The Day After Thanksgiving

I can't believe I finally did the Black Friday Sales. Years before I always worked. So being layed off I decided to venture out. I woke up about 5:10 and decided too early for me. I was finally out the door a little after 7:00. My first stop Joann Fabrics. Wow what a line around the cutting table. People were buying tons of fabric. I went for the dress form. I should look at my sale paper better. The sale for the dress form is tomorrow. I did buy one of the Joann Quilt Kits I had been admiring with my coupons. So I left happy.

Next stop WalMart. I bought nothing. I was hoping for a tv to use for my workout area but no luck. Next stop Ross which had no one there since they did not have a sale going on. They did open at 8:00. I found a sweater and some gift items for my boys.

Since I was in the area I thought I would try Best Buy. They had a TV but I was not sure of the brand so left without. Did stop at Border Bookstore. Again not busy which was nice for me. Probably not them. Last stop Petco then home. No one at Petco either. Guess that is not a big gift item place. Did get the dog food and some new treats for the dogs to try.

It was an ok day but I don't think I will do it again. Once was enough. I was home by 10:15.

My sweater did not get done by my deadline. Close but not done. I could not have worn the sweater anyway it was about 77 degrees. I have the button band left to do then I will be done. I am going to try to finish as soon as possible so I can start something new.

Progress On My Hoodie

I finished the right side today of Heather's Hoodie. I am so excited. The next step is blocking. This will be the first time blocking. I felt a little lost with no big knitting project tonight to work on. I ended up watching the Star Trek DVD. We saw the movie when it first came out so it was something I could watch without paying 100% attention to.

I did do some sewing. A few years ago I bought a Volks Super Dollfie doll from Japan. At the time you could not buy the doll in the US. They come to you with no clothes. My poor doll is finally dressed. I used some of my Mom's lace that she left me. It felt good using the lace. I did not use a pattern just a simple skirt and halter top.




I have an appointment with the VA Counselor next week. Keeping my fingers crossed that I get to go back to school for a new career path.

Dyed My First Yarn Today

I have been waiting and waiting for my order to arrive so I can try dyeing yarn. It finally came on Saturday. Today was he first day that I had a little time to try dyeing. Overall the process was not hard. I did not get my first try exactly the way I wanted but Hubby and the boys could tell what I was going for. I am going to knit my husband a pair of socks with the yarn. He is such a Charger Fan. I looked for yarn in the blue/gold combo and could not find it even on Etsy. Here are some pictures of the process. I used the Jacquad Acid Dyes. My biggest challenge was I did not want the colors to overlap at all and have green. There are a few spots I am not happy with but I think when I knit it up it will be ok.

Soaking the yarn blank with water and vinegar. The blank is a sock yarn from Knit Picks.



Painting the yarn. I used sponge brushes since I was trying to make sure the colors did not mix.



After I was done painting I wrapped the yarn all in plastic wrap and used the microwave to heat set the dye. (I found great tutorials through Ravelry.) Then after I let the yarn cool, I rinsed until the water ran clear. The blue did not bleed at all. The yellow did have some bleeding but a few rinses and the water ran clear. This picture is just after the rinse.



Here is the finished yarn. I am waiting for the yarn to dry.



Now I am ready for the next try. As far as knitting I finished the left side of my hoodie and started the right side. I am moving slowly and still want to finish before Thanksgiving. No sewing at all. My poor neglected Y2K quilt. Maybe this week I will have time to get some things done.

No More Yarn but more Fiber Related Fun

Ok I promised myself that I would not buy yarn this month. I have enough yarn but I did buy dye, a spindle and on the 31st of October some yarn to dye and some Wool of the Andes from Knitpicks. I think Ravelry is a bad influence because now I want to try spinning and dying yarn.

I did get some good things off Craigslist yesterday. I have more knitting needles. A cute plastic holder and 2 knitting books. The big purchase was a ball winder for $5.00. Well I just love the way my yarn looks in little cakes. I made 5 yesterday and it was so quick. I want to do more.

I have been knitting on my hoodie. The back is done and I am working on the right front. I am still enjoying the project. The Y2K quilt has another block sewed up. I just don't find myself taking the time to sew and I need to do that. I need the Thanksgiving Wall Hanging to replace the Halloween Wall Hanging I made.

My son visited his girlfriend in San Francisco. They went to Alcatraz. The GF crochets and is learning to knit. When my son showed me the pictures from Alcatraz I loved this one.