Gradient sock blank: a Catch and Release colorway

Sock blanks are machine-knitted strips, which are then dyed to produce long gradual color changes. You can knit or crochet straight off the blank, if you like. You know how when you unravel something, the yarn remembers that it used to be knitted, so it's wavy? Some people don't like that, so they prefer to unravel the yarn back into a skein, wash it, hang it to dry, and then wind it into a ball, so that there are less kinks in the yarn.

Sometimes I dye without a real plan, just applying color as ideas occur to me. I think of these as my Catch and Release colorways, where I capture a combination from the dyeing wilderness and then send it back out into the world. They aren't always repeatable, so you may never see it again!

This Catch and Release colorway starts with warm salmon, moves through coral, raspberry, reddish purple, and ends with deep violet blue.

There may be pale or white speckling throughout the skein, where the knitted stitches overlapped and dye didn't penetrate all the way through.

This sock blank was knitted with 3.5 oz (100 g) of 75/25 superwash merino/nylon fingering yarn, measuring approximately 463 yards. The merino is soft and springy, while the nylon lends it durability. Recommended needle size: US 0-2 (2.0-2.75 mm). While items made from this yarn can be machine washed, hand washing in cold water is recommended to extend the life of your handmade items. Lay flat to dry.