Breaking Wilton's Violet on a Sock Blank for a Dyed Ombre Gradient

Wow!  I am amazed at the variety of colors I was able to get by breaking Wilton's Violet with the dip dye method on a sock blank.  I got :

• Raspberry
• Purple
• Lavender
• Blue
•  and a Light Blue

I was really surprised to see the colors come out so much lighter than in earlier Broken Violet experiments.  But I think that was due to the dip dye technique and the 5-foot length of the sock blank.  With a skein, you drop in more of the yarn (coiled in a hank) at one time than you can with this technique.   I am continuing to follow Rebecca at Chem Knit's Dye Pot Weekly experiments.  This is her technique / process.


For this batch, I used "I-Love-This-Wool Naturals Pure & Simple" yarn purchased at Hobby Lobby.  The normal price is $5.49 for 113 grams or 220 yards.  It's a #4 medium weight yarn.  Ivory color.  It washed up nice and soft.  I'll probably buy this again ...

I used my little Addi Express knitting machine to knit up a "sock blank."   I used up the whole skein of yarn to make a knitted tube that was about 5 feet long, or 385 cranks on the Addi.  I didn't keep track of how long it took me to crank it out, but I'm guessing less than 45 minutes?  It was kind of fun, and satisfying to see that knitted yarn transformed to quickly into fabric.

As I was cranking away to make the sock blank, I felt like the horseman in the kitchen grinding coffee for Babette's Feast.  He was just helping out.  I couldn't find a picture of him, but this one will have to serve to evoke the feeling.  This is one of our all-time favorite movies.  We watch it every year at Thanksgiving time. ;-)

The sock blank was a whole new concept for me.  Using the knitting machine to whip up a blank -- essentially a fabric tube (No--not a sock at all!) --that can be dyed, and later unraveled to make something else.  In the video, Rebecca states that you can buy sock blanks for dying, and they will often knit 2 strands of yarn, so you can make a pair of socks dyed with the very same gradient.  Brilliant!

It's purely functional, and part of the process.  The Addi does 1 stitch very well, and quickly, at 1 particular guage -- which is not what you want in all cases.  The final project you would make with this yarn will likely be a finer knit or crochet or woven than the Addi made.

After making the sock blank, I let it soak in room temperature water with 1 T. white vinegar for 20-30 minutes.

The Dye Pot set to simmer on the stove:

• 10 cups water (approximate)
• 3 T white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Wilton's Violet (Dissolve this in the hot water) 

• Bring the dye bath to a boil, then reduce the heat, so there are no bubbles rising at the time you add the time you add the yarn.

 Dip Dye Process

• Feed some of your sock blank snake into the dye pot.  Dip in and out / raise and lower continually.  
• When you see the colors change, add a new section of the yarn blank
• Watch the colrs change though the gradient.
• When you've added the last portion of yarn, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
• If the colors have developed to be what you wanted, turn off the heat.  Remove the dyed sock blank carefully, so as not to felt it.
• Let it cool, then wash and rinse until water runs clear. 

It's also satisfying to unravel [I love this video for James' Moving On, as a meditation on life an death, done in stop motion with the metaphre of a ball of yarn unwinding her and winding up there.  Enjoy!]   it so quickly (less than 5 minutes!), and not feel bad that you put so much time into the knitting -- because you didn't!    It's purely functional knitting -- a means to another end.


via GIPHY

The next step is to use the ball winder to wind it up into a cake, which allows you to more easily see the gradient you've created.  All those long color changes ...  Very nice!



So often you see these kind of cakes for sale, with the long color changes.  I figured there was a much more awkward way of dyeing those with separate bundles of yarn and separate dye pots ...  I have not ventured into that technique yet.  Of course this one works for breaking violet and the specific colors it contains.  If you wanted other colors, you'd have to use a different technique.

This was a very satisfying project!

If you want to try it yourself, watch Rebecca at ChemKnits Dye Pot Weekly Video on Dip-Dyeing a Pre-Knit Blank to Create an Ombre Gradient: