PippiKneeSocks.com

ahhh! brown.

i get a-lot! of compliments on my use of brown. (thank you!)
i also get alot of questions about how i do it. it’s a gift, i was just born this way.
no, seriously, it’s years of trial and error.
the other day amanda asked,
how do you get those gorgeous deep browns? I have lanaset straight
brown, but I can’t seem to get it dark enough. What’s your secret (if
you don’t mind sharing!)
i don’t mind sharing my knowledge on this subject. i do it at least once a month. so, i figured i’d make a post about it; i’m sure others want to know, besides the ones that actually ask… (and thusly, saving me at least 20 minutes per month; i can simply link to this post next time it comes up.) i don’t mind sparing anyone the pains of pounds and pounds of ‘ruined’ roving…

first.. are you using enough dye? some brands and colors you have to use 2 or 3 times the amount to achieve the full color (like some black and reds. and hummm, brown fits there too.) there is a fine line that you can indeed cross, the one that separates ‘full color’ and ‘over saturated’

second.. shop around. i think one of my “most favoritest browns” are made by cushings a bit pricer than most others (roughly $2.50 for 1/3 of an ounce)

third.. know your dye!
is it going to break red? is it going to break green? (not many break green, but sometimes, it happens.)

fourth… don’t be afraid to tweak.
i love tweaking. lemme say that again, cuz i do.. i looove tweaking.
nary does a good color come out of the jar all by it’s self.
a favorite brown ‘recipe’ is: (roughly) 9 parts brown out of the container, a dash of green and one quarter of a dash of black.
black is the great equalizer. a wonderful color tool. (except when it breaks to holy hell when trying to do a flat black… but, maybe i’ll save flat black for another day. talk about a PITA, flat black…. aye.)

i hope this helped amanda!

as for the shirt contest from yesterday, i suppose that little picture wasn’t too fair.

so there you go. and some added commentary that may provide some hints.
boogie said
I know the t-shirt. you attended the concert with Ann but the ticket
stub is lost and there is no recollection of it whatsoever except it’s
awesome.
this is close… i was not actually at this show. i traded SIL a carpenters LP for it. well, actually for a really old jerry shirt. but her x-bf made off with said shirt; and well, a deal is a deal…

neefer said
Chicago 1980.
right decade; and under 5 years off. but to the left of chicago.

mike said
Looks like the kind of Bundle you’d win on a dice roll in Vegas…
getting closer.. to the north and west of vegas.

apparently puppy momma wants a prize anyhow…
so, i’m going to have to make a new contest down the road and rig it make it easy, so she will wind up with a prize.

speaking of prizes… the prize has yet to be determined. why? well, if say boogie wins, and the prize was undyed fibers and a dye kit, well, that would be a bummer for her… and if mike guesses correctly, yarn would be a bummer… so, maybe nips of absolut.. humm, come to think of it, that is a great universal prize. ha.
when will this contest end? humm. not sure. i was going to say august first, but that is too far away. so, july 7?

stella won! congrats stella!

over and out;
happy fry-day!
♥