Latte's Kool-Aid Sweater

Latte was way overdue for a new sweater. I was overdue for a Kool-Aid dyeing experiment. Here's what we both ended up with.

The Model:
Latte is a sweet little Miniature Poodle who adopted me almost ten years ago. She's all happy to be snuggled in her new wool sweater!

The Yarn:

Some buttery-soft, butter-colored lambswool recycled from a commercial sweater in a DK weight.

The Dye:

Three flavors/colors of Kool-Aid unsweetened; Tropical Punch, Orange, and Slammin' Strawberry-Kiwi.

The Technique:
After soaking the skeined yarn for about 30 minutes in warm water with a drop of dishwashing detergent (wetting agent), it was squeezed and placed in a Corningware casserole.

Each flavor/color of Kool-Aid was individually mixed with a cup of warm water, then poured over the yarn as seen below. This method will allow the original color of the yarn to still show.

The lidded casserole was then placed in the microwave and "cooked" on high for three minutes. At the beep, the yarn was allowed to rest three minutes. This process was repeated twice more, and the yarn was then set aside to cool.

After cooling, the yarn was gently washed and rinsed in warm water, given a turn in the spin cycle of the washing machine, then hung to dry.

The Sweater:
A couple of days later, I cast on for Latte's new sweater. The pattern is Casey's Coat from SNB Nation in size medium. It's trimmed with a bit of Lamb's Pride in Onyx from my stash.

Congratulations, Mr. President!

Unraveling a Mystery

I just can't resist a good mystery. This turns out to be true even in knitting.

If you are not familiar with the mystery knit-along genre, it usually goes something like this: a clue, or portion of the pattern, is released to a group of knitters one at a time. This allows the participants to all work on the same project at the same time, while getting only glimpses of what the finished item will look like until the end...when everyone finishes the mystery together.

Sometimes it can be a real challenge to select the best yarn and notions to compliment the design. Yet, that is also part of the fun. Things don't always go as planned. This can even lead to happy little surprises.

Other times, not so much. My first experience with a mystery knit-along was with a shawl. While the design and my yarn were both wonderful, they just did not work well together. I ended up working only a little over half of the design, then gave up on it. At that time, I decided I would probably not join any more mysteries. I was a bit wary of the unknown.

Then, in October of last year, along came the Mystery Sock from Kirsten of Through the Loops. I jumped back in, and got hooked. The socks were really fun to make, and turned out great. They are knit from my hand-dyed Knit Picks Bare Donegal.

My newest mystery is the Sock Knitters Anonymous January Beaded Mystery Sock. I'm using Cascade Yarns Heritage merino/nylon blend. I love this shade of red. The beads are Toho size 6/0 and I'm applying them with a size 12 crochet hook.

This is Clue #1, the cuff and a portion of the beading on the leg. Clue #2 continues the beaded lace and then moves into ribbing that will end just above the ankle.

What's next? That's the mystery. We'll find out next week!! Better yet, join us! There's nothing better than a good mystery.

Ashes

We had to say good-bye to our dear friend today. Ashes has lived with us for almost all of her nearly sixteen years. I will cherish our time together and her sweet spirit that has added so much to our lives. Rest well, Ashes.

Kool-Aid Blues

Meet my most recent Kool-Aid dyeing experiment: I call it Blue Water.

I used Blue Raspberry, Grape, and Lemon-Lime. Rather than using the colors as is, I did a little mixing to get some different shading. It was then steam-set in the microwave. I did not, however, do a very good job documenting my process. Guess this means I'll just have to do it again. Darn.

I used about 100 yards of a lovely bulky wool that was recycled from a thrifted sweater. It's so soft and took up the dye easily. It'll be a great garment worn next to the skin.

And here is my yarn knitted into a Thorpe, a great design from Kirsten at Through the Loops. I dyed a bit more for the trim that was just a mixture of Blue Raspberry and Grape. I love the effect.

Happy New Year!

May yours be a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous new year.

Resolve to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment. --Sydney Smith

Merry Christmas!

Warm wishes from our home to yours.

Baked Butternut Squash Soup

I made a pot of this great soup during our recent arctic weather. I love the combination of sweet and savory. It's really versatile and can easily be adjusted to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Enjoy!

Step one:
Quarter the squash. Scoop out the seeds. Turn upside down onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, until soft.

Step two:
Remove from oven. Let cool enough to handle. Scoop the pulp from the skin and place into soup pot.

Step three:

Into soup pot, add one quart chicken or vegetable stock, 1 Tbsp. butter (optional), 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, and a few sprinkles of black pepper.

Smooth together with immersion (wand) blender. Heat gently (do not boil). Adjust seasoning as desired. (The broth has enough salt in it for me.)

Step Four:

Ladle into soup bowls and garnish as desired. Options include bacon bits, sour cream, etc. Serve with warm crusty rolls or bread.

Stay warm!

Snow Peeps!

I totally love kid art. I love giving kids the opportunity to tap into their creative juices and see what comes out. It's especially rewarding when the kids are delighted with the result.

Today our class was taken over by these darling little snow people! The original idea came from FamilyFun Magazine. The classroom teacher and I made a few modifications and ta-dah!!! Just look!!

The adults handled the base painting. We used latex semi-gloss house paint, rolling on three coats. The keystone paving bricks really soaked up the first coats.

The eyes and mouth were painted by dipping the eraser end of a new pencil into black acrylic paint, and just "stamping" dots where desired.

The noses were created with Sculpey clay instead of the modeling clay called for. This was really fun to watch as kids played with the clay and creating silly and serious carrot noses. (Finished noses were baked by the teacher.)

Instead of the SuperGlue the directions called for, we used a hot-glue gun. It worked very well, allowing the kids to glue on their own earmuffs and carrot noses. Additionally, the use of the glue gun eliminated the need for wrapping the rubberband around the earmuffs as suggested in the directions.

We substituted real buttons for the painted-on version. We all agreed this just added to their charm and personality! Each kid had their own reasons for picking specific colors, shapes and types of buttons. Fun!

Add a cute little fleece scarf, and they're set. What a great gift!! Why not make a flaky friend with a kid near you?!!

Happy Holidays!!

Rationalizing

I've really been trying to stay out of stores for a while now. Not only because I'm trying not to spend money, but also because I've been scolding myself about my stash taking over my living space! As you know, I love thrift stores. I (almost) always find something that begs to go home with me to be rescued.

Today, I found myself with an hour between clients in an area close to THREE thrift stores! What a dilemma!! Well, I succumbed to the call...kind of.

In one shop, I found these lovely handknit wool mittens for 99 cents. While they were a pretty shade of yellow, it's just not a color I wear often. A little Kool-Aid later, and I had bright cherry-red mitts!!

I then embroidered them with a bit of recycled white yarn and some sparkly beads. Ta-dah! Christmas mittens!!

My second find was this lovely linen tablecloth. It's hand-embroidered and is in pretty good shape. There is one small hole (about 1 cm) that I think I can cover up with another flower. Not bad.

Okay, so I didn't strictly stay with my "no-stores" plan. I did, however, keep it in control. Kind of like having a bite of a cookie instead of the whole package, right? (I love rationalization, don't you?!)

Celebration!

So how do you celebrate two milestone birthdays within a few days of each other? You go to Las Vegas!! Zak turned 21 at the end of October, and my brother, Dan, turned 50 a few days later.

The first part of the trip was warm and sunny...a great change from our cold, rainy Pacific Northwest weather. None of us had visited Las Vegas before, so we had tons to explore!

One of our favorite games was BlackJack. Here, Zak and Dan are trying to beat the house at O'Shea's. At night, this place was more like a frat house, complete with Beer Pong, and boisterous crowds!

Halloween on the Strip was a hoot! I didn't take photos of the R- and X-rated costumes, and there were plenty! Quite an experience!

This is what 3:30am in Vegas looks like! I volunteered to be the Designated Driver, freeing up these guys to really party for their birthdays!! A fun time was had by all!

In order to provide a bit of fibery goodness to this knitting blog, here's a shot of airplane knitting. The TSA has lifted their restrictions on carrying knitting and crochet tools. Just to be on the safe side, I brought my bamboo needles instead of metal. No one even mentioned them. Yay!!

I did make it to one Las Vegas LYS...Wooly Wonders. Marian was a sweetheart. I picked up a couple of fun skeins to play with back at home.

One of the best things about our trip was meeting people from all over the world. I sat at tables with folks from Holland, England, Ireland, Germany, Philippines, Japan, Thailand, and many more. (Additionally, most of the US was represented.) Being that we were here in the days leading up to the Presidential Election, the topic of conversation often turned to politics. I was very interested in knowing how people in other countries viewed America. The majority of the people I talked to were hopeful that a Democratic president would be elected.

We didn't get the news that we had a new president until we landed back in Portland. We could hear the cheers from one of the lounges on the concourse! A great way to return!!

Vegas, Baby!!!

In two days!! Halloween in Las Vegas! Woo-hoo!!!
And, yes...I've already mapped the LYSs!!

Worms!

I bought this yarn from Crazy Monkey Creations this summer with the idea of making some Halloween socks. It's a beautifully dyed DK-weight cotton and is very soft. However, when I started working with it, it just didn't want to be socks.

Instead, it became a scarf...and not just any scarf. It's Worms! -- a simple crocheted piece that shows off the colors and is perfect for a little accent this season! Wooooooooo!!!!

A Socktoberfest Mystery!

Autumn just sneaked up on me this year. There I was... having a lovely summer, knitting away...and, WHAM!!! I got hit upside the head with October!

School's back in full swing and I'm continuing my part-time (summer) job as well. This means life is much busier, and now we're counting down to all the October/November family birthdays which just slide right into the holidays. Wheeeeeee!!!

So to kick off the season, I'm participating in Socktoberfest by joining Through The Loops' Mystery Sock Knit-along! I'm using some Knit-Picks Bare Donegal that I kettle dyed into a faded-jeans-shade of blue. I'm enjoying the color, but I'm not yet sure I like the yarn. It's knitting up fine, but I'll have to see how it wears.

Here are a couple of shots of the progress:
Clue One: The Cuff

Clue Two: The Leg

I'm always amazed at how many interpretations there can be of the same pattern. Kirsten's design is simple and elegant. It's set up to work with or without cables. (I've chosen without.) Take a look on Ravelry at all the different versions!

Instant Gratification

Hats are such a great way to be creative. They can be as simple or intricate as desired. One color or many. Knitted, crocheted, felted, or... whatever!

The Hats! Hats! Hats! group in Ravelry is sponsoring a monthly Hat-along. Choices each time include one knitted and one crocheted free pattern that everyone in the group can work on together. It's great to see all the different interpretations of the same design.

September's choices are Flowers on a Grave and Beacon Street Cloche. Both are felted and result in a similar structure.

My Flowers on a Grave is knit with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride on size 10US needles. Although the pattern called for two skeins, I had more than 29 yards left of the first. The pattern is well-written and easy to follow. And as always, this yarn felts up beautifully. The original design is decorated with knit flowers. I will probably make some in different colors. Or...how about a great brooch?

The Beacon Street Cloche is crocheted using Patons Classic Wool with a size H hook. This pattern is also well-written. While I am a big fan of this yarn, I was not prepared for how fast it felted. I was able to stretch it back out a bit while it was still wet. However, if I make another, I'll watch it more closely.

Overall, both of these cloches are classic, great quick-to make designs that any knitter or crocheter should add to their wardrobe. This Hat-along runs the whole month of September. Please join us!!

Thank you, Felicia!!!

One of my favorite events has been The Hand-Dyed Yarn Swap. We just finished up Round Four, and here's what I received:

I am so thrilled with my package from Felicia!! Just look at this gorgeous yarn!! The photos do not at all do it justice. It's wonderfully muted shades of greens and blues, with a bit of yellow. Felicia dyed this yarn for me with Superwash Merino in sport weight. She calls it "PG Getaway" after her home in Pacific Grove, California.

Along with my beautiful yarn, Felicia also sent me some really fun gifts. There is some lavender-scented vegetable oil soap, some "beak balm" (not sure what to do with that, yet), a lovely Lantern Moon notepad, and a postcard with a photo of the beach at Pacific Grove. Each item is fabulous!

Now, on with the search for the perfect sock design to showcase this beautiful yarn. Thank you, Felicia!!

Not Your Ordinary Block Exchange

The NYOBE is a group of knitters and crocheters on Ravelry. The group was divided into several circles based on the individuals' color preferences. I joined the Buttercup circle whose focus was on neutrals. With a circle of 12 people, we were each to make twelve12-inch blocks, send out eleven to the other members, and keep one for our own blanket.

Now, if you've never joined a swap or exchange circle, I do recommend it...at least once. While not all swaps are successful due to well-intentioned folks who flake out on their commitments, most are a fun way to exchange ideas and make new friends.

The NYOBE was very well organized by Tanya. Cindy, our circle leader, did an excellent job of keeping track of folks and encouraging all the members, even taking on additional postage charges for the international portion of the exchange. The end result was a mixed-media blanket, made by many hands from all around the world.

My blanket details:
I made four additional squares in order to enlarge my finished blanket. This was also a fun way to try out a few new stitches and color combinations.

Not all the squares I received were 12 inches. (One was as small as 9"X10".) In order to make them uniform, each was blocked and then edged. I crocheted around the smaller blocks with matching yarn using either single, half-double, or double crochet to bring them all up to the same dimensions. Then each block was edged with the darker brown.

Then, using Priscilla Hewitt's Flat Braid Method, all the squares were joined together. I had never used this method before, but it quickly became my favorite!

I finished the whole thing up with a simple Picot Edging. Tah-dah!!! A cozy new blanket ready for our cool weather this fall!!