Darn it - a blow out.

That makes 2 socks that are waiting for me to get out the darning egg. Ideally, socks would wait until springtime to get holes. Holey socks, Batman.

I spun some of the sapphire blue merino on my wheel this morning. I definitely need to practice, practice, practice. This is the first time I have spun merino. It was a little slippery. I had to lower my expectations for this first merino yarn but I still take joy in it.

If you are interested in dyeing fiber, Growing Colour Tyfu Lliw has written an excellent article on mordanting.

I have warmed up the dye pot and started my first color. The plan is to dye one color at a time and then create the color repeats when I spin. I am starting with sapphire blue. This Australian Merino wool has been patiently waiting in my freezer for several months. It is lovely and soft. I think the next color will be a pretty purple, or maybe vermilion.


Knitting classes are starting up again. I am teaching 2 classes this quarter - basic mittens and Fireside Socks (house socks).

These are my samples for the mitten class. One is knit flat (per the pattern) and one is knit in-the-round (my preference). The students can choose which way they want to knit their mittens. For the flat mitten I used 2 colors of Poems yarn and striped it. This yarn is softer than Noro and has long color changes similar to Noro. The mitten on the left was knit in the round using Lanaloft yarn. I like these yarns because they feel nice and they are easy on my budget. fortunately, Middleford carries both of these yarns.

The cardigan is sitting in my knitting bag where it has been for the last few weeks just waiting to be seamed. My little lace scarf (Tudor Rose) is probably about 90% done. And I started a pair of socks. The relief I felt at finally knitting socks again surprised me and made me wonder if I should join a Sock Knitters Anonymous group for my apparent addiction.

Oh, wow. A beautiful, elegant chair cover......Chatrine

Something about me has inspired people to give me bath soaps as Christmas gifts for several years running. Yes, I use deodorant. Why do you ask?

I am delighted to find a fiber-related use for one of those gifts. As I pull this bath scrubby apart, I find it is made of several sections that are tubes of netting. Perfect for dyeing! I will put my roving inside the tube to protect it from felting while it is going through the dye process. There are several sections woven together, so I will be able to get several tubes out of it. I am getting my dye stuffs together. Yipee! Now to make the time.