Dried and Still Saturated

I like this darker dye job better than the pastel one from last month, but if I do it again will use still more packets of Kool-Aid. The one area that I thought might be insufficiently covered, where I added the impromptu purple grape, was not covered. Ah well, dye and learn. I will use maybe 20 or so packets of Kool-Aid next time, make the brown with food coloring and orange Kool-Aid and reinforce the blue. I'll also use a chopstick to gently smish the yarn around to increase the mechanical penetration of the edible dyestuffs.

Of course, the real test of the dye jobs' success will be in the knitting. Cross fingers.

The Blue Took

Drained the water off, rinsed and rolled it in an old towel to dry a bit.
Cross fingers that the color stays as intense once it's all the way dry.

Kool-Aid Dye Job #2

This time I used a skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Oatmeal shade instead of the creamy colored Natural and used a lot more Kool-Aid and food coloring. In fact, I was so generous with my sprinkling that I ran out of blue and green and used purple up one side of the second layer.

I did the first layer much as previously: poured a long "S" of brown food coloring from lower right to upper left corner and sprinkled two packs of orange Kool-Aid over top of it. Instead of straight blue Kool-Aid, I used blue food coloring diluted with white vinegar (and a pack of blue Kool-Aid thrown in for good measure) to outline the brown on one side and sprinkled green Kool-Aidon the other. Then I flopped the second half of the yarn over top and sprinkled on the rest of my blue and green Kool-Aid, for a total of two packets orange, six blue and five green.

Whereupon I decided I needed more colorant and mixed up some green food coloring with vinegar and poured it over the lower left quadrant. And decided it still looked a little scant and added two packs of purple Kool-Aid up the left edge - 'cause I was all out of blue and green.

About a gallon of very hot water with two packs of yellow Kool-Aid added (for brightness) was poured over the mess in the Pyrex pan.
I gently smooshed everything down and stretched plastic wrap over the pan. Then on to the cement for cooking in the bright sunlight all afternoon.

Can't wait to see how this skein develops. Cross your fingers for the blue coming out okay, but I think it looks pretty good so far...
P.S. The Engineer's in Saudi Arabia this week, so I get to do messy stuff. ; ) Didn't really make any mess at all anyway, I forgot to use gloves and this was all the more colorful my fingers came out:

Off Away Into the Wild High Mountains

It's time for the annual Idaho trip. The Engineer insists that we leave before daybreak tomorrow morning. I have my knitting bag packed.

Once I recover from traveling with my BelovedSpousalUnit, I will try to soothe out the rough spots on my soul by sitting on the creek bank and going with the flow.
E- you again in a week or so.

Interim Projects

So what's a knitter to do when she's got aches and pains in her shoulder?

Be chauffeured around by a fine and excellent friend while yarn questing -- such a loverly friend who wins the grand prize and insists on sharing.

Done. (July 25)

Go buy more yarn for when she gets better.

Done. (July 24)

Just for the heck of it, dye some yarn with Kool-Aid.

Done. (July 29)

Abandon the multicolor baby blanket that requires juggling five skeins of yarn.

Done, sadly and temporarily. Baby's due in September, so I'd better get back on it soon!
Knit on little projects that don't strain the shoulder.

A. Napkin rings - eight down, four to go. B. GoatGuy's scarf - half done. C. The Snakelace - knitting's done, now to make a head and tail for it. (The head it has now, I drew and pasted on in Photoshop.)

Learn a new technique: entrelac. Knit a little something for my generous friend out of one of the prize yarns she shared with me.

Working on this one.

And last, and definitely least, ignore the blogging.

Bad Blogger!