Twists of Fate

I’m a little cranky right now, because though the yarn I ordered specifically for this project came in, well. The pricing I was quoted and the price it ended up to be differed quite a bit. By $1.75/oz actually. Per *ounce*. I ordered 32 ounces. You can see why I might be a wee bit miffed.

However, I sucked it up and paid (I’ve been waiting three weeks! Like I’m going to leave it there!), and have been staring at the skein in front of me for a bit. I’m not quite sure where to start with it.

Here’s what I have:
- nearly 2lbs of unscoured Henry’s Attic Silk & Wool
- Country Classics dyes
- some dyeing supplies, including masks, bottles, and if I can find it, I may have a pot to dye in

So here are my questions. There are many.
- Do I wash a skein of this before I even begin swatching? I do realize in order to get the best dye takeup, I need to scour it all before dyeing.
- But what is the best way to wash it?
- Does the dyepot absolutely need to be stainless steel?
- Will dyeing the yarn change the gauge at all in the finished swatch?
- Should I swatch first, then dye?
- Can I use the swatches to test various dye bath strengths with any accuracy?
- Where’s the best/cheapest place to get a digital scale?
- What needles are best to start with to swatch a yarn that’s 2000ypp for a snugly knit, but still flowing fabric? The project is likely to be stockinette, though if I have enough yarn left over, I’d love to also do a similar project in lace.

I want to be a little conservative on the swatching, because w/out a swatch for gauge, I’m not really sure how much yarn I’m going to need.

Basically, I’m not really sure where to start. It’s all overwhelming! I do know I need to start with a swatch, if only to get the stitches per inch/row so I can start graphing the designs. But do I wash all the hanks (there are six, I think) in the same sort of soap in order to maintain consistency with the dyebaths?

Gah! So many questions. If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it! :D