Point Reyes Natural Colors

This week, like last week, I decided to create SockPixie colorways using natural dyes. I collected salvia leaves from my yard to create beautiful greens, mushrooms, acorns, and gathered red cabbages from our little vegetable garden. The colors reminded me of our trips to Point Reyes when we used to live in California.
I have so much fun with the process. There is something undeniably magical about it. When I dye with chemical dyes, I know which color I can obtain. But with natural dyes, the first steps are always a sort of miracle. I collect local plants, guessing at their color potential, I extract the pigments, and then the moment of truth when I plunge the yarn in the dye bath, and see the colors appear!
I hope you will enjoy this week's magic...

Nature...

This week's SockPixie colorways are so different for me. I turned into a little witch, collecting leaves and berries, extracting pigment, and creating lusciously deep colorways for you and for me to enjoy!
Here are the witches pots boiling and fuming...A witch's brew...



A brew and a few spells and you get this...



I am a happy witch. These colorways are maybe my favorites so far, and just looking at them makes me happy, and peaceful. Enjoy!

I put my knitting needles down...

I have done the unthinkable! I have put my knitting needles down.I am always knitting. The first thing I do after I wake up, is grab a cup of tea, and my knitting. Well, things have been different around here for the last few days. The house almost seems empty without the reassuring clickety click of my trusted Addis. There is however no idleness, trust me. I have been working on a crochet project.
I had this mountain of left over tweedy yarns. So I decided to embark on a granny square project, with the idea of making a blanket for one of my children as a Christmas present.
Crochet has the great advantage of being fast. I actually doubled the yarn to make it super fast. Why knit a blanket in months, when you can crochet a spirited Granny Square blanket in weeks? I know some of you will say that knitting looks nicer, but I personally like both the efficiency, and the vintage spirit of the crochet blanket.
I have so far completed 22 squares, and probably have at least 13 more to go...

I Love Boston in the Fall...

I just love Boston in the fall. This week, for my new SockPixie colorways, I decided to pause a moment, and just look around me. I even decided to collect and use local black walnuts to overdye the yarn. As always this was a fun adventure, and the new colors turned out to be incredibly rich, and beautiful. The black walnut added a golden depth to the colors.



A lot of you have been asking me how I do this. I first dye the colors by hand, because I love the fact that it gives the skeins a more artisanal look, whith areas that are more deeply colored than others.
For this week, I dyed some warm colors, as well as some cool colors, and separated them into 2 batches, one warm, the other cool.




I took about 2 cups of the soft outer shell of the walnuts, and chopped them into little pieces. I cut 2 simple natural cotton muslin squares, and placed 1 cup of walnut in each, and closed the bundles with thread.




I emersed the wet already dyed yarn (the yarn has to be completely free of residual dye) in water, the warm colors altogther in one pot, and the cool colors altogether in another. In each pot I placed a little bundle of walnuts, and I "cooked" the yarn for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until the colors had reached the golden hue I was looking for.

The results are really worth the effort...Happy Fall to you all!

Dear Elizabeth, how about a February Beret... FREE PATTERN

If you asked my husband who my favorite author is, he would answer without a moment of hesitation, Elizabeth Zimmermann. I have read, and reread her books, and seem to each time learn a little more.
One of my favorite projects is the February baby sweater. The gull lace, and the simple garter stitch are just lovely, a timeless classic.
The other day, I was working at Windsor Button, and we had just received a shipment of Manos Silk Blend, and I was assigned the job of twisting the skeins. Each color was more beautiful than the last, and soon enough, I started making a little side pile just for me. I did exercise some restraint, and settled on 2 skeins of color 300X, a lovely ochre.
What could I do with the 2 skeins? A February Beret!







I chose an i-cord to edge the beret as opposed to a rib. I did not want it to detract from the fluidity of the gull lace. The gull lace starts right after the cord, and like in the inspirational sweater, the project is finished with a simple garter stitch crown. I chose to make the beret large enough for it to have a slight slouchy, relaxed appearance.
Knitting the beret was so relaxing, the pattern easy, and the yarn silky soft.







February Beret


Yarn: 2 skeins Manos silk Blend color 300X
Needles: 16" US 5, set of dpt US 5
Gauge: 6 sts/inch in garter st

Gull Lace:
R1: K1, K2TOG, YO, K1, YO,SSK, K1
R2: Knit
R3: K2TOG, YO, K3, YO, SSK
R4: Knit

1. Make a 6 stitch Icord until the cord measures 18".
Graft live stitches to the beginning of the cord, or for a simpler solution, BO, and sew both ends together.

2. Pick up and knit 126 stitches. Join the round.
Round 1: *K1, K1f&b* Repeat from * to *. You will have 189 sts total.

3. Continue in the gull lace pattern for 5" (ending with R3)

4. Continue in garter stitch as follows:
R1: Knit
R2:Purl
R3:*K5, K2TOG* Repeat from * to *
R4:Purl
R5:Knit
R6:Purl
R7:*K4, K2TOG* Repeat from * to *
R8: Purl
R9: Knit
R10: Purl
R11: *K3, K2TOG* Repeat from * to *
R12: Purl
R13: Knit
R14: Purl
R15: *K2, K2TOG* Repeat from * to *
R16: Purl
R17: Knit
R18: Purl
R19: *K1, K2TOG* Repeat from * to *
R20: Purl
R21: Knit
R22: Purl
R23:*K2TOG* Repeat from * to *
R24: Purl
R25: Knit
R26: Purl
R27: *K2TOG* Repeat from * to *
R28: Purl
R29: Knit
R30: Purl
Gather the remaining stitches, and weave in ends.

Enjoy your beret!

Entrechat

This week I found my SockPixie color inspirations in the paintings of Degas.
Eventhough he painted ballerinas, I love the fact that he chose vibrant colors, reflecting their passion.
Here is Entrechat...