My Top 5 Knits to Make with a Bundle Dyed Sock Blank
I’ve recently revamped my Bundle Dye a Sock Blank kit - a natural dyeing kit that introduces you to the bundle dyeing technique. It includes everything you need (plants, materials and instructions) to naturally dye a 100% wool sock blank. The kit comes with dried dye plants in two packets - one cool coloured and one warm coloured - so that you can design your sock blank in a colourway of your choosing!
When people see this kit in person, the top two questions I get asked are:
“What is a sock blank?”
“What do you do with the sock once it’s dyed?”
To answer the first question, “What is a sock blank?”: a sock blank is a machine knitted length of fabric consisting of a skein of sock yarn. It’s designed to be dyed as a flat fabric in order to create variegated and self-striping yarns. Once dyed, the sock blank can be unravelled into a cake of yarn and then re-knitted into a uniquely patterned piece of knitwear.
The sock blanks included in my Bundle Dye kits are made from 100% wool spun in Yorkshire, with no synthetic fibres or superwash treatment applied to the yarn. This makes for a more sustainable, plastic free yarn. You can choose from either a Bluefaced Leicester (a British ecru/beige coloured breed) or Corriedale (a white coloured New Zealand breed) sock blank in your kit. Each sock blank consists of 110g (in approximately 385m) of sock weight yarn.
To answer the second question, “What do you do with the sock blank once it’s dyed?”, I’ve written this blog to share my Top 5 favourite knits and pattern ideas to make with a bundle dyed sock blank.
Socks!
It’s probably no surprise that my first suggestion of what to knit with a sock blank is a pair of socks! I like to keep it simple and knit a really basic pattern, to let the bundle dyed yarn colurs sing.
There are of course many sock patterns patterns available online - I recommend this free one from Wool Zone which is knit from the top down on 2.5mm needles. It’s a great beginner’s pattern that I return to regularly.
The pair I’ve made in the photo was knitted using this pattern, with the modification of a twisted rib cuff for extra elasticity and an eye of partridge heel for greater durability.
2. Sophie Scarf
Are you even a knitter if you haven’t made a Sophie Scarf? This iconic pattern by PetiteKnit is a quick, easy knit that creates a sweet little neck warmer-type scarf that can be cutely folded into a croissant shape shown in the photo here.
The pattern calls for a DK yarn, so I used 2 strands of the bundle dyed sock yarn held together to match the gauge. This has created a super colourful Sophie Scarf that really showcases the variegation of natural dye colours in the yarn!
The Sophie Scarf pattern is available to buy from PetiteKnit’s website for 35DK (about £4 at time of writing).
Fun Fact! The pair of socks (woman’s UK size 5) and Sophie Scarf above were made with just one bundle dyed sock blank! You get a lot of yardage in this kit.
3. Musselburgh Beanie
Another iconic pattern, this time a double-layered beanie designed by Ysolda. It has a fun, addictive construction that means knitters often knit multiple Musselburghs for themselves or to give as gifts.
The pattern has a clever design that means you can make it to multiple gauges, from lace to light DK. In this sample beanie I used 2.5mm needles and an autumnal colour themed sock blank to create a super cosy, reversible hat!
The Musselburgh pattern is available to buy from Ysolda’s website for £6.00
4. A Cowl (or Shawl)
With a generous110g (385m) of yarn in a sock blank, you can knit a lot of patterns that call for one skein! Small shawls or cowls usually fit into this category - the free Close to You shawl by Justyna Lorkowska is a one-skein pattern that I have made with less yarn than is in a sock blank.
This cowl that’s knitted in the photo here is the Tour de Monte Rosa cowl pattern, available to buy from One Creative Cat for £5.50. I had the pleasure of test knitting this design, it’s has some really fun stitch structures that work well with the sock yarn.
This was knitted with a bundle dyed sock blank that was then overdyed in an indigo vat, using shibori-style resist techniques in order to leave some parts of the initial bundle dye pattern exposed.
5. in Colourwork Knitting
Using a hand dyed, variegated yarn as a contrast colour works so well in colourwork knitting. The background of a plain colour really helps the variegated yarn shine!
The example here is my machine knit Jura cowl - where I have used grey as the main colour, and a bundle dyed yarn as the contrast colour.
My hand knitted colourwork skills are not particularly good, but I’m keen to improve them! If I was to use a bundle dyed yarn to knit colourwork with, I would choose something like the Yellow Brick Rodeo by Lyrical Knits - a top down yoke sweater with lots of customisation options. It’s available from Ravelry for $9 (about £7 at time of writing).
So there you have it - my top 5 knits to make with a bundle dyed sock blank! I hope that it gives you some inspiration for knitting with your own naturally dyed sock blank.
The Bundle Dye a Sock Blank kit is available to buy for £38 from my shop. Or if you already have a stash of natural dyes to use, you can also buy the sock blank as a stand alone item for £20. It’s been pre-mordanted so it’s ready to dye.
Happy sock blank dyeing and knitting! Do let me know what you have created with my kit in the comments here, or by tagging me on Instagram.
