Playing With String

I remember buying my first yarn as a kid at a yard sale. I was allergic to something in that bag, but ever since then, I've loved anything to do with yarn, or any string, really. All the colors and textures and possibilities! I taught myself how to crochet in 2004 and took a knitting class in 2005. Crochet didn't really click, but I haven't stopped knitting since!

Turns out I'm allergic to alpaca and angora - all those little hairs just make my sinuses angry. Now I stick to mostly vegan yarns with a bit of wool, though I am trying to move away from it. It occurred to me a little while back that dyeing vegan yarn with dyes from nature could be really fun, so I dove into books and videos about it. I've dyed yarn before using avocado skins and pits, carrot tops, and tea - all with good results. I used those in my beekeepers quilt and just love the colors.

While I'm pre-treating my cotton yarns with soy milk, which I made myself, I might add, I have been knitting. One of my kids sent me this photo because they wanted something like it.

We chose a cotton/linen blend for the yarn in the closest colors we could find and then I let the yarn sit. And sit. And sit some more because I couldn't find a pattern and wasn't mentally ready to wing it. A month or so later I got brave enough to start and here's how it turned out:

It actually ended up not being that difficult, other than making sure the second sleeve matched the first. Once it was blocked and dry, my kid took off with it. I guess that means they like it! Anyway, since I made it differently than the photo, I made an i-cord that fit around the yarn overs I had added to the neckline so there's a bow option.

I can't wait for the yarns to be ready to dye! I've been saving my avocado skins and pits and elderberries from my bushes.