Another week gone by...

So I suppose I should finally put up some pix of my dye project. I have actually started knitting with it, but I'm not sold on the pattern yet. I love the pattern itself, but my yarn is definitely not appropriate. I have a feeling these are going to wind up as plain socks, or maybe ribbed socks. The yarn is super squishy :)

So this first picture is of the first time I tried dying. I used 2 packets of orange Kool-aid, 2 of lemonade, and 4 of grape. I wanted the bulk of this yarn to be purple. Through this experience, I have learned that all the online guides lie. I cleaned the yarn and made sure it was sufficiently damp before painting the colors on and zapping it in the microwave. I have spots where the dye simply did not absorb, even after a second round of immersion over-dying. It's very odd to me.

This second photo I used the stove top method and just stuck the whole skein in a bath of strawberry Kool-aid. I was hoping for more of a fuschia color, but I wound up with red.

It's not terrible, I actually really like it. It's just so very far from what I had envisioned. I need some lessons on calculating stripes amongst other things.


So Large Marge's is my new happy place. I am just so very much in love with the atmosphere and attitiudes of everyone there. I have never been around such wonderful people. Everyone who works there (that I've met so far) has been down to earth and approachable. It's nice to be in a yarn shop where there doesn't seem to be any one with a "I'm better than you" complex. They have all been excited about yarn. There isn't even a bias towards knitting or crochet, spinning, weaving or dying. It's just a general love of fiber and making things. I love it. It is just a completely inspiring atmosphere. I know I dive in head first with anything crafty- I always have and probably always will- but this shop is going to be a fabulous resource just in the people I have met so far.

Other than the wonderful yarn shop, I don't have anything new to report. I'm trying to knit some lace and planning a really fun pair of socks for my hunny. I just need to chart out the pattern and get started. But for tonight it's time to finish my last little bit of wine and fall asleep with The Elf Queen of Shannara!

As good a time as any

I don't have much to say tonight. I find this odd since I'm usually so chatty that I'm sure people need a break from me.

Not much is going on either. I've made a few great new things: hats for Hopkins kids, socks out of my crazy bright yarn from Stormmoonknits, half of the pair of bamboo socks... I've also been making good progress on the sweater for my mom and my tank top that has been hibernating since September (though I haven't touched it in a couple weeks since I realized how close mom's birthday is!). I'll be sending the neck warmer and Ribbon of Hope socks to Denver tomorrow. My plan was to have them in the mail today, but I had myself completely frantic to find a few rather valuable gift certificates from Christmas that I want to use. One was for an hour full body massage- the idea of losing that was horrifying! I think I'm going to use that next week :)

I suppose I do have 2 new developments: my dye project is actually to a point I'm willing to leave it alone and I've started taking a yoga/pilates class. My initial dye job was very, VERY adorable, yet pathetic. I decided to attempt the Kool-aid method since it doesn't require separate equipment. However, this greatly limited my color options. I am incredibly grateful that warm weather is around the corner, because today I noticed that there are far more varieties of the drink mix on the shelf. I actually acquired some green, blue and yellow for the next skein I dye.

Back to the first skein. I used purple, orange and yellow. I wanted the bulk of the yarn to be purple, so I attempted to paint half of the looped skein purple, and divide the remaining half between the yellow and orange. I put the orange at the tip so that it would not flow into the purple. The end result was what looked like a tie-dye experiment gone wrong. The colors did not saturate uniformly, I had lots of bare spots where the dye hadn't reached at all... It was just sad. Today I took the whole skein and over-dyed it with what should have been fushia. It turned out more red. It's not unattractive, but not at all what I was going for. I have many other ideas for the blue, yellow, green project I'll be doing next. Pictures will be posted when all is dry and happy.

The yoga class was certainly an experience and will be the reason I cut this entry short. I was made painfully aware that my legs are uneven last time. I think I'm more aware of my body than most people (due to much medical drama and a refusal to go to a doctor unless I'm dying). The instructor said most people don't know their bodies very well- maybe that's true, but I know mine pretty well. I can safely say my hamstrings have not stretched back out yet and I have class again in the morning.

This is probably a good time to stop writing. I'm going to set my tv timer and fall asleep to the Golden Girls :)

My first pattern!!

I finally wrote out directions for the neckwarmer I made last week. I even made it all pretty with pictures and my loyal teddy bear modeling for me. I tried to take some with me modeling it, but between little sleep, little make up and terrible back-lighting this is the best one I came up with :P

This is also after creating the .PDF and realizing that I had mistakes in it. Oh well- it's all done :)

Very exciting for me. I doubt anyone will use it, but I figured I might as well put it out there. I always like free simple patterns.

I'm a bit distracted at the moment so this is going to be a really short post. I'll figure out where to put the PDF pattern later...


The text is as follows:

Gauge: 5-6 st per inch- not critical
Materials:
Less than 100 yards of worsted weight yarn (Patons Classic Merino)
3 buttons
US Size 7 needles
Pattern:
Row 1: k2 (p2 k2)* to end
Row 2: k4 (p2 k2)* to last 4 st, k4
Row 3: k2 (p2, sl 1, k1 yo, psso both k and yo)* to last 4 st, p2 k2
Row 4: k4 (p2 k2)* to last 4 st, k4
Row 5: k2 (p2 k2)* to end
Row 6: k4 (p2 k2)* to last 4 st, k4
Row 7: k2 (p2, sl 1, k1 yo, psso both k and yo)* to last 4 st, p2 k2
Row 8: k4 (p2 k2)* to last 4 st, k4
CO 34
Work in pattern for 20 inches.
Work Ribbing and buttonholes as follows:
4 rows k1 p1 ribbing
Buttonhole row 1: k p k p k p, BO 3, k p k p k p k, BO 3, k p k p k p k, BO 3, k p k p k
Buttonhole row 2: k p k p k p, CO 3, k p k p k p k, CO 3, k p k p k p k, CO 3, k p k p k
Work ribbing 2 more rows, BO in pattern
Sew buttons into place. Blocking is recommended.
Abbreviations:
CO: cast on
BO: Bind Off
Sl 1: Slip one stitch knit-wise
PSSO: pass slipped stitch over