It’s the final week of the 4 Skein Fiery Sunset fade set and I’m so excited to see how this turns out. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. So far, it’s shaping up to stunningly bright set, and that’s right up my alley.
Once again, I am using Sadie as my base. The nice thing about using the same yarn for each color is I know that the gauge and fabric will match. I know that you can mix yarn in a single project, but I’m just more comfortable using the same yarn base together.
In looking at the 3 colorways I have already dyed, I think that it makes the most visual sense to do something in the yellow end of my color spectrum to balance out the colors.
For this, I used Jacquard Acid Dyes.
• Yellow = 1/4 tsp Jacquard Sun Yellow
• Orange = 1/8 tsp Jacquard Sun Yellow and 1/16 tsp Deep Orange
Wanting a mostly solid yellow base layer for the yarn, I filled up my old pot with water, the dye and 1 tsp of citric acid. As you can see, this pot is starting to get pretty worn down. Acid dyes are not food safe and should only be used in dye-dedicated pots and this is a good reason why. All of the repeated uses of citric acid and dye is causing the Teflon to wear away and peel. This isn’t the only pan I use where this is happening. I don’t care about the damage, but I certainly wouldn’t use these pans to make food.
After soaking the yarn for 30 minutes in water, I placed it into the dye pot and made sure it had plenty of room for the dye to circulate. I brought the water up to a near simmering temperature and let the dye exhaust.
To add a bit of depth and texture to the yarn, I splattered orange dye mixed into a condiment bottle on the very top of the yarn and again, let it exhaust.
Using the shower ring, I pulled the yarn out of the now clear water and decided it needed a little bit more orange, so I put back in with the pot. I did try to get the mostly all yellow section on top.
And I added just a smidge more of the orange dye, letting it exhaust.
It turned out perfectly! It’s a beautiful yellow with hints of orange mottling. I think it’s going to knit up in a beautiful fabric of a tonal yellow with just a little bit of interest. And it balances out the Fade set just right.
Now all that’s left it to knit this up into something! I can’t wait to get started.
Stay tuned for next week where we see what a crockpot can do!
Ready to make your unique colorway? Hop on over to Makers' Mercantile® and pick up your undyed yarn and supplies. We can’t wait to see what you make, so tag us on social media with #makersmercantile!
About Tara
Tara Warburton is the former graphic designer for Makers' Mercantile® and a fine artist. She specializes in watercolor and colored pencil illustrations. She lives with her two cats, who are not helpful when knitting.
