Blueberry Hill Crafting

Playing with Rit Dye and Shibori

This is one of those things where it’s hard to stop once you get going . . . all I can think about now is how many things I could dye!

This week’s projects included Shibori dyeing a spare piece of linen (with Rit Evening Blue mixed with Navy) to create a panel for the back of my old jean jacket:

And then I used two pieces of Robert Kaufman Soft Touch Double Gauze in White and Purl Soho’s instructions to make a quick lap duvet – so soft and cushy!  I used Rit Evening Blue, and then did a quick overdye dip into Navy.

 

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Candy Swirl fading wrap

Pattern:  Fading Point by Joji Locatelli

Yarn:  Long Dog Yarn Single (100% superwash merino, 400 yds) – 1 skein each of Island Breeze, Octopus’ Garden, Candy Swirl, Madilyn Got A Makeover, and Sweet Dreams

Needles:  US 5s

I do so love how this came out, but I’m still mastering the art of wearing such a large wrap – I don’t quite seem to know what to do with it all 🙂

 

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Dip-Dyed Keds

A quick and easy project, a chance to play with Rit Dye, and new ombre summer kicks for my youngest daughter 🙂

I followed the directions here, used color Aquamarine, and dipped them in Rit Fixative before tossing them into the washing machine.  I wish that I’d been able to keep them whiter toward the back of the shoes, but when I dipped the toes, the front toe wells filled up with liquid, and there was no way to pour it out without getting at least a little dripped over the backs.  Next time, if I wanted to keep a portion entirely white, I’d coat it with Vaseline ahead of time (like I did the rubber edging and soles).

It’s sure a fun way to create one-of-a-kind tennies in custom colors!

 

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Peonies in bloom

I have well over 50 peony plants on my property, and probably a dozen or more varieties – if you can’t tell, they’re one of my all-time favorite flowers 🙂  Here’s what it looks like when they’re all in bloom:

 

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Leftovers

With all of my leftover YOTH Neighbor yarn from this project, I knit up a quick cowl – improvised pattern, on US 8s (I think).  I just kept knitting until I used up all of the colors, and luckily, it’s the perfect length to wrap twice around my neck.

I like this one because both the colors and the fabric are very light and “beachy,” so it can easily be worn on a cool summer evening.

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Long Dog Cardigan

 

I’ve been working on this pattern for some time now – it gives me a chance for one of my favorite colorwork combinations, speckles and complementary solids.  I love this particular color combo, but I have another in the works to test out some tweaks to the pattern before it’s ready for publishing.

The yarn is Long Dog Yarn – in my opinion, her speckles and tonal solids are some of the most beautiful, saturated and brilliant yarn colors out there!  The yarns are all fingering weight, knit held double to approximate a worsted weight knit on US 6s.

Pattern coming soon!

 

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Cherry oat bars

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In preparation for a summer of fresh fruit for jam-making, I’m clearing out my freezer, and needed a use for leftover pie cherries.  This recipe for cherry oat bars is easy and delicious, and it turned out perfectly!

Ingredients for cherry filling:
4 cups fresh or frozen cherries (pitted and stemmed)
2/3 cup sugar
8 tbsp cornstarch
juice from two lemons

Ingredients for bars:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup quick oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup butter

Cherry filling:  In saucepan, bring cherries, sugar, and lemon juice to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Whisk in cornstarch and boil, stirring, until thickened (about 1 minute).  Let cool to room temperature (although truth be told, and only let it cool a little, and it worked just fine).

Bars:  Mix together ingredients, cutting in the butter until you form a crumbly mixture.  Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.  Spread 2/3 of the bars mixture in the bottom of the pan and pat firmly and evenly.  Spread the cherry filling over the base, then crumble the rest of the bar mixture over the filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until light golden brown.  Cool completely before cutting.

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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

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This shawl design arose out of my desire to use every color of YOTH’s beautiful new marls 🙂  It’s very generously sized, feels so nice against the skin but not heavy or overly warm – a perfect three-season wrap!

Pattern:  Won’t You Be My Neighbor wraparound

Yarn:  YOTH’s Neighbor – 1 skein each of Light Blue Marl, Blue Marl, Blue, Mustard, Mustard Marl, and Light Mustard Marl, and 1 skein of Natural (I used every yard of this, so you might want to purchase two skeins, just to be safe)

Needles:  US 8s

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My version of a Camel Hair Coat

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I love this version of my Red Spire Cardigan, knit in the luxurious and utterly wonderful Clever Camel yarn.

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This yarn (actually made from camel hair!) has such loft and lightness, but with a wonderful cozy warmth.  It’s truly perfect year-round!

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Yarn:  11 skeins of Clever Camel (100% baby camel), color Naked, 110 yds/ea

Needles:  US 7s or 8s (uh-oh, guess I didn’t take very good notes . . .)

Size:  41″

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Yarn Sale!

Part of my spring cleaning regimen is to say goodbye to yarns that are much loved, but don’t have a place in my knitting queue.  They are all beautiful and recently purchased, I just don’t have any use for them, and I need to make space!  I’m selling them all at a much reduced price, so if you love any of them, e-mail me (andrea.hungerford@mac.com) and they’re yours!  Shipping included in the price 🙂

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Two skeins Ewetopia Kickapoo Sock and one skein A Hundred Ravens Chinthe (all fingering weight) ($50)

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Comfort Fade Cardi kit ‘Hawk Boy’ – seven skeins of The Farmer’s Daughter Juicy DK + pattern ($125)

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Four skeins of The Farmer’s Daughter Foxy Lady (silk/merino) – two skeins of Strawberry and one skein each of Leaning Tree and Lake Missoula ($80)

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Walk in the Woods pullover

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I’ve just released my newest pattern – Walk in the Woods.  This comfortable, classic pullover is perfect for unpredictable spring weather – wear it alone or over a light layer, stick it under your raincoat or over a skirt – this is a wear-anywhere piece that knits up quick!  Little details add to the overall appeal of the pullover; the hem splits right at the side seam to give you extra movement and keeps the edge from rising up, and the seamed construction keeps the shoulders tidy, not slouchy.  The yarn – two types of Isager knit double-stranded – makes the whole garment light and warm.

 

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I’ve already knit three of these sweaters, and am close to finishing a fourth – they are so perfect for all weather and every occasion, I want one in every color!  You can find the pattern now on Ravelry.

Pattern:  Walk in the Woods Pullover

Yarn:  Isager Strik Alpaca 2 and Isager Strik Tweed

Needles:  US 6s

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I convinced my reluctant two oldest daughters to help me model these sweaters, and I love how the photos showcase the different ways the sweaters can be sized.  On Bella (wearing the taupe sweater), the look is slightly oversized; on Emmersen (wearing the black sweater), the garment is worn with a slight bit of negative ease, and on me (wearing the magenta sweater), the sweater is worn in a traditional style, with just an inch or two of positive ease.  Three different looks, all flattering and classic!

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Fading

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Working a fade on my own improvised cardigan . . .

Yarn (from top down):  Junkyarn DK in colors Fleur (1 skein), Lara (2 skeins), Dolly (2 skeins), and Diana (2 skeins)

Needles:  US 6s

The  sweater is constructed so that it’s completely reversible, but I like how the colors blend and fade better on the reverse stockinette side 🙂

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Black and White and Striped All Over

 

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I was intrigued by Andrea Mowry’s new design in Amirisu, but I didn’t think that the big, lacy collar would work well for me, so I replaced it with a wide ribbed band (in black, instead of white).

Pattern:  Hachinosu by Andrea Mowry

Yarn:  YOTH Daughter (100% Domestic Rambouillet and Merino wool blend) – 1 ¼ skeins Natural Vanilla, and 2 skeins + a little bit of a Daughter Mini skein in Truffle (330 yds/ea)

Needles:  US 6s

Size:  40″ (this turned out pretty tight, especially in the sleeves, so I skipped a few of the sleeve decrease.  I was surprised by the tight, skimpy fit, since 40″ should have given me about 3″ of positive ease).

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YOTH’s Daughter yarn is very “farmy,” with a lot of texture and at this gauge, it creates a very sturdy, dense fabric.  At first it wasn’t what I expected for a little cardigan in this style, but it grew on me once the project was finished and blocked.  I was really worried about bleeding during the wet blocking, so I added one cup of white vinegar and I didn’t let the sweater soak for more than 10-20 minutes, and it came out with no visible color transfer.

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I’m not sure how I feel about this one – I usually don’t like cropped cardis (they’re not super flattering for my build), and the same goes for cardis that are so open in the front, without a lot of coverage (even though I knit the button bands almost 4″ wide!)  But I think it might work well in the spring – to pull on when it’s cool in the morning, but without a lot of bulk or smothery softness once it starts to warm up.  I do like the black with the natural vanilla color, and the way the wide stripes look, but this is one I’ll have to wear a few times before I decide whether it has a permanent place in my wardrobe.

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Snow Speckle Crewneck

Snow speckle crewneck 1

Pattern:  Personal design

Yarn:  MC:  Hazel Knits Artisan Sock (90% superwash merino / 10% nylon) color Nekkid – 5 skeins (1650 yds)
CC:  Junkyarn Smooth Sock 4-ply (75% superwash merion / 25% nylon) color Eternal Sailor Moon – 1 skein (463 yds – used every yard)
(NOTE:  Knit with yarns held doubled throughout)

Gauge:  19 sts x 25.5 rows

Needles:  US 6s

Snow speckle crewneck 2

 

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Beetroot and Rhubarb colorwork pullover

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Pattern:  Lighthouse Pullover

Yarn:  YOTH Big Sister (80% superwash merino / 10% cashmere / 10% nylon) – 6 skeins Beetroot and one partial skein each of Rhubarb and Sea Salt

Needles:  US 6s

Size:  39 1/4″

Mods:  Knit body 1″ longer (to 16″)

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Love the fit!  This yarn is incredibly soft and it creates a nice form-fitting silhouette.  It tends to fuzz and pill a little with wear, but I don’t mind 🙂  I’m not usually all that crazy about how yoked pullovers look – they really broaden out my shoulders and chest – but the colorwork is beautiful and well worth it on this one.

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Archer button-up shirt

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My first button-up shirt!  I hadn’t ever sewn a shirt with a collar, button bands, and plackets, but this pattern’s easy-to-follow directions made it totally doable.  I love how it came out – I chose a soft, lightweight shirting fabric with a subtle stripe and it’s exactly what I had in mind in terms of fit and feel.

Pattern:  Archer Button Up Shirt by Grainline Studio

Fabric:  Pickering International Organic Cotton/Hemp Yarn Dyed Ticking in Indigo (purchased last summer at Drygoods Design in Seattle)

Size:  10 (I was a little nervous that it would be slightly too small in some areas, but the fit is spot-on)

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