A New Challenge

First it was Fairisle knitting, then entrelac, then cabling without a cable needle. Now I've decided that my next knitting challenge will be(drumroll please)....
Two socks in one. Yes, yes, after saying for years it was the equivalent of knitting parlor tricks I've succumbed to the call of double knitting. Specifically the two socks at once trick. What can I say? I want to be the envy of all the other knitters. Just have to finish up these secret projects.

Speaking of which, here's the latest Secret Project. You can see it with its lovely Picot cast-on (requested). The colors are fairly true on my monitor, the yarn's a wonderful murky grey/teal mix.
Speaking of handpainted yarns (were we speaking of handpainted yarn? Well, ok, the Koigu) have you seen the article in the latest Knitty? I happen to have in the stash more sock yarn and some laceweight! No, no, have to stay on track.....Dig a little further and...

AHA! There it is -- some Paton's Classic Merino in a nice neutral brown. Perfect for overdying with some super bright Easter egg dye!! Yes, you can use Easter egg dye to dye your natural protein fibers (it is food coloring). Dissolve it according to the packet instructions, add a bit of water and there you go. (Wait for the kits to go on sale after Easter -- you can get them for 50 cents apiece. Stock up.) I'm thinking some nice greens for this skein, maybe with a shot of blue. Maybe use it to make this.

BTW, I've found that if you are dyeing eggs, the dye left in the cup when the kids are done will dye to full intensity about as much fiber as you can stuff in there. Cover the cups with plastic wrap and zap 'em in the microwave, or cover them with foil and either steam them or put them in a 200 degree oven. Like the Knitty article says, you want them to be close to boiling but not boiling for 30 minutes. You can try the crock pot, but the dye is pretty loose. I (personally) would use a very well wrung out skein and add the dyes slowly, making sure the yarn absorbed most of the liquid before adding another color. (Same for cold pouring.) Then add (sloooowly) enough water to cover (if needed) and heat. You could make self-striping yarn by winding off your skein in equal sections and placing each section in a separate cup. Yes, the yarn comes out of the top, but the dye will wick up from each of the cups to meet in the middle. Put your cups as close together as possible. Another great technique is to pick two colors, wind your yarn in a ball, and put it in a bowl half submerged in color A. Heat for 30 minutes, (I did it in the microwave), cool. Turn the ball over and submerge the other half in color B, set the same way. For any of these methods, I let the bath sit until completely cooled (overnight) after heating it and the dye exhausts very nicely. Rinse and hang to dry.