Anyway, the kids and i have been on a Dr Who marathon summer and we are so smitten. I want, nay, NEED to knit these T.A.R.D.I.S. socks found on Ravelry. The real problem is trying to find just the right yarn color. I am a very picky person when it comes to color and a recent trip to our fantastic local yarn shop did not turn up the specific blue. It is a blend of a deep true rich navy with undertones of sky blue and some variation as the T.A.R.D.I.S. is worn from all that wibbledy wobbledy timey wimy stuff.
Here is our inspiration...
So as you can see, a simple navy or bright blue would not suffice for a color picky lady like myself. I set upon dying the perfect yarn... dying for the Doctor. I used these dyes:
That is Royal Blue from Tintex and Bahama Blue from Dylon. These are toxic dyes so one must be careful. First i started with one of my favorite yarns for dying, Zitron Trekking Undyed. It takes dye like a champ, wears like crazy and has never let me down. In Canada, it retails for about $13.99 a skein. I soaked the yarn, still tied but untucked in a bath of warm water and then placed in a large glass casserole dish which i had lined in saran wrap. Then i bathed it in a wash of mixed Tintex Royal blue (premixed in water). I then sprinkled liberally some dry Bahama Blue from Dylon across the surface of one side of the skein. This only uses about 1/4 of the Royal Blue dye and 1/8th of the Bahama Blue.
Using gloves, i flipped over the skein and did the same with the scattering of the Bahama blue. Then i sealed up this bad boy inside it's plastic wrap and microwaved for 1.30 minutes and then let sit all hot and bothered and wrapped up for 5 minutes. Be careful to use a dish you don't eat out of and plastic wrap that is microwave safe! Next i turned the dish using oven mitts and microwaved for another 1.30 mins. Next was to carefully take out and open to allow it to cool.
At this stage, i like to allow a long sit... an hour or more to allow for maximum cuticle closure before the rinse. You can see that the color is a lovely mix of the two blues but favors the darker Royal Blue. Looking pretty T.A.R.D.I.S.y to me! Next stage is a cool water rinse with the least agitation possible. You are not a Dalek here... don't exterminate. A second bath of cool water with some Soak or a bit of shampoo for color treated hair is the next stage, again, easy on the agitation. If you are too agressive or the water too hot, you can tangle or even worse, felt your yarn.
Here it is in the cool bath...
And here it is drying. I use my ironing board on it's side to hang dry my yarns... with a bucket underneath to catch any drips.
YAY! Success! Now i think i will go watch some more Dr. Who while it dries. Next installation will be the knitting. Cheers and happy dying!
Update: Here it is all dried and balled up.
and i have also just charted up lettering that i will strand in in white for the side of the Tardis... don't mind if you save and use too.
