Dyeing To Meet You.

The jig was nearly up! Last night, I'd assumed man-beast (N) was off doing his own thing, when lo and behold I hear music and a car pulling up at my window.  It was, indeed, the man-beast here as a surprise!
I love when he comes over, and I'm always excited for the surprise.  This time, however, I was in the middle of weaving the ends on his birthday present! Luckily, I got it all packed away from the time I said hello to him at the window, and the time he got into the apartment.

I mentioned Soak Wash doing a photo challenge in my last post.  One of the pictures was to be of dyeing!  Now, I've promised to upload my photos at the end of the month - and I still plan to, however I'd like to post some of the dyeing process!

This is going to be somewhat of an experiment for me, as I'm not using the usual dye... but hair dye!
I started off with blank yarn:

 

I then boiled some water and added a custom mixture of hair dye, stirring well.  I've dyed a few skeins in the past, and found this to be a simple process to dye - without having to boil the yarn in a pot all day.

Once I had the colour and water the way I wanted, I added in the yarn.

I only use these jugs for dyeing, so there's no danger of cross contamination.

From past experiences, I've noticed the longer you leave them, agitating occasionally, the stronger the yarn colour will be - and the lighter the water gets!

Starting out with very bright water and white yarn, slowly the yarn absorbs the colour:

 It may be a little hard to see, but the yarn is soaking up the dye nicely.  I had no idea if this method would actually work or not, but I'm pleasantly surprised to find it seems to work equally as well as other methods I've used.

Last Year I dyed up some Halloween yarn as part of a prize for a challenge on Ravelry. I'd hoped for it to end up being a self striping skein, but the prize winner hasn't knit with it yet (I know one of them personally) so I'm not quite sure how it turned out.

This one should turn out regardless, since it's all going to be one colour.  I have another 4 skeins of bare yarn (sadly only 50g balls, which is 239 yards), so I may make a set of self striping yarn with koolaid next.  I plan to (eventually) have my own custom dyed yarns, and maybe a monthly yarn club, but it will be a while before I end up with the start up.  I need a good set of yarn base, and a reliable dye system; I'll have to look into my options! 

I'll update with the results of my latest dye excursion once the skeins are finished soaking up the colour and dried.

It's that time again!

Officially Autumn, the air is crisp and cool and we find ourselves amongst pumpkin season!

I love autumn... Pumpkins, Halloween, warm snuggles and cool air... and the Vampire Swap!

I've been a bad blogger lately and haven't posted any of the knitting I've been working on.  I've been sick a fair bit since the last post, and haven't done all too much.  That being said, the High Tops and Icarus are finished, the Surry Hills has been frogged, and Melia hasn't been touched.  I somehow either blocked too aggressively or just have a weird shape, but Icarus doesn't sit well on me - I did use acrylic yarn, that may have something to do with it.  I still don't have any new pictures for any of the previous projects, so there isn't much to show.

With the vampire swap in progress, I am knitting a few small things for that, but they won't be revealed until my partner has received their package. I designed my own pattern for one of the items, and I hope to have the pattern written and available for October, so that may be a spoiler a bit in advance, I'm not sure.

What I *can* show you (I've been working on N's birthday present, and I'm not thrilled with it currently) is miniscule, but hopefully enough to keep you sated!
First up:  Neon Ski Bonnet

 

This was for the Reddit KAL for October - yes, I'm already done and it's not even the first yet.  We were given the go ahead to cast on as of September 22.  I think I'll likely make another as a gift before the end of next month - because, why not?

Star Crossed:

Soak  was having an Instagram challenge for knitters in the month of September (October is for Quilters, if you're interested! Sadly I don't know how to quilt, or even where to start), and one of the days was Cowl.  I didn't have any I'd recently knit (I'd gifted all the ones I'd knit in the past), so I knit up my own.  A very basic design, I used the star stitch and that's pretty much it!  It's knit in Malabrigo Worsted which is super warm and soft.

Baby Banana Bat:

I love this pattern, it's quicj and easy and absolutely adorable.  The designer suggests running a ribbon through it, to hang as a decoration.

This little bat is full of catnip for the brat cats.  Phoenix didn't seem to care too much - it seems he still doesn't know how to play... Demon on the other hand:

He loves it.  I may have to make and keep a few of these as back up, so I'll always have a few lying around for him (although keep the spares in the cupboard where he can't get them! I happened to come home one day after being out with N, and there was catnip bags torn apart - all over the living room.  It seems the two furballs got into the cupboard and pulled out every bit of catnip that was in there, as well as all sorts of toys.  They then ate through the ziplocks to roll around in the nip.  I felt like a parent coming home early to their teenagers throwing a party!

I hope to update a bit more, now that I'm feeling better and hopefully have more knitting coming up!

At the end of the month, I`ll post my soak instagram challenge pictures.

Inspire Me!

I wanted a reason to be inspired to knit and finish projects.  I frequently have numerous wips on the go, and some end up going into hibernation for months, sometimes years (even though I'll have only been knitting four years this August).  I came up with a game plan: Every month, I can buy myself a pattern off my queue list.  I must knit that pattern before buying the next.  The goal is to have a project finished a month, ideally finishing 12 projects a year.  If I don't finish the project in that month, the next month's pattern will have to wait.  I also plan to design a few of my own patterns, once my shoulder is fully healed.

For June, my first pattern under this new plan, I decided to pick a pattern to make for N.
I chose the High Top Sneaker Slippers pattern, after he agreed to allow me to knit slippers and socks for him - I can't work on socks until my shoulder is completely back to normal, the needles are too small and put too much tension on my shoulder.

Last night, I cast on the first slipper.  It's a surprisingly fast knit, though worked in chunky yarn I find it a little difficult to maneuver the needles easily - my tiny girly hands find the size 10 needles a little bulky!

 

Over all, he was really rather pleased with the end result.  He asked me to make them a little shorter than the pattern calls for, and hopefully it will mean I won't have to buy another ball of Bernat Softee Chunky (the pattern calls for 100g, and that's all I have.) He's asked me to do a second design for the little logo on the other "shoe", hopefully I can pull it off!

I do plan to make myself a pair of these, but I'll be using smaller needles and thinner yarn.  And most likely in pink - cause everyone knows how much I love pink!

This past weekend was World Wide Knit in Public day/weekend.  I hadn't been feeling well over the weekend, but I still decided I had to make and finish a project for the event - even if I wasn't knitting in public.  I give you Petal:

I love how quick this one is to knit! I recommend it for any new knitters that want to try a basic lace pattern - it can be worked flat or in round (I did in the round), so it's pretty versatile when it comes to knitting preferences.

On the 10th I cast on for the Surry Hills knit along. I think the yarn I'm using is a little too bulky for the project, but it's still coming along alright.

 This one is not quite as quick of a knit.  I have a few repeats more to go before starting the sleeves.  Hopefully after the sleeves it will be a bit quicker and more fluid knit - I would really like to have a few sweaters to wear this autumn, but if I never cast off, it'll be rather unlikely.

Speaking of sweaters, I cast on yet another one... or two.
On the 14th I cast on Melia.  I love that the pattern is based on a faerytale, and the pattern is knit from the top down, no seaming required! I managed to finish half of the hood in a single sitting, though I have a few inches to go before starting the next section - everyone loves a good sized hood!

The second, was from the Spring/Summer Knitty edition - Icarus.  I love the pattern and had to cast on immediately.  On the 15th I cast on, and knit my way to the waist shaping. I'm going to work some more on this one tonight, I hope to have it finished within the next week!

There were a few days I had not been knitting... though I did need to do something crafty, so I broke out the Rainbow Loom.  After looking at a few patterns I decided to make this little guy:

I thought it was too cute to pass up! If you want to make you're own, you can watch the tutorial here.
I also made a feather stitch bracelet:

I wasn't using regular bands for this one, so it looks a little wonky.  I'll have to get more bands soon!

And in spinning news, I managed to get an antique spinning wheel on kijiji! I haven't picked it up yet, but once I do, there will definitely be pictures!

Off to go knit some Icarus!

Sunkist!

As mentioned in a previous post, I had a special date night with N this weekend.
I had the dress, the shoes, the makeup... But I didn't have a sweater to go with the dress in case I got cold!
Being a knitter, this of course isn't a problem! I cast on and knit my to my heart's content.  I realized, however, the day we were going on the date, that it was going to be far too warm to need a sweater, even inside, so I decided to put it aside, just needing the neckband finished, which I did after the date.
I give you Sunkist:

I changed the ribbing to eyelets, though with suck a thick yarn I didn't go down to the smaller size needle.

I've cut down a fair amount on my WIPs so hopefully I'll be able to get some new knits done without feeling guilty about my other projects being neglected. Of all the wips currently on needles, Patty Cake is the only one I really need to get on top of - I had wanted to make her for my grandma's birthday, which is next month! I kinda fell behind on that, so I think I shall go knit the next clue as I wait for N to come home.

Whipping out WIPs...

Gilet court d'été ... And turning them into FOs.
I've been looking through my Ravelry projects, and noticed quite a few wips... Not all active, and some I'm not sure I'll even finish - I may just frog them.
In the spirit of getting more finished projects and less lying around half finished on needles, I decided to work on some of my more recent projects.

Rainshine is now cast off and blocking, hopefully this weekend N and I can take some pictures of my more recent projects that are finished and need some nicer pictures taken.  I ended up doing the amazingly stretchy bind off for Rainshine, and though I would have loved to do the crochet bind off, I'm rather happy with this one as is.

The next project I finished, was the Gilet court d'été.

It's a short sleeve cardigan, and other than needing to find the perfect button, it's finished.  This is another I want to get a nicer picture of, then it can go off to it's recipient.

A while ago I mentioned I finished the Aestas hat, but I didn't have any nice pictures.  Today I broke out the Styrofoam head and snapped a few shots.

I have a few wips I'd still like to finish in the next few days, however, I have work this weekend and a celebration with N.  I may not have time to knit until next week, but I'm hoping to finish Regenerate and Patty Cake's Outfit.  I have a few projects I would like to start, namely the Mary Lennox Shawl (though I'm not sure the yarn I'll use), Surry Hills is another, and finally the extra project in Simply Knitting Spring 2014:

Knit and That

As mentioned in my previous post, I didn't think I would have much time for knitting over the weekend.
To my surprise, I did manage to work a bit on the Rainshine Shawl:

I finished the first lace section, and hope to work a bit on the beaded lace section tonight.

Sunday night after work, I went to see my mum for her birthday.  I made her some feathered earrings, one pair in light and dark turquoise, the other in purple and turquoise.  I forgot to take some pictures prior to making them, but I've made another pair in pink and purple I can photograph (and my mum said she'd send me pictures of the ones I made her).  N and I stayed for some tea, and when we were leaving we saw this little guy in the yard:

 He sat there and let us watch him, and didn't even move when we started the car.  My mum lives is a nicer part of the city, near the lake and a nice quasi forested area, so my parents see a lot of wildlife.  They have a resident chipmunk, and all sorts of birds.  Though their house is technically in the city, and isn't all that far from main roads, every time I go to their house I feel like I'm going to a little cottage on the outskirts of a small town.

We've been having some thunderstorms and rainy days, in amidst some super sunny breaks and the heat that comes along with it - Spring is definitely underway. I got myself a nice burn over the weekend - being as white as a ghost tends to make you burn easily - I'm going to have to knit some lovely summer shawls and lacey overshirts for when I go out this summer, at least to protect my shoulders.  I'd also like to knit a lace parasol, but I'm not sure I'll have the time.  Phoenix, however, has been loving the sun and heat:

I've done some Spring cleaning, and been donating things to the local thrift store.  I still have more to donate, but at least the apartment is getting de-cluttered, slowly but surely.  After taking over my last two packed boxes to donate, amidst our running around, I stopped by an army surplus store, and got myself a little jacket, I just need to change out the American patch for a Canadian one (I already have a patch) and maybe change the name patch.  At the thrift store, I found a cute little skirt, not my usual colours, but something I can at least wear while the weather warms up.  I also picked up a lace crop top by Divided (H&M), and one of the sparkle tutus from Hot Topic I didn't have.  I'll have to take some pictures in the next few days to upload.  Amongst my other finds were X2 (I needed it to complete my X-men series, I had it and it got lent out but never returned), Juno (for two dollars, I'd been wanting to see it recently), and three books:

Fake It.  An amusingly written book on taking shortcuts when you don't really feel up to doing stuff.  I skipped sections that I couldn't really relate to (anything to do with children or getting guys - I don't have any children, and N is all the guy I need - though I did read the section on "Not wanting to get married" and giggled the whole way through); even then I found the writing style to be easy to read and follow, and a great deal of it was comedic.

The second being the first complete serial of The Spiderwick Chronicles:

It has cute little uneven page edges, and illustrations throughout. I'm looking forward to curling up on a rainy day off (with the cats and some tea) and reading through it (likely in an afternoon).

The final, and maybe the one I am most excited about, is a collection of Charlotte and Emily Bronte.

I haven't read many of the classics, which I'm sure is a travesty.  I've read Pride Prejudice and Zombies, but never the original Pride and Prejudice.  This collection includes Jane Eyre, Shirley, Wuthering Heights, Villette, and The Professor. I'm sure this nice little dent will inspire me to source out more classics for cheap!

I just picked up the new Simply Knitting magazine (well, "new" being Spring Print, we don't get them in Canada until the month after), so I'm going to immerse myself for a while. 

Couple of Cast Ons

Since the last post there hasn't been much sunshine to take any pictures... until today, but its a bit too cold for me!

While I've been inside, however, I've cast on two projects..

The first being the Stitch Surfer Socks.  I haven't been able to knit anything on small needles since I injured my shoulder.  I figured I'd have a go after exploring Instagram and seeing all the lovely surfer socks.  I cast on yesterday in the wee hours of the morning before bed.  I must admit, my shoulder wasn't too happy with me afterwards, but I did finish the first surf and stop.

 

Being unable to continue with my sock (and being rather grumpy yesterday), a new project was in order to chase away the rainy day grumpies.  My bestie in the knitting world, Katie Kat, sent me a lovely purple yarn a while ago, and I had been saving it for a special project. 

Upon finding Rainshine, I told her this was the pattern I want to make with it, she sent me the pattern to do so! Day immediately brightened! So that night I cast on and knit the first section (main body) of the shawl:

I had planned on casting on a cardigan, however the original pattern I planned to knit doesn't release until Sunday, so that will be postponed.

A while back I cast on Regenerate, and then got caught up in a few other things, and this got put into a hibernation bag - which I forgot about until someone on Instagram mentioned it! I've finished up to the second repeat of the third chart - basically the part with Nupps - which I substituted with beads.

 I'm using Malabrigo Lace in Velvet Grapes.  Its such a delicate, yummy yarn to work with, but - being single ply- I tend to handle it rather delicately so I don't break it as I knit.  This means it's going to take much more time than a usual shawl to finish, but the fabric it creates is so lovely!

Unfortunately with work this weekend, my mum's birthday on Sunday, and N spending our "weekend" together (Sunday-Monday or Tuesday), I won't have much time to work on knitting for a while.  That and my apartment is in serious need of spring cleaning!