Tag: dyeing

Organic Cotton Skirt Ideas

Skirt ideas

Starting to work with the organic cottons again reminded me that I’d already put together some designs for skirts that were very similar to the blue cotton tunic dress. Large pockets and a ruffle, although I think I’d go for an elastic waistband rather than darts and a zip.

I drafted these little sketches way back in 2008, when I was also going through a phase of buying lots of recycled fabrics, mostly in the form of duvet covers. I thought I could use the matching pillowcases to make the ruffles and pockets, and do you know what? I think that might just work! Why it’s taken me three years to get around to doing anything with this idea, I’m not so sure.

I have four colours of organic cotton left in the stash – blue, green, pink and cream. My favourite place to buy organic cottons has a special offer on pot-luck remnant pieces, so I might buy a bundle and see what turns up. That, along with the Kaffe Fassett fat quarters, should give me plenty of choices for contrasting waistbands and pockets.

Stained Silk.

Stained silk

I’d always wondered why you weren’t supposed to wash silk. I bought three metres of ivory dupion a little while ago, but it had a dirty mark on it, so I knew I was going to have to clean it somehow. In a fit of “what the heck”, I chucked it in the washing machine, on cold, with a bit of Ecover wool & silk detergent.

The dirty mark came out just fine, but unfortunately a couple of strands of bright pink silk had made it into the washing machine, stuck to the ivory.

The reason you don’t wash silk dupion?

It isn’t colour fast.

Oops.

As it turns out, this isn’t a disaster. I’m planning to make a summer shirt for myself, so I don’t mind if it has a couple of pink squiggles on it. Although I’m kind of hoping that the next time I wash it, the pink marks will come out again.

Dyeing wool with Kool Aid

Ta-Daa!

I was looking through some of my photos on Flickr, and realised that I’d never posted my tutorial for dyeing wool using Kool Aid! 

It’s now in the FAQ section, with my other tutorials.

I dyed this one lonely ball of wool more than a year ago, and I still haven’t thought of anything in particular to knit with it. What do you do with just one ball of double knitting? Time to head over to Ravelry and look for some ideas, I think!