wednesday wip

The work in progress had a brief hiccup a few days ago, only because math is not my favorite subject. Fortunately I discovered my little miscalculation before knitting an extra acre of garter stitch.

Just a temporary setback.

This Shetland yarn is delightfully "sticky" - in knitters' parlance, the texture is such that a strand of this yarn will lightly grip another strand - so it was quite easy to get 144 live stitches back on the needle: they just sat there nicely, waiting to be picked up. Unlike my usual teeny sock stitches, which disappear into themselves the moment the working yarn is pulled out.

 That same sticky quality also makes joining the yarn quite simple. The first step is opening the two plies at the end of each yarn to be joined, and cutting an inch or so from one ply on each end.

One ply on each end to be trimmed,

which reduces the thickness of the joined section.

Next, cross the single plies, fold them back onto themselves, add a few drops of water, and roll the join briskly between palms.

I didn't get a picture of this step because it takes both hands and I was being careful. If anyone is baffled by my description and needs to see it, let me know and I'll set up a couple of shots with demo yarn.

Result.

Onward with the third skein of yarn!

~~~~~

and the winner is

First, a big thank you.

When I posted this giveaway, I was not expecting

the inspiring and imaginative range of ways

people have come up with to support shelter cats!

Thank you all for the pleasure of reading your comments.

~~~

The trusty sequence generator at Random.org chose the winner:

nicewitch on ravelry!

nicewitch wrote:

Whenever I spot humane live-traps and good-condition animal carriers for sale at yardsales or in the classifieds, I buy them and donate them to our local charities running TNR [Trap Neuter Return] programs. My donations this month include boxes of books for a fund-raising book sale, and food and cleaning supplies to the humane society . Of my four current cats, one was a semi-feral who chose to come to me when he was injured, one was brought home by another semi-feral I was already feeding, and two were neighbourhood dumps -- I couldn't live without them!

Congratulations, nicewitch, and thank you for being such a good friend to cats,

both in the wild and at home.

~~~~~

Giveaway!

It's time for a little giveaway.

This time, it's fibery in nature. It's this lovely yarn, hand-dyed by the wonderful
Blue Moon Fiber Arts: Socks That Rock, Silkie.
81% superwash merino and 19% silk...very soft and pretty.
So soft, in fact, that I don't think it is really a "sock" yarn. More a "soft-on-the-skin scarf" yarn, or "luscious cowl" yarn or "beautifully shaded hat" yarn or...
but that's up to you (the winner).
You won't need any guidance from me.
If you hold this skein in your hands, you will know exactly what to do.

And if you don't, you will have a lot of fun deciding.

This time, in order to enter, you have to do something.
One of three things. Any one of the three will do.

First, choose any cat shelter. 
(That's not one of the three options; in knitter parlance, that's the set-up row).

Then make any type of donation to help the cat shelter of your choice.
Just a little support for the wonderful work they do every day. 

You could:

1) make a monetary donation of any size at all, which can be as simple as dropping your change into a cat shelter collection jar on your next shopping trip

or

2) contribute a bit of your time or talent to help out in some way, large or small (not necessarily at the shelter; for example, you might volunteer to help at a fundraising event, or donate your skill as a photographer to help your shelter publicize the cats available for adoption)

or

3) donate something from the shelter's "wishlist." Most shelters have such a list, often on their website. It may include simple things like soft old towels for bedding, or paper towels, or even postage stamps for the shelter's office mail. I just learned today of a shelter that has an Amazon link on their website, so kind contributors can have wished-for items shipped directly to the shelter. Nice.

If your shelter does not have a website or a wishlist, just call them and ask what they need. Chances are, they will have a suitable suggestion or two. And they will be happy to hear from you.

That's it. Just do any one of those three simple, wonderful, helpful things.

Then leave a comment on this post. 
You don't have to say anything about your specific donation if you don't choose to; what matters is that you've done it. So just do it, then comment. If your entire comment is "Done!" you are in the drawing.

And be sure I have a way to contact you if you win.
Random drawing on Sunday, 25 May; winner's name posted on the blog Monday 26th.
I will be happy to send the yarn anywhere on the planet,
at my expense, and with my very best regards.

Thank you so much.

Please share this giveaway in any way you choose...
links, tweets and word-of-mouth much appreciated!

~~~~~

more

We've had more snow.

Some of us are happy:

Others are not so thrilled.

This morning I tried to take a picture of LeShodu.

"Shodu, will you turn this way so I can take a nice picture?"

"No."

"Please? Just one picture of your pretty face?"

"NO!
and I will now press my face against this wall
until you GO AWAY!"

"Hey! You can take my picture! I'm a happy goat!"

(Unfortunately, Betula's attempt to get my attention by swiping me with his hoof is NOT acceptable. Sigh. Everyone is just a little tired of the cold and snow. They are getting restless, and this is a perfect time for experimenting with Bad Habits. Which I will be fighting in August if I let them slide now. So I can't. 

Are you listening, Bet?)

Ah well. It's mid-February. 

Time to bring out the heavy artillery against Cabin Fever.

Which in this case, is laceweight.

~~~~~

wordless wednesday

~~~~~

May Giveaway!

In just a few days it will be 4 months since my first blog post, and I'm having a lot of fun so far!  I enjoy reading every comment, in fact I'm tickled to bits when you find my posts and pictures interesting enough (or silly enough) to comment about!  Thank you so very much. 

Since January, readers have visited from places that stir my imagination: from Brazil and Romania, from Australia and Pakistan, from Portugal, South Africa, Ireland, Russia, from all over the UK...the list goes on and on.

Places I have visited in years past, and places I would love to visit.

Places I've learned at least a little bit more about, thanks to readers' comments, and their blogs.  It makes the world seem smaller.  And friendlier.

This morning I noticed that there have been 6,897 separate "pageviews" here, which simply staggers me.  Thank you for sharing my tiny bit of this smaller, friendlier world!
~~~

So, what do you think? Time for a celebratory giveaway???

I'm thinking yarn...

First idea: a skein of the yarn so many people commented on back in January.  The yarn that turned into these socks, which you've probably forgotten:

I know, anything so bland and dull is easy to forget, right?

Off I go!  To market, to market...

Oh dear.  This jolly yarn, it turns out, is no longer available!  This particular Opal is discontinued.  Out of print, so to speak.

Sorry!

I'll have to think of something else for the giveaway.
~~~

How about we give away those 'adorable' baby goats?   I am SO sick of everyone making a fuss over those little paddock-rats.

Oh, erm...did I say that out loud?  No, wait - I'm a dog!
Whew. That was close!

~~~
Oh, no, Piper, I can hear your thoughts on the baby goats loud and clear, every day.  And those adorable little goats are staying right where they are.  Here, have another chewy beef treat.
And maybe one more.
Good dog.
~~~

But in other news, whilst going through one of my big plastic storage boxes of yarn...look what I discovered!

Gosh, it actually DOES look bland and dull in that picture, doesn't it?  Let's take it outside in the natural light.

THAT'S more like it!

Now, as you can see, the ballband has been removed and a few yards of the yarn were unwound and then rewound loosely around the skein before being stored in this ziplock bag.  The unwound yarn suggested that some of the yarn had been used, and my initial excitement at finding the Actual Yarn of my Giveaway Dreams turned to disappointment.

But...

I couldn't remember ever knitting with any yarn from this skein.  I think after making the first pair of socks, I may have unravelled a bit of this second skein to try to figure out if it would be possible to duplicate this kind of self-patterning yarn as one of my dyeing projects.  (The answer, as you may have guessed from a closer look at this yarn, is NOT VERY LIKELY!)

So, could it be a complete skein, suitable for giveawaying?  Could it?  Just to be on the safe side, I weighed the yarn.  It came it at just a whisper over 100 grams, so it seems safe to call this a complete skein.

YAY!

One skein.

Enough for a pair of these:

These adult woman-sized socks are knitted quite high - easily midcalf.  And even with the few yards sacrificed in order to start the second sock at the same point in the yarn pattern as the first (to make them so matchy-matchy), there was plenty of yarn in one skein: 465 yards per 100-gram skein.  That's what I call a generous skein of sock yarn!  Thank you, Zwerger Garn!!

Opal Zirkus/Circus

by Zwerger Garn

Fingering / 4 ply

75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon

465 yards / 100 grams

Colorway #2005

~~~

If you would like to win this skein and knit a nifty pair of socks that will enchant your friends - oh, go on, you know you want to! - just leave a comment on this post.

Easiest socks ever. The yarn is doing all the work!

Or...you could make multiple pairs of darling little child-sized socks!  Or some other project entirely - a hat?  a cowl?  the pockets and trim on a grey sweater?  Oh, I can't wait to see what the winner will decide to do with this yarn!

Nuts and bolts: 

• Leave a comment, right here, do!
• Make sure I will know how to reach you if you win.
• Enter by midnight (EST), Tuesday 21 May.
• Drawing will be done after morning chores (aw, those adorable goats!) on Wednesday the 22nd.
• I will post the winner's name here, so please check back, just in case an email or Ravelry PM or whatever is delayed through the mysterious workings of the internet!
• If for some reason I don't hear back within 48 hours of posting the winner's name here, I will draw another name.

Three bits of good news:

1. This giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere!  
2. You are very welcome to share the giveaway or link to this post or whatever you like, but you don't have to follow this blog or tweet the giveaway or pin it on Pinterest or like it on FB or anything.  (I like simple, don't you?)
3. I will happily mail the yarn to the winner at any address on the planet.

Good luck!

~~~~~

when life hands you lemons

Well, here's a funny thing.

The moment I added that crazy "Pink Lemonade" to the dyepot, it was apparent: at maximum saturation it was exactly the soft color I was looking for!  

But...I only had one packet, not the four that would probably be necessary.  The last thing I had expected was that I would want to use a full-tilt Kool-Aid color for a pale pink dye. (Seriously.  At full saturation, Kool-Aid tends to be either primary color or neon.)  I had the requisite four packets of several other flavors on hand, but only one Pink Lemonade.  So a loop of yarn floating near the top of the dyepot soaked up all the dye in a heartbeat, and the rest of the yarn was...white.

White, white, white.

Scrambling for more pink dye, I hastily mixed up a packet of "Cherry" flavor in a separate measuring cup, to see if it might work.  As one might expect from something called "cherry," it was red.

Vampire Novel Book-Jacket Red.  Ugh.

It seemed that the only thing to do was to admit defeat, let the yarn dry, and dye it again when more Pink Lemonade was available.  And hope that the overdyed yarn would not be blotchy.  Which it almost certainly would be, darn it.

Then I spotted the box of food coloring which has been gathering dust on the shelf over my stove for about a decade.  Don't ask me why.  Absolutely no idea. 

(To clarify: I know why dust has been gathering, I just don't know why the food coloring was purchased in the first place.)

What's to lose?  I scooped two cups of hot water out of the pot, added one drop of red food coloring, then returned it to the pot near a section of glaringly white yarn.

Not a bad blend.  Quite nice, in fact!

So I did it again, and again, and again, rolling the yarn gently to reveal white sections, until it seemed most of the yarn had been exposed to some kind of dye, and all the dye had been absorbed.

Then, because I had no idea whether the food coloring would wash right out, I tried to wash it out:

Seemed to be sticking...

At this moment, the washed yarn is draped over a shower rod in several loops, drying.  There is a much more light/white than what I had originally envisioned, although the picture below does not capture that. Trust me: still lots of white.  My fingers are crossed that the white sections will enhance the intended project, but only time and a lot of knitting will tell.

Unplanned or semi-expected results seem to be the nature of this kind of dyeing - at least, it seems to be that way whenever I do it, but I'll be very interested to hear from others about their experiences with food dyes!

I'm sure this yarn will look different again when it is dry, but I wanted to take a quick snap to post before the light was gone.  A fun project, another learning experience, and a hank of yarn that will soon be on the needles for a special project  :)

Whew.  I came this close to vacuuming today!
~~~~~

almost too natural

I'm so happy to see comments on the previous post from other people who like to play with fiber-dyeing!  And of course I'm very happy to hear from fans of that most wonderful color: Brown!

But today, we're looking for pink.  And I don't have any botanical materials on hand that will yield pink, so...get out the talking pitchers, it's a Kool-Aid kind of day!

For those who do not have easy access to packets of Kool-Aid powder, here is an example of this loved/hated American beverage:

I'm intrigued by the "natural flavor with other natural flavor," but the lack of caffeine may be an unfortunate oversight.  It doesn't really matter to me how much (or how many) "natural flavors" my yarn acquires, but isn't the idea of wearing caffeinated socks...invigorating??

Wheee!

Please step aside there!

Zippety-doo-dah!

Dancing feet, coming through!

Well, it's a thought.

But this particular hank of yarn is not destined to become socks, so the lack of caffeine is irrelevant.

This time.
~~~

Step One:  the yarn is soaking in plain water.  The idea is that saturated yarn will be more likely to take up the dye evenly.

The next time you see this hank, it will look very different.

I hope!!
~~~~~

So. Kool.

As an example of my nearly limitless ability to avoid cleaning my house, I am preparing to dye yarn.

This is an experiment.  It is always an experiment.  I enjoy experimenting with botanical dyeing, usually with Black Walnut hulls from local trees.

Black Walnuts make brown yarn.  Turns out, I really like brown yarn.  "Brown" is more exciting than it sounds.  Well, it is exciting to me, anyway.

See, here's some:

This yarn is an 80% superwash merino/20% bamboo blend.  Doesn't that color look like soft, sweet, homemade molasses taffy?

Don't you just want to hold it up to your nose and inhale deeply?

Ahhhhhhh.  Mmmmmmm.

No?  Well, okay, moving on.
~~~
Almost exactly 2 years ago, I tried dyeing with Kool-Aid for the first time. There are many, many, many online tutorials for Kool-Aid dyeing, and at least one dedicated group of enthusiasts on Ravelry.com.  The rav group is called What a Kool Way to Dye, and if you want to see projects made with some bright and cheerful home-dyed yarn, that's a very good place to look.

It's easy to see why Kool-Aid dyeing is so popular, especially for a crafty project to do with kids: it is quick, easy, safe, and fun.  The colorful results can be startling (at least to someone who is so enamored of the many subtle and delightful shades of brown) but there is also a sense of playfulness that comes with the crayola crayon hues.

This is what my first Kool-Aid experiment produced, and it is quite tame by Kool-Aid standards:

I was aiming for variegated forest greens on this 100% superwash merino.  After my first "flavor" produced a brilliant green that would knock you over backwards, some mighty fast back-pedaling with a blue "flavor" turned down the visual volume and yielded this spruce-and-snow-colored, variegated yarn.  Whew!  Nice save!

I wish I could show you the gorgeous socks that were made with this yarn!  But I did not make them.  Lucy Locket made them, and if you happen to read this and have a snap of those socks handy, Lucy, please email it along and I will add it to this post!!  I love those socks!

Update: Yay!  Lucy came through with a picture  :) 

~~~

After that first rollercoaster Kool-Aid experience, I try to be prepared to just have fun and expect the unexpected.  But this time is different.  This time, I am looking for a specific result.

Kool-Aid: the Search for a Soft Pink

I've done my research, poked through my box o' dye stuff, and found what I hope will produce a soft (Soft, please! Do you hear me Kool-Aid?) pink tone, on a hank of yarn I've been saving for Something Special.

The yarn is a squooshy fingering weight from Cherry Tree Hill, called Sockittome Select.  It's 80% superwash merino and 20% nylon.  I plan to use 1/4 to 1/2 the Kool-Aid I would expect to produce a saturated color.  My guess is that the superwash component will soak up the dye like crazy, and the nylon will absolutely not, producing a yarn that has some fairly deep pink and some almost white fibers blended together along its entire length.  (Mind you, this may be totally and completely wrong.  Yarn dyeing!  So exciting!!)

Would you like to come along for the ride?  Because I am not writing this post after the fact; I am writing in "real time."  The yarn has not yet been soaked, the dyepot has not been filled or even been dusted (see opening line on this post).  Nope, it's Saturday and the yarn will be dyed on Sunday.

At least, that's the plan...