Hodge-podge update

Wow, things have been busy, but in a good way.

First off, I'm doing some knitting design work for a new website. I can't give more details now, but let's just say I'm having a lot of fun with it. I'll try to post an update when I know what details I can and can't release.

I've been vicariously enjoying Tour de Fleece, via Yarn Harlot's blog. She's been making some absolutely fabulous yarn, and I'm itching to get back to my spinning. I've just been using a spindle, but I'm seriously thinking about asking for a wheel for Christmas.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good beginner's wheel? I'd likely spin various weights, so I'd need something that can adjust to that.

I've finished up the scarf for the ravelry scarf exchange, but it's been too busy to get it in the mail. I still need to get one or two things to put in the package anyway. Hoping to get that by the weekend.

I'm also behind in answering my secret pal questions, but I'll get to them too this week. Playing catchup, whew!

Test

Test post; giving scribefire a try.

Little Blogger

I was sitting out on our back porch writing the other day. I went inside to grab a drink and came out to find this.

Isn't she cute?

She's one of two kittens our outside cat has. I might as well call her ours; we've been taking care of her since she gave birth to a litter of four beside our house.

Her sister is a gray tabby, and my husband has dubbed the O and G (orange and gray). Over time, those have developed into Oh Boy and Gee Whiz. Goofy names for cats, right?

Unfortunately her sister is much more shy. Unless we catch her, she won't let us handle her at all.

First Dyeing

I dyed some yarn today for the first time. I have to say it was easier and less messy than I expected and overall, pretty fun! If you're interested, here's what I did (and what I might do differently next time.)

You'll need...

• One skein of yarn. I used KnitPicks bare 100 percent peruvian wool (fingering weight).
• Kool Aid. 2-3 packs of each color you plan to use. I used 3 lemon lime, 2 orange, 2 lemonade, 2 strawberry, 3 ice blue raspberry lemonade
• One quart glass jar for each color you intend to use
• Some dish cloths/towels
• A large pot or pan that all the jars will fit in
• Scrap yarn
• Rubber gloves
• Paper towels
• Collander

First step is to wind your yarn into a larger skein. Mine was about 12 feet in circumference (roughly.) Some people measure out some sock yarn they already have and like and figure out the length of each repeat that way. I just wound my yarn around the backs of two kitchen chairs and used the scrap yarn to tie it in 5 sections of unequal length.

When your yarn is tied off and ready, put a towel in the bottom of your pot and put your jars in the pot, on the towel (it will help keep them from breaking). You're going to heat the jars double-boiler style, but that comes later. For now, fill each a little over half-way with tepid water and add the koolaid.















Fill the pot with tepid water so the jars are surrounding. Now, get your yarn, decide which colors you want where and start shoving sections down in the koolaid water. Note, this is where rubber gloves will come in handy!

If you're like me and forgot that part until it was too late, a sugar/oil scrub will remove most of it!

Use a spoon or your fingers, and push the yarn down into the koolaid mixture. Turn on the stove and heat the water (slowly!).

It took about half an hour, but most of the dye will be absorbed by the yarn when it's finished. For mine, the yellow and orange finished in about 15 minutes. The water turned a milky shade, but it was obvious that the yarn had most of the dye, not the water.

The green and blue took a little longer, and the red (strawberry) never did clear up. Next time, I may try just one pack of that rather than two since it's such a strong color.

When the yarn is finished, take it off the heat and let it cool back down to room temperature.

When the yarn cools, give it a quick, gentle rinse under tepid water. Hang it to dry, and there it is!

Yarn Teaser

PDRM0093
Originally uploaded by cornerscribe

Here's a little teaser pic of the yarn I dyed this weekend. The navy is the scrap yarn I used to tie it off, so ignore that.

The yarn is red, yellow, orange, green and blue. Very bright!