A funny thing happened on the way to the basement... Actually, I guess it happened IN the basement. But I've been in a nostalgic mood for a while now and couldn't help but lean on that old overused cliché.
I decided last week to go ahead and dye some crochet thread, even though I still have around 80 unfinished balls of assorted sizes and colors. My 2023 temperature crochet project has already used up two pastel purples and a pastel green. I expect it will use up the two substitute pastel purples I pulled from the stash, perhaps by autumn, and at this point, I don't want to quit. So I get to dye again!
I absolutely love dyeing. That's why I have so many different colors of crochet thread. A few years ago, I think pre-pandemic, I vowed to stop dyeing until I could use up some of what I have. I think using up all my pastel purples entitles me to dye more purple! And I don't really care if anyone disagrees!!! (Lizard isn't complaining at all. He loves to watch the colors develop as I dye.)
When I first went down to the basement to dig into my dyes, I couldn't find any of my favorite colors. So I used grape and did a gradient by re-using the dye juice twice. The wet color looked really awesome, and I couldn't wait to crochet with the thread.
When I let the thread dry out before washing and rinsing, it took on more of a raspberry cast. Very pretty, but very not what I need. I still hadn't been able to find my favorite shades, which would have helped to achieve the hyacinth/lilac colors I hoped to obtain. So I put all three hanks back in the jar and added a touch of lapis blue. Boy, did that ever do the trick!
After all that, while waiting for the new color to stew, I decided to look for my favorite colors all over again. I remembered putting them in a new bin because I'd outgrown the first bin, but also because I was dyeing frequently, and the new, smaller bin was kept upstairs in a kitchen pantry for easy access. I had no idea where I moved it when I filled that pantry space with Lizard's ice machine and PT accoutrements back in late 2019.
I searched the entire house, then searched again. Finally found that second bin of favorite colors stashed safely away beneath Lizard's work desk because that's where he moved it one of the times the window well flooded the basement. I had actually looked up a couple of my favorite shades online, thinking I'd need to reorder. Wasn't looking forward to spending more money on dye, even though I love dyeing.
You know I love this post! Those purples are glorious.
ReplyDeleteI still have fond memories of dying yarn with you the day after Bike MS. I was dead on my feet but you were fresh as a daisy. :)