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Marigolds are a very popular flower in the midwestern United States, as are sunflowers (the Kansas state flower). The Helianthus Mitts pattern pairs handspun marigold dyed fiber with a stranded colorwork design featuring a sunflower. In addition, the project uses handspun black walnut (the Missouri State Nut) dyed fiber, another local source of dyestuff found in the midwest that is easy to use as a natural alternative to chemical dyes.

I divided 3.5 oz of bare fiber into two batches and dyed it with marigolds and walnuts before spinning. I predrafted, then spun with a short forward draw under Scotch tension with a ratio of 10.5:1. The singles were spun “Z” and the yarn was plied “S.” The singles measured 36 wpi, and the finished 3-ply yarns measured 14 ply wpi.

Finished Size 6.75” circumference by 6.75” tall.

Fiber 3.5 oz Knit Picks Bare Stroll Roving, 75% superwash Merino/25% nylon.

Yarn MC (dyed with walnuts): 3-ply; 125 yd; 1,684 ypp; 14 wpi; sportweight.

CC (dyed with marigolds): Navajo-ply; 85 yd; 1,732
ypp; 14 wpi; sportweight.

Needles U.S. size 2 (2.75 mm). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions Marker; stitch holder; tapestry needle.

Gauge 36 sts and 49 rnds = 4” in charted patt.

For information on how the fiber was dyed and spun into yarn for this project, see “Easy Methods of Dyeing Fiber Naturally with Ubiquitous Midwestern Plants,” also published in the Summer 2018 issue of Spin Off Magazine.

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