I'm Back

Last week I had a terrible cold with a fever. I spent most of the week lamenting that I, as usual, had procrastinated in preparing for my upcoming show, the MA Sheep and Wool. Dyeing was, for the most part, out of the question, but I did manage to complete a prototype from Phoebe's Sweater, a delightful picture book for toddlers about a young mouse and her family. Here it is:

I dyed some yarn for her body and dress the week before last, so all I had to do was knit while sitting in my glider, moaning and drinking copious amounts of Emergen-C, which is my go-to potion for avoiding and/or surviving almost anything.

By Wednesday afternoon I thought I felt well enough to take these photos, but then succumbed to more sleep. I did, however, regain consciousness and finish her coat, too.

Having her in the booth resulted in a few sales I might not have had otherwise. I'm working on completing the child's sweater that is also included in the book. This may be my 'Summer of Samples.'

If I Were Organized, It Would Help

This is what the sidewalk in front of my porch looks like as of this morning. It should have looked like this as of a few weeks ago. This is always the way it is when I am getting ready for a show. The MA Sheep and Wool is next Saturday and Sunday, with set up for us on Friday. I will be gone tomorrow afternoon and Sunday to attend a memorial service back where I grew up. Nick will man the trenches here. That leaves me with four to five days of dyeing after today.


Today I dyed ten pounds of alpaca/silk DK yarn, ten pounds of Bluefaced Leicester superwash worsted weight, a kilo of merino lace, and a kilo of merino/bamboo fingering.


Here's some superwash perking away.


Here is alpaca/silk and lace weight drying in the dining room. I dyed four batches in two colorways today, some of each yarn in each color.


These yarns were both dyed with the same dye in approximately the same concentration. It always amazes me how different fibers absorb color in entirely different ways despite starting out approximately the same shade naturally. This is another area in which I wish I was more organized. I keep a dye book, but not as religiously as I ought.

Yet, I did dye about twenty-five pounds of stuff today, and managed to spend two and a half hours a Fred's spinning. I also did the chores- twice. I just finished cooking and eating dinner.
Maybe I should give myself a break.