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So, last night, I decided to get started. The important first step in this process—and every other yarny process—is to do a test run. I wound off a few yards of my yarn, brewed a cup of tea (well, two cups of tea, one for me and one for the yarn), submerged my wee skein in the tea cup, and left it there for 7 hours. I probably should have waited longer, but I peeked at it from time to time, and it looked like I was getting the results I wanted. I let it dry before inspecting the final product. |
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Here is the test skein against the original yarn to show the subtle contrast. I'd still like it a shade more ivory, but I think that will easily be achieved with increased time spent in the tea.
Google tells me that the color will fade over a long period of time in sunlight, but this crocheted shawl (I'll announce the pattern in a new crochet-along soon!) will be more of a memento than an everyday piece, so I consider this acceptable. |
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That means it's time to do this for real.
Supplies: Two large jars, one for each skein, filled with equal amounts of hot water (I did 4 teacups per jar); six tea bags, three for each jar (I would have done 4 per jar, but someone drank all my tea); my two skeins of yarn (note that they are tied with white cotton thread every few inches to prevent tangling); the sun; and patience.
I submerged each skein in its jar and squeezed out all the air bubbles to make sure the yarn was saturated, then added the tea bags (with their tags removed). I'm hoping the staples on the tea bags won't rust and stain my yarn... |
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Here is my concoction, sitting on my patio table, becoming ivory-colored. I'll check on it after work today and give it a swirl, but I expect the weaker solution (three bags to four cups, instead of the 1:1 ratio I used for my test) will take longer to get the color I want. I expect the color won't be strictly uniform, but I think a tonal effect of various shades of off-white will give it a charming antique look. |