Dyeing Day

My mom is out of town this weekend so I decided to go home and turn her house into my very own dye studio. I got up early, had some coffee and boarded the train out to the burbs. I picked up the latest issue of W Magazine so I could check out the colors for the season. It was interesting but there was too much black. How many skeins of black yarn do you think I could really sell? That’s right, NONE! So I threw that to the side, put on some tunes and enjoyed the scenery.

Before I could start dyeing I had to run to Walmart to pick up a few things. Since its getting chilly and I have to hand paint outside on the deck (Mom’s rules!) I thought I’d try dyeing some solid colors in a crockpot. I figured Walmart would have the best deal and it did but, the lines were awful!! The lady in front of me took a whole 2 minutes to count out 46 cents and she only had 1 penny in there!! It was absolutely frustrating. And they had no vinegar!! I can buy a rifle but not vinegar? So weird.

Anyway, I decided to test out the crockpot with this skein of bulky weight yarn my Secret Pal sent me (pictures of the last two packages will be at the end, she spoiled me!!). It was interesting. The dyeing took more time which meant I could mix colors while dyeing which was nice. The smell wasn’t so good but then I realized I still had some packaging attached to the damn thing, I’m lucky I didn’t burn down the house! This method doesn’t require as much physical exertion as the hand painting. Normally at this point on a dye day I’m half asleep and my back is sore from bending over the table all day applying the dye. All in all I really enjoyed the process and the results.

My mother doesn’t really keep food in the house so I picked up a bag a beef jerky and survived on that all day. She has 8 different kind of V8 fusion though. I swear that woman is just weird.

I also found some dyes mom picked up for me that will work on cellulose fibers. I can’t wait to try them out! I’m a little scared though. They seem to be much more involved which means I will really have to pay attention when use them. It’s definitely a dyepot process so mom’s going to have to let me inside when I use them.

…I just realized I’m nearly 25, living with my boyfriend and pretty much an adult and I just mentioned my mother about 20x....what does that say about me?

On that note, let’s look at presents! I never shared the 2^nd package from my secret pal:

I got my first ever skein of Socks the Rock (THANK YOU!!) and Knitting Vintage Socks which I have always wanted but never bought and a kit to make a tiny sock for a tiny sock blocker keychain!

My 3^rd and final package was originally addressed wrong and when I tracked it USPS told me it was returned to my Pal then 2 days later it magically showed up on my doorstep!

One of her handpainted skeins and some GORGEOUS roving as well as some wonderful soap! Oh and of course the bare skein of bulky! I’m still thinking of what to make with it! You can check out her shop here she has some amazing things.

Ok Carl put on The Ruins so I’m going to snuggle up and pretend to be all girly and scared!