Err! Done with nicely dyed sock yarns!

[redheadrachel]

Ah! I have to admit, I think I'm officially DONE with nicely dyed sock yarns! They look so beautiful, but it's deceiving... :-(

Many of you know the experience I had with Fly Dyed yarns (the red was bleeding so terribly). The lady contacted me (she has the most amazing customer service I've ever seen, so I whole heartedly recommend her customer service...) with some instructions of what to do, but they didn't work. Neither did further vinegar soaks, microwaves, hand washings, machine washings... nothing. And after contacting her again, she sent me a replacement skein and ANOTHER skein, so I had a new crimson and also a cranberry to try. While this crimson doesn't bleed nearly as much, it still gets my hands pretty red while I knit with it. But the thing is, Fly dyed isn't the only one.

Someone sent me this beaaaautiful Polar Sea Fleece Artist sock yarn, and it didn't turn my hands blue when I knit with it... but it bleeds terribly when I wash it! I've done multiple hand washings, a machine washing, and two vinegar soak/microwave dealies... still bleeds! And even the YELLOW yarn I bought independently dyed off Etsy turned the water yellow when I hand washed it (though one hand washing is all it got, so it may have improved after multiple washings).

I mean, the beautifully dyed yarns are sooo beautiful. But it's like, you have to worry so much about getting it on your hands when you knit, washing it - because not only does the bleeding make the sock fade TERRIBLY (the socks are a pretty different color after several washings than the original skeins...), you have to worry about it bleeding all over.

As much as I love the finer things in life and am willing to shell out for the "nicer" socks yarns, I have to admit that I probably will just stick to the most commercial yarns, like KnitPicks Essential, Universal Yarns Pace, and even Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. I know KnitPicks is like four bucks a ball - but at least it doesn't bleed all over the place. I feel like I can trust most of their yarns...

Err. I'm just frustrated. I really wanted to get beautiful independent dyeds... but my experience is that those nicer yarns aren't really any nicer. Just more expensive and bleed all over the place. They fade ridiculously and simply aren't worth it for me.


Arrrrgh! :( I wanted to love them!

[Newbie2Knitting]

Awwww... I feel bad for you, Rachel. I'm sorry you've had these experiences. I haven't gotten into the independently dyed yarns too much yet - I've got some roving that I'm waiting to spin, but that's pretty much it so far. Maybe someone else here has some names you could try that don't bleed.

[sue in canada]

That is too bad. I haven't tried any myself but I can understand your disappointment.

[tokmom]

That is so sad to put all that work into socks and have them bleed like that.

[Debkcs]

Rachel, I use yarn from small businesses all the time, and have never had a problem, are you using Soak, or some other liquid specifically recommended for yarns? Sure hope you can figure out the reason for your problem with these yarns, because they sure are wonderful to work with.

[Sunshine's Mom]

Try sockpixie.com. She makes beautiful hand-dyed sock yarn in SW merino, bamboo, vegan (cotton/lycra blend), cashmere and cashmino. I have knit 2 pairs of socks with it without any dye coming off on my hands or in the wash.