Oh yeah...

I didn't post pictures when I finished this project because my camera died so I didn't really get any great shots before I sent this to my mom for Christmas. It took forever, but it turned out really well. It is the scarf from the cover of Vogue Knitting - Winter/Holiday? 2006. I wish I had better pics of it, the color was awesome. I used Ultra Alpaca in a deep teal green/blue.

It's dark, but it is all done in the second picture. I need to make one for me one day!

Haiku for you...

Please kill me now please
I am at work and it sucks
That would be awesome

No applause please...

Random

J and I went to see Scissor Sisters last Thursday. It was a completely awesome show! It was at the Palladium Ballroom. I had no idea, but this used to be Gilley's - still looked just like it did in Urban Cowboy, except with no mechanical bull. Too bad really, I would have ridden it! (A piece of trivia, friends - I rode a mechanical bull on vacation in Cancun while in the rain AND wearing a skirt!)

Anyway, the show was awesome and absolutely packed with gay men. I cracked up when at one point a particularly flashy guy walked by and J said...

"Wow, he's so fabulous I bet he shits sparkles!"

I almost died laughing...

If you have the chance to see Scissor Sisters you definitely should. It was super fun!

I saw this button somewhere online today. It's appropriate, I think.

Photography Contest

My apartment community is having a photography contest. J and I took pictures on Saturday. It was a pretty day. Hope we win!

Solace Wrap

I am knitting the Solace Wrap. I am about 10 inches or so in right now. This is the yarn I did the kool aid dyeing with. Unfortunately there is no natural light, so the colors look sucky. I will post a nicer picture later.

I got my first Rockin Sock Club package the other day and since I have never done toe up socks or short row heels and toes I am kinda nervous about casting them on.

More pictures to come...

Kool Aid Dyeing Spectacular (now with 100% more photos)

This is a pictorial of how I dyed a whole bunch of yarn with Kool Aid. Enjoy!

First, I wound 3 skeins of Fisherman's Wool into huge 400+ yard hanks using my handy-dandy swift.

Next I soaked my yarn for 30 minutes - it totally looks like spaghetti huh? (I love Mason-Dixon Knitting - you can see my ballband dishcloths on the left!)

Next, I covered my dining table with a garbage bag and cling wrap and jumped into the dying. I wanted a variegated yarn, so I used the turkey baster paint on method. It was messy.

Next is the yarn with all the dyeing done. I used all the colors on two sections as a nice speckley break in the solid colors.

Yep, I know I was supposed to wear gloves, but I didn't - because I didn't I had pruney kool aidey fingers to deal with. Please wear gloves!

Next, I wrapped the dyed yarn all up in cling wrap and put it in glass dishes and microwaved it for a few minutes until there was steam build-up inside the dish, then I let it set to cool. I let it cool for about 30 minutes.

Next, I pulled off all the cling wrap and put all the yarn in luke warm water to rest. I left it there about 30 minutes or so. Now it totally looks like colored spaghetti!

Next I hung it in the shower to drip dry and then moved it to a ceiling fan for the final dry.

Ok, finally, here are the 3 finished 400+ yard hanks. I am happy with the finished product and the happy springy colors.

Last, but certainly not least, here is the finished product. A nice hand dyed center pull yarn ball.

This was a very fun, very messy project. I will definitely be doing more Kool Aid dyeing! If you want any more info please don't hesitate to comment or email me.

Kool Aid Dyeing

For those of you thinking of doing some Kool Aid yarn dyeing, I have a few pointers...

1. Make sure you have ALL DAY - it is not a good project for starting at 9 pm when it takes until 2 am to finish and you have to be at work at 8:30 am.

2. Make sure to have more packets than you think you will need. J had to go to the store for me about 11 pm to get more.

3. Small quantities of yarn would be easier. Please don't make the first attempt 3 huge hanks of worsted weight wool totalling 1300 yards.

Pictures and more details will follow. That is all.