Happy Saturday!

I had an interesting dyeing session yesterday, continuing my experimenting with some of the new dyes I got last week. I mentioned last time that I’d been leaning more into a lot of solid dye jobs, this week I would do mostly multi-color combinations.

As I normally do for multi-color yarns, I have rotated one skein of each pair, and then twisted the lower end of each skein so you can see the full range of colors within each Twinset.  When I dye a Twinset, the two skeins are laid out side by side and each one is dyed the same way in fairly equal portions of each color.  They aren’t identical in the same way commercial yarns are prepared with computerized precision, but each Twinset is a pair of fraternal twins.

If knitting a project larger than socks with a Twinset, I recommend alternating between the balls every two or four rows/rounds,  to break up potential pooling and eliminate the obvious visual breaks that can sometimes occur if you knit all of one ball and then begin the next.

These are all Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards each), and will be posted to the Blog Reader Specials page at $27.50 each after they’ve been reskeined and labeled.  For Saturday and Sunday, you can take any two or more of this week’s collection (BRS25 – 191-214) at a Preview Pricing discount for $25.50 per skein.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email (ray@knitivity.com) with your selections.  I will mark your selections off the Available Yarns table shown below, and send you a PayPal invoice.  You don’t need a PayPal account; PayPal will process your credit/debit card just fine and they never reveal to me your personal data.

I expect to have these ready to ship on or about Wednesday.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202
Rack 2 – 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214

Happy Saturday!

Earlier this week I got a shipment of dyes to replenish some of my regular dyes as well as adding some new colors for me to try, both from my regular brand and another brand.  I was excited last night to get to try some of them, with varying results.

One of the new-to-me dyes was a small sample jar called Lilac.  I  dyed it solid on Twinset #175-176, and also make two-tone fades with Gray (#169-170) and Emerald (#189-190), which is another of the new-to-me colors.   Twinset #179-180 is a solid Emerald.   I like the Emerald, but not as much as I like my long-time Knitivity Green #1, a blend I have to create each time.

Another color I got (from the other brand) is called Chocolate Brown. I was expecting something more like either a milk chocolate or maybe dark chocolate.  I used a full saturation, but what came out looks to me more like a dark dark mauve (#177-178).

I also got a fresh jar of Jet Black (#185-186), which came out better than the other black I had, but it still isn’t as rich as I would like.  But at least it is a fairly even overall dye job.   I may have to double-saturate it if I try to do another solid black Twinset.

Twinset #187-188 started as a regular Red, which I softened by mixing in the last little bit of the Lilac.  Oddly, I suspect this pair would work well with the dark mauve of #177-178, if you’re into two-tone stripes or patterning.

All of these are Phydlbitz Sock, 75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards, and will be on the Blog Reader Specials page at $27.50 each.  For Saturday and Sunday, you can take any two or more for just $25.50.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email  (ray@knitivity.com) with your requests.  I’ll mark your requests off the Available Yarns tally chart below and then send you a PayPal invoice.  Upon payment, I will print your shipping label so your package is ready as soon as the yarns are fully dried and ready to ship.  I expect to have this week’s collection ready to ship on or about Wednesday.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178
Rack 2 – 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190

Happy Sunday!

This week we have just ten skeins of DK yarn in a 75/25 Superwash Merino/Nylon blend, 245 yards each.   It’s a short collection this week, and I’m hoping to have more yarn ordered by the end of the coming week.

I went into the dye session thinking I would do all single skeins, but I did end up doing a couple Twinsets.  I had been given dye samples from a different brand, which came in little pre-measured sachets.  The first Twinset (#157-158) was a color called Deep Water, which came up looking more like Teal than what I expected.  The sachet wasn’t enough to cover adequately, so I supplemented the vat with some navy, creating a two-tone pair of lovely yarns, perfect for a cowl, scarf, or hat.   The other Twinset (#165-166) is a straight violet pair.

The other sample sachet I got was Blood Orange, seen on #159.  Skein #160 was a blend of leftover brown and other colors from the previous dye session — a nice deep chocolate-y color.   That skein took up most of the color, but there was a little remaining so I supplemented it with a dash of gray and created #163.

Skein #161 was a jar of leftover reds from the previous dye session; it came out good and rich, with some dye remaining so I added a little gray to that as well to create #164.   Skein #162 is a straight Aztec Gold.

All of these will be on the Blog Reader Specials page at $28.00 each, but you can take your pick  early with just $1-per-skein for shipping inside the U.S.

I expect to have these ready to ship on or about Wednesday or Thursday.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email (ray@knitivity.com) and I’ll take care of it for you.  As selections are claimed I will mark them off the Available Yarns tally below.

Available Yarns: 
157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166

P.S. If you don’t want or need any yarn at this time but want to support independent fiber artists like me, feel free ask for my Zelle info.  This helps me buy more yarn, dyes, shipping supplies, etc.

Buy Two Get One Free!
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Feb 21-23) is the last weekend of the month.  This looks to be a cold and wet weekend, and I need to let go of all the yarns already filling the bins in order to make room for more yarns in March.

With each two skeins you buy, you can claim a third of equal or lesser value.  All yarns claimed this weekend will be scheduled to ship on Monday.

There are nearly 100 skeins ready and available to ship on the Blog Reader Specials page.  Shown here are just a few available yarns; there are many individual skeins as well as many Twinsets.

Social Media:

I’ve mentioned on social media some of my activities.  I still mostly use the Knitivity page on Facebook, but I also post to Instagram, and I’m now on BlueSky as well.  I’ve not been getting much interaction on the Knitivity page on Ravelry but I have been posting there as well.  I very much need to expand my reach, and it helps me to know if you have seen my posts there.

I will be increasing my use of short videos, aiming for at least once a week — sometimes short tutorials on specific techniques, sometimes just “coffee, knit, and chat” videos.  If there are specific things you’d like to see me show or discuss on camera, please do let me know.  Also, let me know which social media platform you’d like to see me on.  My YouTube channel has fallen into the abyss for lack of use, and I hope to revive that in the coming months.  Times are changing and I need to go where the crowds are gathering.

Hope to hear from you soon!
Ray Whiting
knitivity.com

P.S.  If you don’t want or need more yarn at this time, ask how to support my work with a Zelle (or Venmo) gift to ensure I can keep buying, dyeing, and selling yarn.

Edit:   I’ve just reskeined and labeled all of the yarns, packed up an order to ship this afternoon, and posted the remainder onto the Blog Reader Specials page:
These are all Phydlbitz Sock (75/25 Superwash Corriedale/Nylon, 430 yards) and will make marvelous socks, but this yarn is also terrific for your lace knitting, shawls, baby garments, etc. Plus, Phydlbitz Sock stands up well in the wash so you don’t need to fuss with handwashing.

Happy Sunday!

I was delighted this morning when I burst the yarn pouches to start the wash-and-rinse – so many of the color combinations reminded me of things to see in a lush garden.  Several others made me think of landscapes and gardens — I’m not sure if the effect is more like Impressionism or Pointillism.

I was battling strong winds this morning so the pictures are a little ‘off’.   I’m sorry for that.  I checked the forecast and winds aren’t going to get any better later so I just did the best I could. Fortunately, the colors and color distribution appear on my monitor the same as when I look at them.   And those who comment at all have always said my yarns look better in person that what the computer screen shows, so I’ll just go with that.

Phydlbitz Sock is normally $27.50 and will be posted to the Blog Reader Specials page after these are dried and reskeined for presentation.  For Sunday and Monday you can claim the ones you want from this week’s collection (BRS25 – #133 – 156) for just $26.00 each.

I expect to have these reskeined and ready to ship on or about Thursday.

To claim the ones you want, just send me an email with  your requests.  I’ll mark your requests off the numbered chart below,  then send you a PayPal invoice.

Available Yarns: 
Rack 1 – 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144
Rack 2 – 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156

On Thursday, 13 February, when you claim any three Phydlbitz Sock yarns, in any combination from the Blog Reader Specials page you will be invoiced at $70.00 for three skeins.

Just email me your requests in the usual way and I will take care of it for you.

Shown here are the most recent unclaimed Blog Reader Specials that I posted last night.

Support an indie artist! If you don’t want or need more yarn, ask how to support my work with a Zelle or Venmo gift.

Remember these from a couple weeks ago?   There were 12 in this set, and I am honesty surprised these 10 are still available.

These are 75/25 Superwash Merino/Nylon blend, DK-weight, 245 yards each, originally priced at $28.00 each.   This marvelous soft blend yarn is perfect for scarves, cowls, hoods, hats — almost anything you’d want to wear close to your skin!

From now until noon on Tuesday (Feb 11), you can claim each of these for just $22.00 apiece.  You can email me with your selections and I will make it happen for you.

These are just a small selection from the many dozens of yarns on the Blog Reader Specials page,  mostly Phydlbitz Sock, ready to ship.