Knitting in the Fresh Air

This morning I was sitting on the deck knitting the second of a pair of mittens. It was pleasantly windy, a refreshing late October day. Logan, my dog, had come over to be petted and then wandered off to lay on the other end of the deck.

The mitten was progressing nicely, and I had almost finished a round when a gust of wind caught the ball of yarn at my right. The skein flew into the air, passed between the vertical metal uprights of the railing, soared over the water tank, and landed out of sight on its other side.

I took a moment to contemplate the recovery operation and decided my best alternative was to toss my knitting onto the tank and retrieve everything from below. It was highly unlikely I could throw the ball of yarn back up onto the deck in that wind. So I walked down, picked up the skein from the ground, and rescued my knitting from the top of the tank.

Although it was still very pretty outside, I decided knitting in the house would be a good idea.

Explaining Weaving to My Dog - Lesson 1

As I was winding a weaving bobbin today, it occurred to me that I've only done tablet weaving since I adopted my dog, Logan.

My bobbin winder is kind of loud and squeaks. I was just wondering what Logan might think of the noise when he came hurrying up the stairs. He kept trying to sniff the bobbin winder, and I had to tell him to watch out every time the handle reached the down position so that I wouldn't hit him on the nose.

He was quite interested in what I was doing, although a particularly loud squeak sent him to the far side of the desk to find cover. After a minute or so, he returned, though, to investigate further.

Just as I finished, he decided to walk to my other side, stepping across the yarn extending from the cone on the floor to the bobbin. After several confused seconds during which Logan turned twice and managed to get thoroughly tangled, I was able to cut the yarn at the bobbin and then unwind it from the dog.

Next lesson - the loom.

Handspun Cotswold Wool Yarn

A new acquaintance of mine helped shear Solomon a couple weeks ago. She left with some of his wool and a bit of Sierra's, as well. Below are pictures of two skeins of yarn she spun from their fleeces.

Sierra

Solomon

How Could I Not Buy Them?

I was at a Goodwill store last week and did my usual survey of the books and "craft" area. No yarn - just as it's been for the last several months. Drats.

Then I glanced at an endcap as a I turned down an aisle some distance away. There were two bags of yarn! Hmmm, one contained skeins of pink yarn. I don't care much for pink. But I do knit for other people, and I sell some of my knitting. Maybe I should take a closer look. Balls of light blue yarn filled the other bag. Light blue is really not my thing. I prefer darker, deeper colors, but, then again, my caveat above still applied. I picked up both bags.

The first held five skeins of Debbie Bliss "baby cashmerino":  55% Merino wool, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere! The price tag said $4.99. Eight balls of Louisa Harding "Grace - Silk & Wool" filled the other bag:  50% Merino wool, 50% silk. This bag was priced at $3.99.

It would have just been wrong to put those back on the shelf! It won't hurt me to knit with pink and light blue yarn. I'm sure I can make people happy with items made from these incredibly soft yarns. How could I not buy them?

This is the scarf I've started knitting with the blue yarn. Did I mention it's Merino wool and silk? It's amazing - the things I'll do for others.

How to Dye Wool with Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid is a permanent dye on wool. Kool-Aid will dye any animal fiber, but it is not suitable for dyeing cellulose fibers, such as cotton, or synthetics. Below are instructions for using the “sun tea” method of dyeing.

Equipment:
Large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (such as an old sun tea jar, pickle jar, or applesauce jar)
Long-handled spoon that you don’t mind turning the color of your dye
Plastic gloves
Kool-Aid (unsweetened)
Water
Wool fiber or yarn

Remember: All dyeing equipment should be used only for dyeing. Do not return any of these items to kitchen use.

The amount of Kool-Aid dye to use per ounce of fiber/yarn depends on how dark you want your color to be. The more dye you use, the darker the color. In general, estimate 1 package of Kool-Aid per 1 ounce of fiber/yarn.

Pour the Kool-Aid powder into the jar. Fill almost to the top with water. Stir. Gently push the fiber/yarn into the jar with the long-handled spoon, making sure all of it is submerged.

Note: If you want even color, make sure the fiber/yarn can move freely in the jar; don’t pack it in. If you want an uneven, tonal color, pack in as much fiber/yarn as you can. The dye bath will color the fiber/yarn irregularly (which often gives lovely results).

Put the lid on the jar, and close it tightly. Set the jar in the sun for several hours. When the water is clear, all the dye is absorbed.

Note: If you used a large quantity of Kool-Aid per ounce, the fiber/yarn may not be able to absorb all the dye, so the water may not turn clear.

When the water is clear or you feel it is done (as per note above), drain the water from the jar.

To rinse, place the fiber/yarn on some paper towels (so it won’t stain your work surface) while you fill the jar with clean water of the same temperature as the water you just emptied from it. Return the fiber/yarn to the jar, and gently push it down with the long-handled spoon. Let it soak in this rinse water for 5 minutes, then drain the water.

Place the dyed fiber/yarn on a flat surface, or drape it on a clothes hanger to dry.