Dyeing, and loving it!

Who knew that painting yarn would be fun?  Just one skein, one chance, one attempt at a colorway... and we were all so different.

Under the direction of master dyer, Sarah Bass, of Propanicus Moon label, we used the great outdoors at Conesus Lake.

Some chose to carefully daub, but I was a "squirter".  Squirt bottles RUS!  Nearby daubers looked at my work suspiciously, and I admit, I made the biggest mess. I realized I had too much dye floating around, and became the problem child, holding my dripping yarn, and trying to ask nicely for assistance.  

The finished products, what a variety, and every one was lovely to gaze at.  We should have made a pact that whatever we make from these skeins, should be displayed at a reunion.  Wouldn't that make a sight, hanging on the rack?

Blocking Lace

Knitting lace?  The importance of wet blocking.  The skinny unattractive middle part is where I didn't have room to block, so I have gone back and blocked just these two places. What a huge difference, eh?

 HURRY!  DRY! I'M IMPATIENT!

Packing for camp (A Preview)

Knitting = Bags

Geo flowers

Geocaching last week:

  Oldtimer17 naming all the flowers... What a guy.

These don't do justice to the amount of beautiful flowers and greenery we have due to a rainy season.  Very unlike NM to look at the canyons and see green!

Feeling it's time for lunch, we munched on these. Yucca blooms...just the nutty stalk on the inside.  

And then we found some shade and had lunch.  Found 50 this day! (yes)

Edging, Miles!

It seems like miles and may look like miles, but shortly after starting my 3rd skein, I decided to stretch it out and see what it looks like, and just like a gift, it appears to be enough! (210")  I'm trying not to get my hopes up... and until I pin it to the blanket, I really shouldn't celebrate.

See the rounded end (unblocked) nearest the camera?  More on that later.  I just couldn't figure out a better way without adding an annex to the kitchen.

While waiting to dry, I discovered step 4 in my directions which I skipped... I needed to crochet completely around the outer edge before attaching this edging.  sigh... and it's SO stressful.  It is the least successful (read worst-looking) part of the project.  I don't have the knack for even crochet stitches when I have uneven weft.  I'm going to take a vote tomorrow night at Knit Nite to see if others think it's gift-worthy, or it should remain on my sofa.  Either way, I like it!!  Sisterdale, here I come!

Sole socks

My attempt at something new, which stretched into almost a year!  Sock number one finished end of August 2014.  

This is supposed to be a "removable" sole sock, to accommodate wear and tear and replacement of the sole without having to re-do the pattern.  Makes sense! And at first the pattern didn't make sense.  As in life, the second time around is always easier, or at least things are expected.  And this is no exception.  In May I picked up the yarn for sock number two, and was finished in no time!  

Pros:  I love the pattern, and they are super warm (especially now that it's 30ºC) and I appreciate that there's one layer of yarn on the sole.

Cons: I hope I can locate the heel pattern when I need to replace it.  My socks wear out only on the heel bottom.

It needs a good blocking to straighten out the pink edge stitches, but I'm planning on wearing and washing instead of blocking.  I'm a bit lazy like that.

To see the process click on THIS PREVIOUS BLOG POST.

Birds and cat

Ummm... no birds.  Normally Black chinned hummingbirds and Bullocks Orioles.

Another step

Horrors!  Crochet!  My least used skill, and therefore the most untrusted.  I have to look up every stitch, and then I'm always pleasantly surprised that I can actually do it--without pain and suffering.  Usually crochet takes me by surprise because I haven't read ahead through the pattern to warn myself, but this time, I knew it was coming.  It's going to be just fine!

Here's the pile of woven blanket.  Pictures in reverse order...