I’ve been wanting to play with dyeing silk, but I didn’t want to get stuck with a pound of the stuff if I didn’t like it. So the other day, while at the LYS I work one day a week at, I picked up a skein of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. The shop just got it in, who knows how long ago we ordered it. Those of you familiar with KFI’s crap-tastic service will understand. But I digress.
Anyways, I really like the sheen on this stuff, I have my reservations about the wearability. It really has that silky feeling. This is before-
If experiance has taught my anything, it’s not to dye the whole thing at once. I wound off two yard sections to dye, so I could see how the fiber takes the dye, and the answer is, beautifully.
The purple one I immersion dyed, meaing I put the yarn in a glass cup and added dye, and zapped it in the microwave till most of the color was sucked up. The other 3 I painted, wrapped in plastic, then zapped in the microwave. I like both results, though for a darker color, immersion is the way I would go. It takes the dye like a superwash wool does, very quickly.
Now that I know how this stuff works, I wound off a 20 yard section, so I could dye it, and knit a little swatch-
So nice to knit with, on US 6 addi’s. I could see it possibly fuzzing with wear, I’ve never used silk before. So tell me, what to knit with it? What would you knit with it, I mean, a shawl? A shell? The debbie bliss pure silk book has some lovely cabled numbers, but I’m a wool girl, so that’s pretty much my first choice in everything.
Obviously I have a sock yarn fetish. I have more sock yarn than I will ever use, and I keep adding more. Someday I’ll flash that stash. I love a good wool, hand me wool tweed and I’ll be your best friend. Right know I’m working with Noro Lily, a 50/50 blend of cotton and silk, and I love it. Such a nice hand, and it blocks like a dream. I’m already planning my second project using it. Yum.
When I changed the blog around, i finally figured out how to have wordpress send my comments to my email, so I could reply to them. Now hotmail isn’t sending them to my inbox, or letting me recieve them at all. Stupid hotmail. I know it’s not wordpress, because I used a differant email, and they went through just fine. gah.
ETA: It’s working again! All my missing emails just popped up. yay!
Oh, and I’ll have a shop update again on Monday!
Hey, if you want a gmail account let me know – I’ve got about 400 invites…
That’s one of the most beautiful swatch I’ve ever seen! Was it slippery to work with? I read on a forum that pure silk can be a slippery bitch to knit with! I think it would be a nice idea to make a light weight scarf or shawlette.
I love the way the silk took the dye. It’s beautiful. I love dyeing yarn. I’ve only done wool, with kool-ade. I’m ready to branch out though! Whatever you knit keep it for yourself! Wow, I sound selfish lately!
That seems to happen to me every Saturday – my comments don’t get emailed and don’t get emailed then suddenly… they do.
That Pure Silk feels like it’s going to pill crazily. Maybe a scarf?
You aren’t kidding that takes dye beautifully. I love the swatch..nice transitions. Scarf? Shawl? Fall/spring short sleeve top?
Very pretty! Shiny.
Try a lacey stole for those nights when you want to dress up but it’s too hot for wool.
Oh. My. God. That silk is so yummy I just want to eat it!
The colors that you dyed the silk! How about a beautiful shawl or scarf?
I added a link to your blog on mine. Hope that’s ok. Thanks!
It looks beautiful dyed. I nearly bought a skein of bamboo today for a shawl, but had the same concern about wear.
Love the colors–and the yarn. It looks lustrous and fun to knit with. It reminded me of Lion and Lamb… I have a clapoit going in a combo of fuschia, orange, other shades of pink.
That would be nice for this yarn but it does command 600+ yards I think.
Pretty colors!
I will say that it pills. Did you get the little knit sample that came with it? It’s already all pilled up at the shop which made me sad because it’s SO pretty!
your yarn colours looks so great, isn’t dying fun? I just tryed some, and want to do more.
My LYS chose not to carry the Pure Silk because of the pilling problems they had with it after knitting it up. Word up.
Gorgeous colors! gorgeous! I would love a skein with self striping with those 4 colors….yum
Well don’t make a tank top and wear it to the pool in humidity and hot weather. The silk will pill and pretty much drive you insane.
I’d say make something small-ish, maybe a scarf or a head wrap?
Fabulous, fabulous!! I love that swatch. Hmmm…if it fuzzes, that makes it hard (fuzzing makes me crazy) but something small would be good that wont get much rubbing, a hat might be perfect.
Holy bejeezuz. That is some gorgeous yarn with some gorgeous colors. Love how it knits up. Yum.