When working with yarn that might bleed, you’re going to want to wash it before you knit to make sure it isn’t going to bleed AFTER you’ve wrestled with it for eons.


Here’s the back story on that priceless tip:
I WAS thrilled with the Vanessa socks and gave them a quick cold bath (I’d let the water sit for a day so it would be cool since it is like 105 degrees out and my tap water is warm). While taking them out of slightly brown water they’d been in less than 5 minutes, I hoped/prayed the yellow would be less green when they dried and tried to ignore the sick feeling in my stomach. No such luck. The colors next to the yellow bled and there was a darkish stain down the middle. I resisted a frustrated cry and wrapped the less than satisfactory socks up for Turtle.
God bless her, she opened them and exclaimed over them like they were the Sistine Chapel. Only a day later when I mentioned the stain during the photo shoot did she even acknowledge it. She agreed that if she didn’t crease them on that line when she washed them, the stain might fade. I offered to overdye them so they’d be semi-solid but she declined, declaring that she still loved them which made me feel worlds better. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why she is now the proud owner of a second pair of socks knit by yours truly.