piper pagoda
Today's post comes to you from Dawn Catanzaro, knitter extraordinaire and one of the bright minds working behind the scenes here at Quince & Co. She's also the designer of a fan favorite, the Pagoda shawl from the Shawls 2015 collection.
Originally worked in wool/silk Tern, Dawn wanted to knit a second, lighter-weight version in Piper, our merino/mohair laceweight. She decided to experiment with overdyeing the yarn for her project, and shares her results on the blog today. We love the beautiful tonal effect of applying a dye over an already-dyed color, and we hope you enjoy reading about her project!
Take it away, Dawn...
Even before binding off my Pagoda in Tern last year, I knew I'd need one in Piper too, but I wanted the colors to play well for layering, and I wasn't finding the perfect shade in Piper's palette.
So, I decided to experiment with over-dyeing (dying over an already dyed yarn). I picked Pampa (above, left) and dyed over it with a 1% solution of brown acid dye at 50% saturation, creating the lovely pink/brown coppery color shown on the right, which looks just right paired with the original in Terra Cotta Tern.
Casting on: I switched to a US 5 [3.5 mm] needle, but otherwise didn't change a thing to the pattern.
Yarn requirements: Pagoda in Piper requires two skeins, using approximately half of the second, and yields a slightly smaller shawl. Adding one more "pagoda rooftop" to your shawl may require a third skein.
Blocking: The original Pagoda in silky, shiny Tern was wet-blocked open to lend all the lightness the loose gauge had to offer. As I bound off my Piper version, I knew I wanted to keep those garter ridges bouncy and lush. I gently steam-blocked to the shawl's natural dimensions: no stretching or pinning out.
Tip: If you decide to take on an over-dyeing project, be sure to dye all the yarn you need for your piece in one pot. You can't be sure to duplicate the exact shade a second time.
Whether wet-blocked open or steam-blocked squishy, paired with its Tern sister or worn alone, knitted in one of Piper's beautiful colors or over dyed to a one-of-a-kind shade, your Pagoda in Piper is sure to please.
