The Design Diaries: Setbacks

I'm sure I'm not unique amongst knitwear designers in that the design process doesn't always run a smoothly as we'd like everyone to believe. I've hit that inevitable point in my design process, the moment that always comes sooner or later - its roadblock time. Otherwise known as: Rachel has screwed something up and would like to consider throwing this damn project in the corner until it comes to a clear understanding of what it's done wrong, and promises to behave better in the future. Sometimes its a mental block in writing the pattern or fixing what my tech editor has picked up, sometimes it's a lack of motivation in knitting the sample. This time around, it's a size issue (TWSS):

I can happily report that the first hat is done, the Rower's version with lots of twisted stitches and lovely ribbing. I've very pleased with how it's turned out.

This hat now has crown shaping and is even blocked!

And I was going great guns on the slouchy Spectator's version - instead of having an all over pattern, this version has a couple of larger boat motifs that come from Swatch #4. Yesterday, I managed to get through the entire 32 rounds of Chart 1.

The first boat is done...

And I spread out the hat in my lap, and looked at it. Then I looked at it again. I turned it around and looked a third time. Then I put it on and went to look in the mirror. My suspicion was correct: the damned hat was too big. The ribbing was fine, but I had increased too many stitches at the start of the body of the hat. I wanted it to be slouchy, but not that slouch! So off to the frog pond it went - ouch!

...and undone. 

Hat #2 has been ripped back to the ribbing, numbers have been re-crunched, and the knitting is back on. In this scenario, the pattern may go to the tech editor without the second hat being finished, but hopefully it will be done soon.

We're going to need a lot more coffee.

One of the many reasons I am a biologist, not a chemist

I've recently been playing around with a couple of new colorways for the October update (as well as a couple of new fibers). One of my experiments resulted in this lovely Southdown - I think this will spin up into a really gorgeous, tinted yarn. I'm hoping the purples and blues and greys will blend together well with the undyed sections of fiber.

So I figured I had a winner, and set off to replicate the colorway on some Cheviot. I've been working really hard to keep good notes on all my colorways so they can be reproduced - this is one of my key selling points for custom dye orders - so I checked my notes and off I went. Sadly, the vagaries of chemistry conspired against me.

I don't know how well you can tell from these photos, but this fiber, while still very pretty, is predominantly brown, with hints of blue and purple.It is defnitively NOT blue/purple/grey with sections of undyed fiber.

WTF? I honestly have absolutely no idea why this dye job came out so completely different from the sample. I used the same dyes, the same dye pot, the same dyeing technique. The fiber was in the dye pot for longer because it was 350 gr instead of 100 gr and it took longer to get everything hot enough to set the dye, but as far as I can remember, that's the major difference between the two runs.

Since I have no idea how this happened, this is destined to be a one-off dye job. Which is too bad - I think it would make some really nice socks, or a lovely neutral-ish sweater. If only I could figure out what happened, I could add it to the list! The next shop update will be 15 October, so if this appeals to you, don't wait to snap some up - it won't be back!

Happy spinning,

Rachel (who is going to lie awake for some nights to come trying to puzzle out this whole thing)

How not to dye

1. Put fiber and dye in crockpot, turn on.
2. Walk away and go watch some TV.
3. Forget about crockpot.
4. Remember when the smell of wet wool permeates the house.
5. Return to find boiling and felted fiber. 

Oops!

     6. Whatever you do, don't go and do the same thing two days later.

Sigh...will have to think of something to do with 12 oz of felted Corriedale. Anyone have any suggestions?