Shibori and Tye-Die

The skill I've been working on for the last year or so and which I want to get better at is shibori dyeing methods on silk. I've done tie-dye. Tie-dye has turned into a family summer event and we do a production run of around 100 items every other year. No, we don't sell it, that's just stuff for the immediate family (yes, we are crazy. If you knew what was involved you would know just HOW crazy.) We've dyed about everything you can. Underwear, socks, hats, all types of clothing, towels, sheets. Practically anything that can be made out of a natural fiber. Once we found Dharma as a dye source we never looked back.

The guitar was definitely the hardest to dye of the three as it involved sewing in the shape by hand, gathering it up to get the definition, and lots of plastic baggies protecting the parts that had just been dyed from the parts about to be dyed. It was a challenge. I've never worn this above twice, as the shirt is a basic box T and extremely unflattering. Until I figure out what to do with it, it lives safely and securely in a box where I can get it out once in a while and admire it. The other two shirts I actually do wear and get compliments on.




What I REALLY want to do though is somehow turn into someone like Carter Smith which means not only figuring out how to MAKE the stuff but how to market it, sell it and eventually make a living at it. That would be the bomb. I'm not on Carter's level, but here's a few attempts for silk-dyeing.

If you have anything nice to say please, please go right ahead - I won't mind at all.

Actual Knitting

Yes, this post will contain Actual Knitting Content, which is quite exciting.

First, this sweater. I am making this for my sister who bought the yarn, 12-ply Jade Sapphire Cashmere. Can you say SOFT? I love this yarn, and I am enjoying it vicariously. Although I'm going to have to RIP this back again. Why? Because although I THINK I am OK Tension Knitter in reality I am Super Tight Knitter especially with cabling. I need to go up a needle size, from 6mm (10 US) to 7mm (no size US).

I know this. So, why do I knit most of the back in the recommended needle size? Who knows. Some sort of sick proof. I also need to up the size a bit, as my sis is a small, but not XXS. It's gotta fit. It's pretty though, even though it must go back to the drawing board shortly. The pattern is from Vogue Knitting Winter 2005. It's #11 and the one with the mega sized bobbles which I am going to tastefully edit out.

So, now I'm just letting this sit as I don't want to think about the re-do.