Blue, always blue

One of the things about dyeing that captured me most was the surprise and thrill of a new discovery.
You walk lonely paths, some that have never felt a foot on them, and you know that no one can tell you for certain what you will find at the end. It has happened again. But this time it wasn't a new plant found on one of my strolls that caught my eye, the dyestuff was to be found at a delicatessen store nearby. We bought a handful of black rice, vrey easy on the eye, for supper one night. The salesman told us that it had to be soaked for about 20 minutes, as soon as it touched the water the magic began, the rice began to bleed, black water and paler rice, veering toward purple hues. My dyer's brain got turned on (you bet), I kept the water from soaking and cooking the rice, went on to mordent a handspun skein (spun at madrid spins) and while the yarn was in it's bath I went online to see what I should expect. Nothing could prepare me for what I got, what a colour! how saturated! And I only had 100g of rice!

It's a lead blue, with a violet undertone

The pattern for the mittens I have been knitting with the skein of Marfil Yarns Sock that Mar sent me is ready.

The mittens are knitted in the round using double pointed needles, for the hooded version stitches are picked up along the inner side of the mitten to make some ribbing for the fingers. When the hood is off, fold the ribbed portion at it’s bottom to keep it in place.
The pattern contains directions to make 3 versions: mittens, convertible mittens and fingerless gloves. The cable pattern is given as a chart.
You’ll also need:

• darning needle
• stitch holders
• cable needle
• stitch marker

The files are available in english and spanish, and they are hosted in Ravelry because it's the easiest way. The pattern is free.

 

You can buy the yarn I used in Tejo lo que hilo.

Peeled magrana

Without the shell

Knitted with marfil yarns sock from tejo lo que hilo.

One skein has been enough to make the convertible mittens and these fingerless gloves.

Hard desicions

Should I continue knitting, hoping against hope that it will fit? Or should I face the hard truth and unravel it?

(sorry for the bad picture)

Pattern is swirled pentagon pullover by Norah Gaughan.

Magrana

Now that the weather is getting better I have finished these cozy hooded mittens

The yarn is Marfil yarns sock, hand dyed by Mar in lovely shades of red that as always I've failed to photograph properly.

It's spanish superwash merino, lovely to handle and work with, and besides it has a gorgeous rustic feel to it.

The pattern will be available soon, but it still needs some tweaks.

Flea market swift

Isn't she lovely?

I went with my sister and her boyfriend to Els encants in Barcelona, just to take a look, when I spied her on top of a pile of old books and surounded by a hoard of mismatched spoons and other odd pieces of kitchen tools I fell in love.

And she works perfectly.

Dragonflame

This I spun from a roving that fiberjoy sent me last year in a swap

110g/420m 2 ply. The colours really work well together.