yesterday's final results

1. coreopsis tinctoria (with red centers) cooked for an hour–yarn dyed for 20 minutes
2. same dye pot as above with some ammonia added–yarn dyed for 20 minutes
3. same dye pot as above–3rd skein–20 minutes
4. same dye pot as above–4th skein–overnight
5. dye pot 2 coreopsis tinctoria (with red centers) cooked for an hour very low simmer–added ammonia–yarn dyed overnight
6. solar dye–coreopsis grandiflora (a LOT) soaked for about 2-3 weeks in the sun–yarn dyed for about 20 minutes
7. same dye pot as #6–yarn dyed overnight
8. dye pot next–coreopsis grandiflora (yellow petals only) cooked for an hour–added ammonia–yarn dyed overnight
9. dye pot last–virginia creeper berries soaked whole all winter–yarn dyed overnight

natural dye colors so far

click for details.

almost magic

today, i'm spending my day creating magic. (or at least almost magic). all summer i've been picking saving up various plants (mostly flower blossoms) to dye. today is the day! I've taken about a quart of these:

coreopsis tinctoria, a lovely littel garden flower,

and cook them like this:

i've now added some freshly mordanted wool yarn... i'll be posting pictures of what i get later on! after the coreopsis tinctoria comes some other variety of coreopsis and some evening primroses. i've no idea if evening primroses dye... but why not try?

lace weight is finally listed

I brought a bunch of lovely lace weight back from Knitter's with me, and i finally started getting it listed today. My FAVORITE is called Maui Waui:

the colors are actually a bit more saturated...

but VAMP is also fun...

Pretty as a flower...

this is listed yet but it's called Citrus Grove

and this has the palest hints of pink, blue and purple and called Ice Princess!

mmmm... maybe i should keep some and make a shawl myself!

well.... it's been too long

I got back from knitter's connection and immediately started dealing with other issues... June was a busy month. the unfortunate result is that Jane Austen yarn is just shipping this week. it is almost dry and lovely. We have switched books and are doing Persuasion next, which is a neat lacy fichu, in shades of blue.

i brought lots of lovely yarn back from KC...

from Jack Pumpkinhead in his purple pants...

to this natural looking "log cabin"

and Dorothy (in oz) in pastels... it's awesome being ahead for once!

check out my flickr page for more!

in my yard....

this morning...

at knitter's connection

knitter's connection was a blast.... it was fun to put faces on names....

hang out with new-ish (people i've known from the internet but not in person )

and old friends...

got lots of knitting done....sold lots of yarn... it was fabulous! can't wait for the next show.

Cityscape socks

between dyeing a ton of scab (and other yarn), planning for Knitter Connection, running the shop and starting a new exercise routine, i've hardly had time to knit lately. BUT, i'm working on a new sock pattern/kit that i hope to have done before KC, so i can take kits along. what do you think so far????


this is the top. i had to rip it out once, and reknit a bit bigger around since colorwork takes up so much space.


But now i've made it through the skyline and am moving on the the reflection on the heel flap.

I'm not exactly certain how i'll proceed from here. I need the blue on top for the front reflection, but i'm not certain what i'm going to do with it across the sole of the foot. I'm thinking a really simple colorwork pattern, so i don't have to carry it so far. not sure how i'll deal with gussets... i might try Daria's theory so i can get through the gusset more quickly, and move on.

anyway... ready to turn the heel! HURRAY!!!!

it's PROM!

excuse the off-topic post...

it's prom night...

That's my oldest daughter. I feel a bit like that scene in Fiddler on the Roof. Where have the years gone? i don't feel old, but somehow, somewhere along the way, she is almost the age i still feel. What happened? She looks beautiful. I have yet to convince her that her make-up could be just a touch darker. i guess pale is in?

spoiler alert

so, while i've been madly designing the S&S and P&P socks, Daria has been working on the next project. It is LOVELY. I asked for a capelet because of Jane's comment about her cape making it home and here following the pattern for her lace. Unfortunately that was not a knitting pattern, so Daria designed this beautiful lace capelet.

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i love how the bottom has all the little falling flowers!

and i really love how the little fall lines and the increase lines echo each other! ok, i love the way it looks. everything is wonderful.

and snow it goes

Baby Bonnet for a sample

so i needed a sample of what SuperLamb knits up like and had bits left to play with. here's the little bonnet that i came up with. I LOVE it. I would have taken 5 when amanda was little. Brenden did not appreciate me trying to take a picture of him in it tho! hehe
Amanda and I decided that i needed to design a matching set of booties... and maybe even a baptismal gown.... too cute!

SPOILER ALERT sock... sleeve... one down, one to go!

clearly, i should have been a hand model! hehe

or perhaps Vanna White!

or perhaps i should be a foot model!

i just have such cute feet!

happy spring

i wandered out into my yarn this morning. it is grey and brown and in spite of the spring equinox... nothing much is happening. we had snow on the ground just last week...

i guess i shouldn't expect much... it's just too early in South Dakota to expect much else. i want there to be more... i planted several hundred bulbs and was hoping.

and then, i see it. a tiny bit of green. there.

and there

and then i see the flax... it's green too!

and i realize they're everywhere!

it truly is SPRING!!!!!

wool sleeves and socks (spoiler alert)

the wool sleeves are coming along well. Unfortunately at the expense of the Pride and Prejudice Socks, which MUST be done soon. so inspite of my new project i must go back to the old one and finish this pair of socks. MUST.

in the meantime i continue to look for evidence of purling used as decoration in knitting during the 12th or 13th century.

the first sleeve is coming along nicely. it is almost long enough now without any squish-down to create the lines. (almost)

so i figure if i add a couple inches after it is long enough i'll be good.

the shaping is coming along well. the sleeve isn't all the interesting looking as a flat item,

so i'm not quite sure how i'll put together the display for the A&S contest so that it is not utterly boring. i figure i'll keep a bit of the wool to show were i started, then show a bit of it on a spindle, and some plied and ready to knit. sort of "sheep to shawl, um sleeve" like. then show this sleeve, one with the "decorative purling" and a linen sleeve (not attatched to a garment) all of which can be tried on to show which looks closer to the illuminations. maybe i'll also include photographs of each "on" as well.

the socks do not look terribly much further along than last time, because i frogged and reknit all the foot that is done. I decided after some thought to add a decorative pattern on the top of the foot. so i starting doing the lattice work in knits and purls on the top. NOW, i'm not quite sure i like it well, actually pretty sure i don't. not because it's not interesting but because *I* like things to move along quickly without a lot of thought, and this does NOT allow for that. So, i'm going to suggest that the faster/easier pattern would just do garter stitch, but if one is interested in true fabulosity, they should try this. (the next sock will not have it) in my socks.

as you can see, the decorative top is really lovely, but perhaps not for me!