Uh-Oh

We came home from dinner to this...
She says she's very sorry.

I wish I had a hidden video... I'm sure she had great fun.



It used to look like this... now... hmmmm.

Score!

Lookie what I found today for half-price at Goodwill!

The top layer is 2-1/2 yards of cotton fabric in green and oatmeal. I have been looking for the right green to use as a lining for another recycled sweater bag I'm working on. Perfect! Plus there is plenty for another project.

Second is an Old Navy Collection mohair blend sweater in a natural white. I am imagining it is destined to greatness as a scarf/shawl in its next life.

And last in this stack is a wool Gap sweater in a pale green. It's very nice as is, but I decided it will be happier in another form...maybe hats? An added bonus is the cute little button on its back.

I also snapped up a bag with four balls of unlabeled yarn in a natural oatmeal color. I'm never sure about these sealed bags, but since it was only $1.99, I decided it was worth the risk. At home it passed the burn test for wool and weighed out at over 16 ounces! Lots of options for this one. Yipppeee! I love good thrifting days!

smile

It's class picture day!

Happy Birthday, Grandma

Today is my Grandma Gallagher's 102nd birthday. She has been gone a long time now, but I still think about her often. I have bittersweet memories of her. She was not very active in my life growing up, but she did have an impact. And of all of my relatives, I physically resemble her the most.

Last night as I was reflecting on her life, I was remembering back to when she tried to teach me to tat. I never did get the hang of it. She used to make lots of doilies and edgings. I still have a few of her creations, including a pillow case I embroidered and she tatted an edging onto. I also inherited her shuttles. I may yet try again.

So, I thought I would Google her name and just see what I could find. Up popped a photo of her headstone! Now this probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was to me. It seems that a genealogy group has taken photos of all of the gravestones in many of the cemeteries in Texas and posted the photos online. I had no idea. So instead of finding any photos or articles of her life, I found the marker of her passing.

Grandma raised her family (including my dad) in Texas and New Mexico, then moved up here to the Northwest to be near us after my grandfather died in 1964. In 1969 she married again (to Wilson Heasley) and continued to live in Vancouver until she died in 1985. Her body was transported back to the small town in Texas to be buried next to my grandfather. Since I have never been to Texas, I haven't seen their grave sites.

At first, it bothered me a little to unwittingly stumble across her headstone in such a public forum. But as I really considered it, I'm pleased to see it. I'm glad to know where it is and that someone is watching after it. And this surprise has helped me to really honor her memory today.

Happy Birthday, Grandma...love you and miss you!

any excuse....

Those who know me, also know that it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to go yarn shopping. So, yesterday, when a real excuse came up, who was I to argue?!

My little dog, Latte was overdue for a "do." Because it would be about three hours until pick-up time at the groomer's, and I hate wasted trips, I decided I would check out a few of the LYSs in Portland. Several new ones have sprung up since I lived in Portland, so I narrowed it down to three that I had not yet visited. I had a few different projects in mind. So, in order to keep my budget under control, I vowed I would only buy for those projects on this trip.

My first stop was The Naked Sheep. The shop was comfortable, well-lit, clean and full of a great selection of colors and types of yarns. Cheri was friendly and knowledgeable. She didn't carry the exact yarn I was looking for today, but I will definitely be back.

Next on the itinerary was Close Knit. As I walked in, I spied Leigh Radford teaching a class. I wished I had brought my One Skein book to get autographed! This shop has goodies stashed in every nook and cranny. In fact, it was so full, it was hard to navigate without running into someone or something. I found myself becoming overwhelmed with all the input. I did find the silk I was hunting for project number one! Yippee. And, yes, I will be back here, too!

Last stop was Mabel's Cafe. This shop offers a wide array of coffee, tea, edibles and yarn. There was a sprinkling of individuals and small groups at the tables near the front who were visiting, noshing and knitting. There was also a raucous class going on. They were having great fun, but they were so loud, that the other folks in the shop were having to shout over them. Since I was already on sensory overload, I had to make this visit fairly short. I found two skeins that will work for projects two and three, and then skedaddled out. I will be back to Mable's when I have time to sit and knit and no headache to start.

So, arriving back home with yarn, photos and a "poodly" poodle, I determined my afternoon was well spent...and no excuses necessary.

Sheeee's baaaack!!

I'm back... kind of. I've been without internet service for a couple of weeks...long story, so I won't bore you. We finally got it set up this weekend. Woo-hoo! I was online for about two hours, and the modem went phooey! Tuesday, the repairman who looked at it said he'd never seen one short out before...lucky us! So, now we're back online...again.

I've been busy cleaning up websites, forums, email, etc. It's amazing how much can happen online in just two weeks. What a time we live in. So, this is a quick post just to let you know I'm alive and kicking. Come on in. Make yourself at home.

For Codi

Codi is a substitue teacher I have had the joy of working with on several occasions. She has only been in our area for less than a year, but it feels like she has been a part of the "family" for a long time.

Friday afternoon, she announced she is moving to another state at the end of the month. I knew I wanted to make something for her as a "we'll miss you" gift. I would be seeing her Monday, but after that it's really "iffy." She may or may not be working at our school again before she leaves.

So I needed a quick gift idea. I could make a hat before Monday, but which one?

Codi's favorite colors are brown and pink. I had some Chestnut Brown Paton's Merino in my stash, but NO PINK!!! I did have some Winter White. Kool-Aid?? Did I have some Pink Lemonade??! No! Drat! Keep digging through the cupboards...aha!! Wilton Icing Color in Aster Mauve. That should do it!

Now, remembering my most recent issues with Wilton and getting the acidity right, I was a little worried, but time was ticking. So I took the advice of Meilynne and added my vinegar to the dye bath a little at a time until the dye was absorbed. It worked!! I got this wonderful mauve pink color that was a beautiful contrast to the brown.

So while the pink yarn was drying, I started the hat. By Saturday morning, I had (dry) pink yarn and half of a brown rolled brim hat. The lace panel is a stitch I borrowed from the Esther sock pattern by Stephanie van der Linden. I blocked the hat and sewed the buttons onto the centers of the flowers on Sunday evening. Whew!! Just in time!

Today, I gave the hat to Codi in front of the kids. I think she was touched and the kids gave her lots of love, too. We all wish her the best!

Green Hat Number Three

Yarn: Green "Canadian Wool" from a trip to B.C. circa 1965 from my mother's stash (no labels) -- This is the same yarn (same skein, even) as Green Hat Number Two. It looks a lot more blue in the daylight and more green indoors.)
Pattern: original design (crochet hat with embroidery and buttons)

Green Hat Number Two

Yarn: Green "Canadian Wool" from a trip to B.C. circa 1965 from my mother's stash (no labels)
Pattern: Le' Slouch by Wendy Bernard at Knit and Tonic.

Notes: I chose the Stockinette Stitch rather than the Moss/Seed Stitch variation. I love this pattern and will use it again. In fact, I am already planning another one...perhaps with some embroidery?

Yes and No

In a science lab, some experiments can go very well and others can go very wrong. That is the story of today's dyeing experiments. There is good news and there is bad news.

First the good...

As I have already stated publicly, I am a confirmed Kool-Aid addict. Today, I divided a skein of Paton's Merino in Winter White into three (almost) equal portions. Then I dyed them in Lemonade, Orange, and Cherry Kool-Aid. I am pleased with the outcome and I'm envisioning a Flame Hat, or maybe a Fake Isle, or maybe a stained-glass effect, or maybe....

Now for the bad news...

Today's dyeing experiment involved Wilton's Delphinium Blue. I used the same technique as with my Moss Green. Remembering that a little goes a very long way with the Wilton, I started with just a bit. The yarn kept taking up dye, so I kept adding more...about 3/4 teaspoon total. This was about four-five times as much as I needed of the green. Another odd thing was happening... the yarn was not turning blue. Instead, it was streaked with fuchsia. Even my spatula turned the same color.

I continued to work with it, hoping the blue would take over, but it just never did. When the yarn stopped taking up dye, it was an odd blue/purple and fuchsia streaked mess.

I am not at all satisfied with the results, and I am now curious why I got these results. (My science professors would be pleased.) I am guessing it had to do with the vinegar. Since this was the last of my recycled yarn from this sweater, I'll need to wait to do any more experimenting with the "Definately NOT Delphinium Blue."

Green Hat Number One

A very quick post with a shot of my first FO for the Green Hat Along. This was made up from the recycled wool handyed with Wilton Moss Green and my own design.

Fruit Basket Hat

Taa-Dah!!! Here's what my Fruit Basket Yarn became...

I modified for my adult head the Children's Cotton Hat in Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I'm pleased with the way the colors in the yarn worked out. I had originally thought about making a hat for my great-niece, but...the wool was a little scratchier than I wanted for her. It is, however, just right for me! So in celebration of the last day of the Kool-Aid Dye Along, I made myself a hat!!

And one more...

This is the same recovered thrift sweater yarn, dyed with Wilton Icing Color in Moss Green.

When they say concentrated, they mean it! I used less than a half-teaspoon for my pot of water, and it was way, WAY, WAY TOO MUCH!! I used the same microwave technique as for the Kool-Aid, with the addition of about a cup of white vinegar as mordant.

After I was certain the yarn had absorbed enough color, I rinsed, and rinsed, and rinsed, and then rinsed again. I finally had clear water and pruney fingers, but I think I am happy with the color -- a grassy-moss green. I'm considering using it for the Green Hat Along.

I will definitely use Wilton again...lots of fun colors you can't get with the Kool-Aid, it's safe (I have a problem with the fumes and chemicals that some dyes have), and it didn't cost a lot. Single colors were $1.69 at my local Michael's. Sets of four colors were $4.39. They also had some larger sets (12 colors).

I wanted to play with a green that wasn't the Kool-Aid apple. The Wilton Juniper Green was good, too. But I had to pick just one.

Fruit Basket Yarn

So it's nearing the end of the Kool-Aid Dye Along at Get Stitchy and I feel like I've got a good handle on how it works. But then I saw Allie's yarn photos...she dyed her yarn in balls rather than in hanks. Hmmmm...I start getting ideas. What if....

So I took a 100-yard ball of the wool I just reclaimed from a thrift store sweater, and dyed one end in Watermelon Cherry.

Then I drained it, flipped it over and dyed the other end in Orange.

Because I was concerned about the dye reaching the center-most portion of the ball, I wound it loosely. After dyeing, it looked like this.... mmmmm, fruity....

Even though I soaked it well, wound it loosely and allowed the yarn to take up all the dye, I still found some undyed areas near the center. But I like the effect. I'm thinking it will make a cheerful little hat for a darling little girl I know.

Tabula Rasa

Clean slate. Starting from scratch. Empty canvas. Blank paper. January.

I love that feeling. Every January, as I pack away the holiday decorations, clean up from all the celebrations and look into the year ahead, I see such wide open options. I have been making resolutions; some the same as every year (health, finances, relationships), and some new. I am finding a renewed excitement in my "hobbies" of knitting, spinning, and the like. I am now looking at options to create a revenue stream. I'm still seeking my niche.

I am also doing more experimenting with recycling and refashioning knits. This week I bought a Banana Republic men's wool sweater. The poor thing had been worn, but probably never washed. I imagine the guy that owned it saw the tag that said, "Hand Wash, Dry Flat" and decided to just donate it to the thrift store. I could see it was worth saving.

I frogged one sleeve to see how it would handle. (I had to cut off the cuff...it was just not salvageable.) It made a skein of just over 100 yards of beautiful soft wool with little slubs. The fronts and backs should yield at least another 400 yards. It would be gorgeous as is or hand dyed. The other sleeve (also sans cuff) was unseamed and then felted in the washer. It made a very soft lovely fabric. I may use it as part of a bag, or ?? The possibilities are almost endless... I love that feeling!

Grape Hat

I am the Queen of UFO's. And if not THE Queen, I am definitely a full-fledged member of the sisterhood! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to work on that habit, and maybe even give up my throne.

My single skein of Paton's Merino that I dyed with grape Kool-Aid has been sitting here staring at me for the past couple of weeks. I dyed it as part of the Get-Stitchy Kool-Aid Dye Along. It was a great experiment, and needed to become more than just a pretty purple ball of yarn.

I finally got my hands on a copy of Fiber Trends' Felted Hat pattern. This was it. The pattern was extremely easy to follow. It's knit with a double strand on size 11 needles, so worked up very quickly. Having heard horror stories about light-colored wool yarn not felting, I was a little concerned about this skein. Remember, it did not start out purple.

I didn't need to worry after all. With just one and a half cycles through the washer, the hat was just the right size. I used an upside-down gallon jar to block it. Now, I am pondering embellishments...

...to be continued.

Square Along

Here I was. Knitting away on a TestAlong Square for Larissa's book. I finished it at about the same time as the credits ran. Yipppee! I set up the ironing board to block it. And there it was. A goof way down before the middle. Grrrrr. So I went ahead and blocked it, photographed it, and posted it online. Next step?? Frog-it!

Sorry. I blame it on Hollywood!

Black Cherry Pi

I have been reading The Opinionated Knitter. Every time I read or re-read anything from Elizabeth Zimmermann, I am thoroughly inspired to become a better knitter. I love her enthusiasm for the craft and her straight forward writing style. I am so glad her works live on.

For some time I have been considering making an EZ Pi Shawl. Remember this? Well, based on her design, it became this...

Alas, I did not have quite enough yarn to make the shawl as large as I wanted. I like the pattern, but by the time I was at 288 stitches, I was getting a bit bored with the stockinette effect and decided to add a lace stitch. I bound off with a picot edging to conserve yarn. When it was blocked, it was only about 36 inches in diameter...not really shawl size.

I had Kool-Aid dyed the yarn in variations in strength of Black Cherry. When worked up, I didn't really like the effect, so re-dyed the finished shawl in yet another vat of Black Cherry, this time with a slosh of white vinegar. There are still some light and dark areas, but I find these acceptable and indicative of hand-dyed garments.

Here is is all blocked and just the perfect size to be a side table tidy. Of course, it's next to my knitting chair! (The orange tone is due to the lighting.)

My name is Janet and I am a Kool-Aid addict.

It's all Ruth's fault. Her and her Kool-Aid Dye Along. Shame on her. Until this month, Kool-Aid was just a memory from childhood. My brother and I would sit out on the grass, slurping on the cool sweet liquid every summer; the Tupperware popsicles my mother made by the tons "dyeing" spots on our shirts where they dribbled as they melted (foreshadowing?).

So even with this history, I never delved into dyeing my own yarn/roving with it. Now I am making up for lost years. My newest obsession is Kool-Aid dyeing.

This week I got the "urge" again but I was silently chastising myself for even considering buying more yarn until I destash. But digging through my spinning supplies, I came up with some Merino/Cotton (80%/20%) roving that I purchased long ago. Yippee! More dyeing... guilt-free!

I used approximately 3oz. divided into six portions. Keeping one portion as a control, the other five were dyed in various colors shown below.

The white streaks are the cotton fibers that do not take up the dye. It should give an interesting effect when spun.

Okay, so now I've had my "fix" this week. My parent side is scolding me to use what I have before making more... the kid side is dreaming up even more flavors of rainbows. Stay tuned to see who wins! (Odds are on the "kid.") Oh, and thanks, Ruth!

"Excuse me, Ma'am...you have a rainbow in your microwave."

I joined the Get Stitchy Kool-Aid Dye Along and couldn't wait to start on it. I was fairly confident with the first batch. I started with Paton's Merino in Winter White and a shade of Kool-Aid that has already been proven...Grape. I followed many of the suggestions listed in the tutorials on the site, and finished with a very successful skein of purple yarn.

There is a bit of streakiness in it...I see some strands that are a bit more red than the others. Perhaps I need to stir a bit better, or it may be just how the yarn absorbed the dye. I'll have to play some more to find out what happened. For now, though, I like the little inconsistencies.

I'm not usually big on variegated yarns, but I wanted to experiment with the process. So I used a second skein of Paton's Merino in Winter White, and divided it between two jars. I dyed one in Lemon Lime and one in Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade. I'm somewhat satisfied with the resulting green, aqua and white yarn. I'm curious to see how it works up.

Next came the real unknown. I have four balls in my stash of a vintage mohair blend that I bought some time ago at a thrift store. It's Columbia-Minerva Reverie in Pink Frappe. In the store, it looked very pink. After getting it home, it really was more of a peach...which I rarely use. So it sat in the stash.

What if I overdyed it? Since it is a blend 67% Mohair, 33% acrylic, I wasn't sure how it would take the dye. Since I hadn't used it in all this time, I decided it was worth the risk.

I kept one ball as a control, dyed two balls with Black Cherry (one pack per ounce of yarn) and one ball with a double dose of Black Cherry (two packs per ounce of yarn). Hmmmmm. I think I like it. Now, what shall it become? I'd love your ideas.

Aaarrrrggghhhh-osy!

It's finally done! My Argosy scarf.

I was really hoping it would be my final knit of 2006. Yesterday, I cast off and was ready to block, when I noticed a gaping error near the middle of the scarf. Aaarrrrggghhhh! It was one of those mistakes that I just couldn't live with. It would always be staring back, mocking me. So, New Year's Eve afternoon was spent frogging and re-knitting. I missed my self-imposed deadline, finishing it up today. Ah, well. Now it becomes my first knit of 2007.

Happy New Year!

more fun with Larissa

I'm taking time out from my Argosy to do another test knit for Larissa. This time it's socks...my favorite! Using Manos del Uruguay, they knit up very quickly and will be toasty warm. Mine are in colorway #113, Wildflowers.

Socks 101

[Click here for more photos.)

For Me??!

My SP9 pal sent me three balls of gorgeous green Royal Bamboo in November. Through the holidays and all the gift knitting I've been doing for others, in the back of my mind I've been contemplating all the options for what this beautiful yarn can become. It is so soft and "drapey" that it really yearns to be something special.

In the current issue of Knitty, I found THE pattern. The Argosy scarf is lacy, but not too fru-fru. The lace design is simple enough to memorize, yet gives enough challenge that it's not boring. Here's how it's going after one ball. Thank you, Pal!