Dyeing Time

I have been feeling a bit homesick for my family in California so I decided it was time to step it up a bit creatively and dye some roving over these past few days. I have been holding onto a pound or so of Merino so I experimented with some Cushing Dyes and Kool aid dyes too. My first batch turned out pastel like and the second I definitely used a more concentrated formula to get some intense darker colors with some white shining through. I have used the microwave in the past but decided I better just steam it this time since some of them were acid dyes and I don't have a specific microwave dedicated for this purpose. I really, really want to try some kettle dyeing outside in a huge cauldron this summer and get some of those great combinations I see from the Manos yarn from Uruaguay and some from Chile too. I have some research to do though before I start building a fire pit outside! Our weather here has been crazy....over the weekend we had a 60 degree day and yesterday morning we had snow! Who knows what's going to happen in Oregon! I am still in love with my Kitty Carder and have been debating on whether to buy the electronic assembly for it. I know it would speed things up but I don't really mind using the hand crank. I have been sorting through my mill ends and roving including some hand dyed and just enjoying the different color combinations I can achieve. So that has been the latest of my fiber adventures. As for knitting, I started a pair of socks using the magic loop and I am proud to say I have completed the first one with some help of course! Tonight as I was working on the second I was watching some tutorials from Knitpicks and I must say they are great! I am hoping to order some of their circular needles next week and hope to post some photos of the completed socks soon! Happy Knitting Everyone!

I have been using my carder like crazy blending some custom batts with my wool mill ends. I love seeing these "scraps" have a second chance at life, aren't they beauties?

TA DA! My new Fancy Kitty Drum Carder has arrived!

Yay, I had my brother call me when it arrived and sure enough it was right on time, friday afternoon! I didn't have anytime available to use it though until after 11pm because friday also happened to be the first night of skiing and snowboarding for the boys at Timberline. Dana, Anthony and me and the boys all rode up together. The boys had such a great time and us as parents did too! It is so gratifying to see your children with smiling faces as they learn new things. I had a chance today to play with it more today and here is a photo of some of the batts. I am very happy with the results!

Happy New Year 2010!

We have made it through another year!!! Yay me, another year with me, the boys, two cats, a boyfriend and family! I celebrated my first year as being a single homeowner and my five year anniversary with my job as a sleep specialist. The year has been great and somewhat chaotic for me as I feel myself starting to realize my age and the responsibility that comes with being a single parent and provider. I have strengthened my bond with my family and friends and have come to realize that it is okay to count on others in times of need. That has always been a tough one for me! The kids are growing up quickly, my oldest is a junior in high school and my youngest in third grade. Quite a difference in ages, but I am happy with that. I can only handle one teenager at a time! I hope to have Quinn and Kel conditioned and well trained by the time they hit the teens so the drama will hopefully be less. On the crafting end I have expanded my interests to include fiber spinning. I never thought I would have enjoyed it as much as I have, but I find it to be very relaxing. Jen has been a great help to me and i have been able to learn from her experience. I was able to pick up a used Ashford Spinning wheel over the summer and I am anxiously awaiting for my Fancy Kitty Drum Carder and mill end fiber to arrive. I am expecting a friday delivery and this date also happens to be my youngest ninth birthday and the first night of skiing and snowboarding at Timberline. I will have to find a way to get the kids to leave early so I can rush home and play with my carder! Oh, I have also finished my first ever sweater for moi! From blending the fiber, spinning it and knitting it I feel pretty proud of my accomplishment. I don't think it is ready to be worn to work, but I will wear it proudly here at home so I won't have to hide the crooked seams! I was so excited to get it finished I whip stitched it up quickly. I have managed to learn a few other crafting techniques as well. I picked up a solder iron from Michaels and was able to make a few photo charms and I have used the Cricut to make some really cute cards. The scrapbook of my Dad and his family is almost complete.... If only there was more time and more space I'd be crafting 24/7. As it is now I get too overwhelmed so I end up starting many new projects and finishing few. This leads me to my New Years Resolutions:

Just to name a few:

For my health: I will dust off the treadmill and get to walking again!
Increase h20 intake and decrease soda intake
It's time to drop the excess weight I have been carrying around

For my sanity: Take time for myself without feeling selfish
Read at least three books this year and actually finish them!

For my career: Work on punctuality and continuing education

For fun: Craft,craft,craft! Make all my cards for the years occasions,
knit and crochet at least one more sweater for me. To start
early on Christmas gifts, everything will be handmade. To promote
and profit from Ebay and Etsy for additional income. Blog regularly!
For family & friends: To be the best mom, sister, daughter, aunt,girlfriend and
friend that I can be!

A wish for a happy and healthy New Years to everyone! P.S. Here are some photos of my carder that I am getting and my completed Mint Chocolate Sweater!

December=cold

It has been a lazy weekend for me as the kids are spending time with their dad. I tend to enjoy the time to myself but find I don't get much accomplished except tv time! I spent a huge chunk of yesterday watching all of the episodes of "Being Human" on the BBC. For any of you vamp or werewolf fans it is a great series if you give it a chance. Here is a link to it While on the supernatural kick I found this on the Vickie Howell blog. The super cute wrist warmers that Alice had on in New Moon. Of course I have to try them being a huge fan! I have seen the movie twice so far and can't wait until the dvd comes out! Here is a link to the pattern I think I will take some time out of my tv watching to start some. I am having some trouble posting links and photos throughout my blog so I will need to learn more about it. As for now you get the idea and I need to get busy with the laundry!

Where did October go? Hello November!

Time has flown by so fast it seems I can't keep up with it all! We did happen to get a visit from a little deer, that is always a nice surprise. This one was right out the back windows. I tried to get a picture the best I could through it so it is not as clear as it should be. On mornings like those I wish I could stay home, knit and stare out the windows, all the time! In reality, between work, my boys, my family and my guy there doesn't seem to be much "me"time left. I have been feeling the stress lately so it is time to get rid of it! So, for this month I am going to make sure I spend more time on me and the things I love to do! Which brings me to the sweater I am going to make. I have been admiring the beautiful bulky wool sweaters that Jen makes and I finally have the yarn ready to go. This will be my first knitted sweater and I am hoping it is as easy as everyone says. I have spun up a bunch of lt green and brown wool which came out gorgeous! I have also been asked to make a shawl and matching mittens which I will be spinning up and getting busy with once the roving arrives. November will be a super busy month for me also, with work, Thanksgiving, getting gifts ready and I am planning a card making party with my friend Alicia. We are going to get our Cricuts together and get creative! Wish me luck on my November venture, oh I forgot to mention I also have to get outside with my camera and take some shots of the beautiful fall leaves, one more thing on my to do list :)

Washing the fleece and falling in love with fall!

Yea, it feels like fall is finally here! I have been waiting for the leaves to start changing colors and I am just now starting to see them on the way into work. I need to bring my camera so I can get some photos to share. The colors are absolutely beautiful shades of brown, reds, and yellows, I just love it! It reminds me of when I worked in the flower shop and how are designs changed for the season. I use to not like the colors, and I couldn't wait to get the Christmas arrangements out but now I can't see how that ever was! I guess it comes with age, not many little kids choose brown as their favorite color either! I think that with most people the eye is attracted to brighter colors in general. Not me, bring on the dark ones as I love black,blue, brown, cranberry you get the picture. On the other hand, I still have the Jacob fleece and decided that last week I would try to wash it, so I scoured the internet for some help. It seemed pretty basic, but I didn't realize how grossed out by the process I would be! It simply involves soaking the wool in a mesh bag in very hot water with soap and then putting it in a rinse bath. I must have went through three cycles and then finally added some lavender essential oil to it as well. I didn't pick through it too much before soaking it as I was taking it out of the box my stomach just started to get weak. It wasn't so much the smell as the texture of it! I felt like I had a box of matted nasty hair with vegetable matter and such. When I placed it in the bath the water went from clear to muck instantly! I managed to get through it, and I will be better prepared for next time (I only washed half of it) but I truly think I will be sending off any other fleeces I get to a processing company! Don't get me wrong I love the fleece, I just now have a much better understanding of what it takes to get it in spinning form. I think it is always a good idea to learn about every aspect of how things are made simply for experience. This is something I have definitely crossed over to my professional life. For example when I thought I wanted to be a nurse I started with the CNA classes first as that can definitely give you some patient care experience! I ended up being a Respiratory Therapist specializing in sleep medicine instead and even now I have been trialing a new autopap by Respironics for sleep apnea treatment. No, I do not have OSA, I just like to try the masks that are available and the new equipment. By the way, if you have OSA and have had a difficult time in the past with compliance you should look for this machine, it is wonderful and extremely comfortable! Message me if you need more information. So onto another subject, I spend the day searching for crochet mitten patterns and came up with this one. It turned out a little bigger than I thought so I will modify the pattern for a better fit. I can see myself making plenty of these for gifts! Happy Crafting!
Carla