday’s Snow Dyeing exercise resulted in a very random colorway that was quite pleasing. Today, I’m dyeing with a specific purpose in mind – to dye the yarn for use as a warp on my Rigid Heddle loom. The desired outcome is to have a striping effect of various colors, but not perfect stripes. I want them to fade from one color to the next in a whimsical fashion. Rit All Purpose Dye in Golden Yellow, Scarlet and Royal Blue with UNIVERSAL YARN Ready to Dye Superwash Wool and Nylon Sock We ..read more

This week I’m having fun dyeing yarn with Rit All Purpose Dye and Ready to Dye Yarn from UNIVERSAL YARN. Yesterday I talked about the equipment needed for dyeing. Today, I’m snow dyeing! I’m very excited as this is my first time, and you won’t find the instructions on the box for doing this. It’s a complete experiment, but not without research. There are many sources available online, and they all seem straightforward. Rit All Purpose Dye in Golden Yellow, Teal and Royal Blue with UNIVERSAL YARN Ready to Dye Superwash Merino Angora Nylon Sock Weight yarn I’m using the powder form of the Rit ..read more

This week I’m having fun dyeing yarn with Rit All Purpose Dyes and Ready to Dye Yarn from UNIVERSAL YARN. Yesterday I described three different wool-based yarns and two different versions of dye. Today, I’ll address the different equipment and tools needed for each of the three methods I’ll use to dye the yarn. Dedicated equipment and tools for dyeing It’s important to note that you must have separate equipment from your regular kitchen utensils. Everything I use is dedicated to dyeing. You might say that I have a dyeing stash that is comprised of equipment, tools, and yes, even yarn. It mig ..read more

Welcome to another exciting week at KNITmuch, where I’m doing something completely different. This week, I’m dyeing yarn with Rit dyes and UNIVERSAL YARN Ready to Dye collection. Rit All Purpose dyes are formulated for dyeing both protein and cellulose based fibers. Both the powder and liquid versions are available in a multitude of colors. I’ve opted to use Scarlet, Golden Yellow, Teal and Royal Blue in powder form, and Eggplant in the liquid as my colors. Rit All Purpose Dyes are available in both powder and liquid form in a multitude of colors. The powder colors I chose are basically the ..read more