Dip Dye Yarn ~ LoZ: Link and Zelda Colorways

Dying yarn is one of the most awesome things, as well as coming up with different colorways. Of course, i had to make some Zelda inspired. I have dyed a few other characters as well(lol), but this time around i'll be showing you Link and Zelda specifically.

To note, i prefer to dye superwash wool(as i don't have to worry about mishandling since it won't felt), yet when doing the Link colorway i did a bulky non-superwash 100% wool skein as well. I used liquid food coloring dyes(the neon and regular variety), vinegar & water, pyrex glass containers and the microwave as my heat source. I didn't note the amount of water or vinegar i generally used in each dye bath, but did note the amount of dye for each.

You can see my setup from the pictures, and how i divided the skeins into each dye bath. You'll also see the skeins before and after re-spinning :).

Zelda Colorway

Dusty Rose(dark pink):
Red - 36 drops
Blue - 12 drops

Pink:
Neon Pink - 13 drops

Yellow:
Yellow - 13 drops

Link Colorway
Green:
Neon green - 75 drops

Yellow:
Yellow - 20 drops

Brown:
Red - 10 drops
Yellow - 10 drops
Green - 10 drops
Blue - 10 drops
Black - 1 drop

These are finally up at my etsy shop! Find them here;
Zelda Colorway
Superwash Link Colorway
Bulky 100% Wool Link Colorway

Note: There is no right or wrong way to dye yarn or fiber. You can use any kind of dye, apply as much or as little as you want, anywhere and/or anyhow...etc you get my drift.

DIY - Crochet Salmon Sushi Roll-Up Scarf

Sushi is pretty popular nowadays, so I thought I would pay homage. I'm personally not a fan but plenty of the people in my circles are and would definitely dig this scarf. It's super simple and adaptable as well- have fun win it! UPDATE: I now have a knit version as well; you can find it here!

I made a concept video on how the scarf is made; in short it's simply a stripped scarf that can be made with many/any stitch, fiber, yarn weight, color and it's up to you whether you hook it, knit it, loom it, sew it, the possibilities are endless really. 

The scarf i made used Red Heart and scraps of yarn I had in my stash. I used an H hook and did double crochet all throughout. I decided to make mine 20 stitches wide which made it about 7 inches. When complete, it was almost 7 feet long(save an inch). How long or wide you make it is also up to you, obviously :) .

For those who are fans of patterns I'm including the info for the specific scarf I made in the video. It's not exactly a pattern but gives you something to follow, and can adjust accordingly. I'm also including the approximate measurement of each individual color sections for reference(i do recommend rolling up your own scarf and changing colors accordingly). 

I started with the center of the scarf(aka filling)

Pink/salmon color - 25 rows (15.5")

Yellow/orange - 13 rows (8.5")

Green - 4 rows (3")

White - 9 rows (6.5")

Green - 4 rows (3")

White - 13 rows (8.5")

Green - 4 rows (3")

White - 29 rows (20") 

Black - 23 rows (16")

Once complete simply weave in the ends and you're done!

                               

A few hats & FO's!

This week the grandest thing was a pair of baby hats and an adult size one via 'Hollywood Knits Style'. Both baby hats are free patterns i found via ravelry(links are in the video's description) if interested. They were an easy knit and pretty quick being small and all... :). The adult hat i made in the round as opposed to knitted up flat and then seamed together(as via the pattern), all though that resulted in slight laddering for me as you can see :(. Next time i'll know to avoid those! Overall a good week.

I also finally got a couple of projects i had on hold finished ~ the unicorn for example...it finally got eyes! And the owl finally got his appliques sewn on. I also whipped up a really quick project for my swap partner(a mini 'coin' purse) and had a chance to work on my sweater as well. One of the sleeves has finally been started, the collar is complete and after trying it on i think it's a pretty good fit. I'm super excited! There are a lot of things wrong with this sweater(as i can tell you now) and perhaps even more by the time the sleeves are complete...but i'm totally fine with it and already love it regardless. It's my first and will probably be my favorite for a very long, long time...

Monster Haul; Bernat Mosaic

Yep, i did it again. A few weeks ago yarnfactoryoutlet.com had a flash sale of Bernat Mosaic(and a few others). This is one of my favorite yarns due to the awesome colorways and the color transitions. In all seriousness, I'm not affiliated with this company/website in anyway and purchased these for myself; i just wanted to share the wealth and perhaps encourage you to like/subscribe to your favorite brands or website etc, as sometimes it really pays off.

The flash sale was $7 for a pack of 3 skeins, making each about $2.33 a piece. At their 'original price' they offer the 3 pack for $9($3 a piece) which is not bad in itself. My purchase was 10 colorways or 30 skeins(!!) for $81.95 including tax and shipping, making each skein about $2.73. That's some amazing savings. The lowest price i found for this yarn was Walmart at $4.22 a skein(price varies per colorway). Yarn Factory Outlet is based in Canada i believe and i'm in the US(not sure if they ship worldwide) ~ i can say i found their shipping to be pretty comparable and quick.

Last but not least, the grab bag aka surprise bag. Didn't quite meet my expectations but then i wasn't really expecting anything. It's great for a freebie; i really wouldn't have picked the yarn out for myself otherwise.

So, expecting this shipment i had to skip another amazing sale that happened this last Mother's Day weekend. Michael's is now selling online(was that always the case?) and they had their Loops and Threads yarn on sale for $1.29(i think that was it). That's pretty amazing and probably a better sale than the above. It took some major self control but i managed it, my stash is monstrous enough as is. XD

Don't forget to check out shop.sheknits.com and browse around. She makes some awesome yarn and has the patience to do so(unlike me lol). Also check out Dalequan's youtube channel and website, all links will be included in the video description.

FO's! ~ Mushroom Cuff & Animal Crossing Inspired

Hey all! I have a few finished objects(FOs) this week. To start things off, i have 'finished'(aka sewed up) the mushroom cuff i did a couple of weeks ago. I've decided to make some in cotton so i could use them at the gym. Is that...kind of gross? I don't always forget to take my towel, but when i do i'd want to use one of these cuffs lol. The cotton version is in the works and will update accordingly.


The Animal Crossing game series was also a big inspiration for me this week. Remember i told you i felt torn between gaming and yarn projects? Well this helps to balance things out, as it's easy to game on the go and/or wherever i please. What i love about the game is how much you can be inspired by, specially when it comes to charts and/or clothing items(you can design in the game as well via charts which are totally usable with any other craft, knitting/crochet included). I've always been a fan and i know i always will be.

So, what has it inspired me to do this week? I tried to replicate the 'Orange Knit Hat' i found at the Able Sister's Shop the other day. This is newborn/baby size and it came out rather close i think. I also finished the sheep amigurumi and will be shipping the couple off this weekend. They make a good match, don't you think? They were a custom order and seem to be a couple in this person's Animal Crossing town. Too cute! :)

MD Sheep and Wool Festival Haul!

I attended on Sunday and it was pretty awesome(yet tiring) . Not only did i not get to visit all the vendors but i also didn't get the few things i really wanted(like a shawl pin(s) and perhaps another yarn bowl). I did come home with a small yarn haul however, which obviously, include some of my fave yarns. I was also pretty tempted by fiber and had to remind myself a number of times that i don't quite enjoy spinning(via spindle) and i wouldn't enjoy them to the fullest. There were some gorgeous spinning wheels i wouldn't mind trying out sometime. I really have to meet others who enjoy needle crafts around my area!

                                                     

     
 
                                                                       

     

Dying, Knitting, Hooking and Time Management

This week has been tough. I'm slowly getting back into gaming and my time management skills are not good. AT ALL. I'm struggling a lot with deciding which one to do at a certain time...and when i finally decide i feel like i should be doing the other(and back and forth). So many hobbies, so little time! If you have some tips do share; i really need to google this subject and get myself on tract somehow.


More yarn has been dyed this week...yay! Have been experimenting and i definitely rather work with a super-wash wool(no danger of felting). These last two weeks were somewhat Zelda inspired. Last week i did the Link colorway, this week i did one inspired by Princess Zelda. I still have the other characters to do, i think one of these weekends i'll just do all of them(aka the main ones, realistically i don't think i could do ALL of them lol) and leave it at that. Have i posted the ones i did last week on my shop? Of course i haven't, not yet, 'cause i'm slow like that...lol XD.


I did this cool cabled hat from the Stitch 'n Bitch Nation book in my library. I love it. I've probably done one cabled project in my life, and although it turned out pretty awesome it was pretty time consuming since i was a newbie and all(and still am actually). It's inspired me to do more wearable projects. My gauge was a huge problem last week and i felt so awkward and whatnot 'cause i seem to have a pretty loose one. Hopefully the more i knit the better i'll get at it and ideally my gauge will improve as well. Wish me luck! My next hat projects are probably going to be Animal Crossing inspired(i love this game series!).



I'm making another project i picked out while shopping from my stash. I actually have quite a few lined up. One night i sat down and looked through part of my library and picked out patterns i wanted to make. Then i went over to my stash and picked out yarn compatible with said patterns and set them aside so they would be ready to pick up when needed. This is a genius idea! I'll be showing my projects as they get completed of course ;). Check out my cast-off crew vid!

Shawl, Cuffs and Yarn

Hey all, the shawl is finally complete! I used Red Heart's Unforgettable yarn and it turned out pretty awesome. I still wish i would have had a solid color handy to kind of break up the craziness.... but maybe next time. It's a free pattern(link provided in video description).

I've been working on an easy knitted cuff to include in my shop(eventually). I decided against making them in the round since there's color-work involved(perhaps i'm still too much of a newbie to figure it out lol). I'm not sure which i like better, ribbing on the edges or garter stitch. I'm still pretty slow with this color-work; but i'm working on it! Video games will forever be my inspiration, of course <3


This tiny Michael's haul also made me happy. As happy as when i finally finish the socks? Probably not....but it'll tie me over lol. Talking about making me happy...the swift is pretty sweet. I'm thinking of getting another just so i could turn one skein into another without making it into a ball first. Since i dye yarn that would be ideal...i think i just convinced myself! XD

     

               

Namaste, Swift and Link(from LoZ)!

What's this...another crafty haul! This one doesn't include all that much yarn however, and i'm not counting the skeins i dyed myself since they'll be going on sale(sooner or later). Will keep you guys updated! :) I scored these from Michael's this past weekend. I've been thinking of doing some kind of yarn fast or yarn diet recently.... i'm not sure if i'm up to it yet!! It will take some major self control...


I found a few of Lion Brand's Amazing Yarn on clearance for $4...it was an unexpected find! I love the color transition of these yarns, even more so than the Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable i think. Just wish the Michael's i went to had more of the clearance colorways in stock. I also found that Vanna?s Choice is pretty nice to work with; it's way up there with the Red Heart Super Saver (specially for wearables).


Another thing.... i finally started dying yarn again!! I did some cotton yarn with the liquid Rit Dyes (which didn't come out as vibrant as i hoped) in royal blue and aquamarine. I dyed them overnight as opposed to couple of hrs as per the instructions.

I also experimented with food coloring and one of my past Legend of Zelda inspired colorways; Link. I tried to re-create and get the recipe down pat so i could recreate them as i please. I think i got it! The different types of fiber absorbed in different ways, yet they all resemble what it's suppose to be. I did two skeins of Superwash merino and one of 100% Wool (i think this is my fave actually). I will find the time to try out the swift this weekend as well!!! Will be posting up something relating to before and after pics of these awesome skeins. The rest of the LoZ crew colorways is next ;D. Check out my last Yarn Addiction Vid.

The Most Expensive Skein...

This past weekend i have purchased the most expensive skein i have ever bought. Ever. Meet the $30 Plymouth Select Kettle-Dyed Superwash Merino Wool in color 1004...this is the full 436yds/200grams. Isn't it beautiful?! ...it's actually the green skein featured in the 2nd pic :)

The store i checked out was 'They Yarn Store' in Columbus, OH. I also checked out a Michael's in the area, although i'm not sure why! I had this idea that it may differ somewhat from the one around me(in VA), but it didn't, at least not enough to talk about(or perhaps not enough for me to notice). So anyway, via their website this yarn store was the biggest around here and it was also recommended by a fellow Cast-Off crew member so i had to check it out! They also sell online i believe, and while checking out they mentioned that a free membership card is available which offers some nice incentives. If it was compatible with online sales(it's not) i would have got it for sure. 

I picked up a few other skeins for myself(some were sale items) which are also pretty awesome. I have something in my stash that i can pair up with the Peria, and am looking to do something  two-toned with the others as well. Not to mention the Malabrigo...i'm in love with how soft that yarn is. If need-be i'm also going to pair it up with a partial skein i had in my stash ~ whatever this will become, it will be beautiful. 

During this road trip i had lots of time(it was about a 7hr drive each way) to craft and i made reasonable progress. I almost finished one of my socks, yet i decided that it is in fact too big and am unhappy with how the toe was progressing....so i decided to frog and start a pair of to-up and make them two at a time so i could use up all that yarn. I used up a whole skein(i only took 1) of the Unforgettableyarn on my half-granny square shawl, i also wished they had solid colors so i could pair this up with a white or cream perhaps... maybe they will eventually. Check out my cast-off vid here! :)