some crafty action

I did say I would show more from my orange swap projects. It was wonderful having a reason and deadline for trying out some things I have been wanting to do - but could never quite prioritise. While I sit here in front of the fan, in the darkened and closed off house, desperately avoiding 38 deg C outside and my melancholy mood, it is a good time to catch up on some show and tell.

First up a small project bag I made using a pattern I found here. I had some lovely fabric from Saffron Craig and other bits from my fabric stash which were perfect. Personally, I think the bag is a little on the small side and would make another inch bigger all around next time. however, it is very cute and was good fun to make.

And to complete the home made package bits I made up some stitch markers - which are so easy it is ridiculous, and of course the hand dyed sock yarn I am very proud of and have talked about over and over.


It was very, very hard to part with those vintage buttons - but I did manage to in the spirit of generousity. And would you know my swap partner sent me some in my package - I would consider this karma working for me.

Next post will be on spinning, I believe -and a chance to giggle at some very wonky yarn.

In the meantime I am going to stop listening to Alain de Botton's The Art of Travel - he is just making me more miserable with all his talk of going away somewhere magical only to find you have taken all your unhappiness with you. I will, though, continue watching series 3 of the West Wing. Love it.

we have a winner

Oh people - here and on ravelry - thank you for the dyeing disaster suggestions. Of course you were right. It was all to do with not dissolving the dye. Look at this magic.

Ignore the slight white fluff on the yarn. It is this stuff we have been given to practice on from the spinning class I have been going too. I swear the house looks like I own a huge white dog - or even bear, it gets everywhere.

Of course I did manage to make the same mistake again, with the dyeing that is. This time I really really thought the dye would have dissolved but was using a different colour and, well, it hadn't, dissolved that is. Not enough. It was awful too because I could see it happening and even though I frantically tried to mix it in all I ended up with was slightly tangled yarn.

I am thrilled though - and thrilled with the subtle colour change I am getting, thrillled. Did I say thrilled? I can't wait to do more of this now what I know what to do. My next challenge is green.

This first black spot -less skein of gorgeous orange is for my orange swap spoilee. As is this little project bag I have made. This is a taster - more details once the package is received.

any idea??

It is supposed to be straightforward but for some reason I keep getting it all wrong. Disastrously wrong. A few weeks ago I learnt to dye wool thinking of the wonderful potential for the vibrant colours I just could not find. I tried some painting on with the dye - and it was nice but not bitey enough for what I was after.

I am in the orange swap on ravelry aussie swappers group and really wanted to dye some wool as my gift. How nice it would be to receive hand dyed yarn. I know I would think it glorious.
I thought I would try the other method of using the stove. I used an old baking dish. At the time I thought it might not be the best idea but was lazy enough to try.

It looks nice but I ended up with black marks all over my yarn.

I went and found my old paper-making stainless steel pot in the shed and started again. I put the black marked yarn in with a new skein thinking I could do two at once, and who knows the black spots might recede. Now I have two yarns with black spots. Maybe the black from the first had tainted the second - it was probably iron or something ( I am no chemist). I just don't know.

I ordered more undyed yarn online. Knittery have a two week wait. That is getting a bit tight for my swap deadline.

In the knitting basket I spotted the first one I had dyed by painting and thought I would redo that one to make it more vivid and orange. I used the stainless pot and set to work.

black spots.

Now I really, really have no idea what is happening and am a little scared to destroy more yarn.

any ideas? Anyone? Anyone at all?

J'aime l'orange

orange, let me show you the ways I love you

hooray for an orange swap on Ravelry.

transformation

I have been meaning to share this for a little while, but time got away.
It is the progress report from the dyeing workshop a few of us attended.

There we created some colour magic.
we waited to see how it came out.
sadly, it came out a little less than magical for me.

I came home and worked a little more magic with the dye I picked up.

this is my first spell..




it is nice- but I am not one for pastels or too much variation in colour and this had to much of both, which meant no magic.

I was sure something else was possible.




I mixed some colours and waited - the very, very hardest part was waiting a day to rinse it out and see what had happened.

I think it is quite a sweet result - stronger red and orange. My two favourite colours. The green was done away with altogether. Oh, I do love green but it just wasn't doing it for me here.

Magic.



The undyed yarn is the knittery's cashmere merino fingerling. It is very beautiful.

on the fourth day she cleaned up

Four days in a row - maybe I could have done Blogtoberfest...nah.

About a week ago I posted a question on Ravelry about inexpensive winders and swifts - which I decided I really really needed after my cowgirl fiasco. A number of clever people came up with instructions on how to make one - and I was really hoping it wouldn't come to that when Buttonbrite came up with a great link to here. So I hopped online and bought one - last Thursday I think, maybe wednesday.

So I will set the scene a little more - The pirate is home today with an infected foot and the first mate is here for the day too. It has all been going swimmingly until half an hour ago I could smell something pretty unpleasant and put the question to them.... "has anyone had an accident in their pants?' nooooooo they say as my pirate backs up to the furniture, knowing that I am about to make a lunge for the back of his pants to investigate. He was sent off to the toilet to demonstrate my maternal instincts, and sense of smell, were, of course, right. It took some cleaning up and we were almost through when the first mate came in with a confession and a request for clean underwear too. Another round of clothes, gagging ( it is always much much worse when it isn't your own isn't it?), washing and cleaning up. I am over it and wondering what I could ever do to get my almost 5 year old to GO TO THE TOILET and not try to keep it in. Frustration, weeping and holding back on a big tantrum was how I handled it - mixed in with a little parenting insecurity. The boys are fine and happy, now they are clean.

I was just scrubbing my hands, again, when there was a loud knock at the door - when I got there there was this to be seen...

sorry, couldn't wait to open it. I quickly set the electronic babysitter to 'Toy Story' and opened it properly.

wow. I have no idea how good it is but for $60 it doesn't really matter. And it has orange. I love orange.

there is a small issue of this bit broken off the top of the swift.

I am not sure if I will miss it but will call for a replacement anyway. I really really want to give it a go but have read that skeins should not be wound till they are about to be used. I will just have to finish what I am doing so I can wind something into a ball.

and that's not all - another package arrived too

love the bendy. and I have almost forgotten about the mess in the laundry to deal with.

Orange

Ethel loves Fred has a post on some very sexy orange stuff. I love a bit of orange myself and thought I would follow on with some orange things of my own.