In the Wee Hours of the Morning

Okay, it is now 6 am, and I've been up for an hour already. My mother says that she stopped being able to sleep in and wakes up automatically since her thirties. Thanks a lot for the genetics Mom! Shawn and I are absolute opposites in this respect. The latest I appear to be able to sleep in is 7 am, whereas I don't think he'd ever get up if I didn't wake him up.


Today Mary and Claire are coming over so that we can handpaint yarn. We've been meaning to get around to doing this for a year, I think, so I think it counts in terms of the theme of my blog. I have some dyes and equipment that I have had for probably 8-10 years, which is wigging me out that (a) I haven't hand dyed anything for 8-10 years and (b) I have stuff that I bought at the Elegant Ewe that is now 8-10 years old. I keep thinking that I only moved to Concord a few years ago, but it will be 12 years in August. How did I get this old??


I have some of my hand spun from a Cormo fleece I bought at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival from Starlit Ridge Farms (the picture is the handspun) and some Bare Fingering in Merino and Silk from Knitpicks. I have a bunch of Cushing and Gaywool dyes from way back when, so we'll see how they hold up over time. (I do intend to test them on paper towels first to make sure the color is true still) I'll try to take pictures today in process and after so you can all see the results. I may use my Jetboil PCS to boil the water, as it'll be faster than the tea kettle. Another unorthodox cool use for Jetboil! Anyway, more on this to follow.




To update the progress on the last couple of days, there really isn't much! Wednesday after work, I stopped in at Lowe's and BJs to buy supplies for dyeing, and then I headed to Paula and Fred's. Fred made this amazing tart, which was like a pizza on cresent roll type dough, with cheese, red onions, herbs, and red and green grapes. I was really skeptical about the grapes, but it was incredibly good. The grapes once they were baked on the tart changed flavors slightly so they complemented the onions. I should know better than to question anything Fred does with food. I am almost through the 2 inches of pattern stitch edging on Mya's Jacket, and will start the body of the sweater soon.


Thursday night was almost a complete loss. I went to Michaels to try to find squirt bottles for dyeing, but struck out. I did get some new shells for the hermit crabs though. They are getting surprisingly big. Then I needed one thing at Bare Escentuals in Salem so I ran down to pick it up, thinking I would be in and out of there. There's a consultant in there who is the devil. She's lovely and knitter too, but there's something about her that just makes me buy stuff! I went in to pick up blemish treatment (I truly thought acne was suppose to stop once I turned 18...) and I bought a new Elegant kit, with three little eyeshadows, a blush and lip gloss all in a pewter coin purse, a new eyeshadow Puzzle (part of the proceeds go to Autism, so I had to right??), a new color of concealer, and two lipsticks, as well as having had my face completely made up. So no progress that evening, other than me rewinding the yarn for dyeing into much longer skeins.

Yesterday, again no real progress. I wound some more yarn into longer skeins, and I cleaned so the apartment was fit for Mary and Claire to visit, and to clear work space, but I was beat and went to bed three hours early at 10pm ish...which I guess could explain the 5 am thing...

Anyway, I'll post the results of the dyeing later...