....rewashed the resulting skein, and laboriously wound it into two balls by splitting the doubled thread - which was a complete nightmare.

I then started knitting my socks right away.

My project starts with a sock blank from Knit Picks and before I say any more about what I did, I will point you at the Knits Picks tutorials on Sock Blank Dyeing and Gradated Dyeing - read these and do what they say.... Everything I did is most definitely not an improvement on their instructions, and was done purely out of ignorance.

If you want inspiration, look at their gallery of projects by others. I think what you can learn here is that the very best (predictable) way to go is fairly regimented stripes. Whatever pattern you choose to paint will not come out on the final socks - apart from anything else it will depend on how many stitches you work with for the sock.

Back to me. I used my Dylon all-purpose dyes in shades of lilac and purple. I have had good results before with Dylon cold water dyes - they are reactive and dye wool well if you use vinegar as the fixer and not alkali. They have stopped making these (and all their niche type dyes) in favour of one all-purpose variety - and these don't work so well with wool. I had an idea as to how I would dip my blank, but I was not satisfied with the pale result.

So I moved on and made up concentrated solutions of the two dyes, and poured them directly on the blank as it lay on cling-flim, and then wrapped up the whole thing in a bundle, which I then immersed in the water bath. I was not too bothered about the colours seeping into one another, so I did not try to steam the package.

Here you can see it all looks promisingly like it will be all shades of lilac. However, I added vinegar to the mix, and I raised the temperature to over 70 degrees C for 30 minutes, and I think that had a significant effect on the colours. When I finally removed the blank from the bath it looked like this. The pink colour seems to have emerged where the blank was exposed to the greatest heat (bottom of the bath).

Since the litmus test itself involves shades of blue turning to pink on exposure to acids, this result may not be too mystifying. The colour combination is perfectly acceptable but not what I was aiming at.

I did not much like knitting with beads - something about having the weight of the beads on the yarn, and having to keep pushing them along out of my way. I also am not so keen on the way the beads hang - but don't know if this is due to using lighter yarn. I also had (and still have) problems with the beads migrating out of the 'rocks'...I twisted both the knits and the purls on each side of the rocks - which helps, but does not prevent the problem.

Having said all that - finished item looks pretty nice. I did not exactly follow the pattern; I faded the beads out of the center section and then faded them in again pretty randomly.

Unlike Alison, I enjoyed knitting this so much I am planning another - I plan to use thicker yarn and fewer bead rocks in my next attempt.

After the first ball of wool, I am knitting a plain section, in order to make the scarf longer.

I really love knitting this - I like the beading and the way it's turning out.
Mmmm shiny things....
However, the fuzzy picture below shows that the beads do sag a little - which is not ideal. It seems to be caused by the kntting itself rather than simply gravity, as the direction of sag is the same regardless of orientation.

However, the effect is really nice. I think the slight wobbliness at the edge will block out.

I then reknitted the collar.

We are spending next weekend with George's parents in France, so George Senior might be able to wear it then - especially if the weather doesn't improve!

My yarn is Naturally Dawn - same brand as Christina's, purchased at the same time from Full Thread Ahead - in a deep rich shade of brown. It's a 50% silk/wool blend from New Zealand.

I did have a small concern that it might not fit well as the sizing was based on secret measurements taken by my mother. However, not only does it fit really well, but in the 5 days since he received it my father has not removed the guernsey which is very gratifying...almost gratifying enough for me to knit another...almost!

The yarn is thinner than the recommended one, knitting 36sts and 46 rows to 4 inches on 13 (2¼mm) needles, and I have gone down two needle sizes to number 9 (3¾mm). I have not increased the number of stitches, so my scarf will not be as wide as the stated measurements - fashionably thin I hope...

To thread them I used a (fairly common I think) technique that I was shown in the beaded bag workshop in November 2006. I have illustrated it here with a large eyed needle and wool. First thread the needle, say left to right, as normal - note that you have already checked that the needle is small enough to go through your chosen beads! Then wind that end round and thread the needle again in the same direction, left to right. You have created a loop.

The loop is to thread your working yarn through (just seen above). You push your beads on to the needle, past the eye, onto the looped yarn...

and finally on to the working yarn.

I actually used a much finer needle, and dental floss to create my loop. The initial double threading of the needle can be the most difficult part - especially for very fine beads. So once you have threaded a needle in this way for beading, you may wish to leave it permanently threaded up for future use (!).

This technique made "thread 767 seed beads on your first ball of yarn " a complete breeze.