Way too much fun! Lanaset dyes from EarthGuild.com.
Started Friday night after work - and ran a crock pot dyeing marathon between my weekend shifts at work.
Very easy and very easy to manipulate the dyes to create color variations.
I will still use the kettle for a solid/mottled single color. The crockpot for variations (roving and yarn). And I'm going to try the oven again to see how that works. I 'oven dyed' roving when I first tried this but managed to damage/felt the wool so it was almost unspinnable. Happily I was a new spinner so didn't know the difference. And I got stunningly gorgeous (and lumpy) yarn from the process. This time I have a better idea of how to treat the roving during the washing process, so I have every hope this will yield beautiful spinnable wool again.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Smiley
Smiley, our beloved painted water tower, is going to be allowed to die. He hasn't actually been a working water tower for years, but standing guard and welcoming people as they travel along South Washington Street is not enough to warrant his upkeep. So he'll be torn down this fall some time. The demolition is less than the upkeep, so he'll soon be gone. Such a sweet smile.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sock blanket
Here's an update of the sock blanket. The picture shows two sections set in together to show how far it's grown.
Not much going on...except all the schools start next week. The town is already showing lots more activity than we've seen all summer.
The weather is not being very summer-y. We've complained all season that it hasn't felt like summer; it's felt more like fall! And now here it is - school starts next week, football will start soon...it IS fall!
Not much going on...except all the schools start next week. The town is already showing lots more activity than we've seen all summer.
The weather is not being very summer-y. We've complained all season that it hasn't felt like summer; it's felt more like fall! And now here it is - school starts next week, football will start soon...it IS fall!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
sock blankie
I am smitten. I could not resist! I've got a small basket of single blocks ready to add in.
Too. Much. Fun.
But running out of yarn combinations. I'm going to give up and do it totally 'scrappy'. Whatever I pull out of the basket or yarn bag - that's it. No second guessing. Just start knitting.
Not going to happen. I can do it in quilting but not ready to do it in knitting yet. Knitting is so much slower than piecing.
I'll just have to keep looking for more sock yarn to add to my menage. LOL
Too. Much. Fun.
But running out of yarn combinations. I'm going to give up and do it totally 'scrappy'. Whatever I pull out of the basket or yarn bag - that's it. No second guessing. Just start knitting.
Not going to happen. I can do it in quilting but not ready to do it in knitting yet. Knitting is so much slower than piecing.
I'll just have to keep looking for more sock yarn to add to my menage. LOL
Sunday, August 09, 2009
HOT!
Today's paper included ads for snowblowers and snowboots. And that's far closer to what it's feeling like than the upcoming few days of glowing sun icons with the warning "HOT".
I finally put in a tiny flower garden. Salvia (red), alyssum (white), dianthus (pink/red). To go with the volunteer sunflowers (yellow) and the out-of-no-where violas (yellow/orange, blues). Here's hoping that Mother Nature did not hear about the ?goldenrod? (some flower) blooming - apparently a frost will occur 30 days after this flower blooms. Oh, dear.
I finally put in a tiny flower garden. Salvia (red), alyssum (white), dianthus (pink/red). To go with the volunteer sunflowers (yellow) and the out-of-no-where violas (yellow/orange, blues). Here's hoping that Mother Nature did not hear about the ?goldenrod? (some flower) blooming - apparently a frost will occur 30 days after this flower blooms. Oh, dear.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Beagle Scarf - Home Spun
LUV this pattern and collection (Berroco Norah Gaughan Collection: Men). My homespun Merino, 2-ply, size 5 US needles. Easy pattern - just count...and the pattern is starting to help me remember.
Fall seems to be setting in even as we're supposed to get a few 80' days next week. Just doesn't feel like summer. And now the days are definitely shortening. Keep this in perspective, though. The sun isn't rising until about 6am - and it's going down around 9pm. That's still 15 hours of sunlight. But losing that 30+ minutes in the morning is definitely being felt.
Football starts next weekend. Hockey starts Oct. 1. Curling will occur somewhere in there. Then it's Thanksgiving - Christmas - Winter Olympics! What a year!
Fall seems to be setting in even as we're supposed to get a few 80' days next week. Just doesn't feel like summer. And now the days are definitely shortening. Keep this in perspective, though. The sun isn't rising until about 6am - and it's going down around 9pm. That's still 15 hours of sunlight. But losing that 30+ minutes in the morning is definitely being felt.
Football starts next weekend. Hockey starts Oct. 1. Curling will occur somewhere in there. Then it's Thanksgiving - Christmas - Winter Olympics! What a year!
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