More fleece, different mordant

So here is the same dye but with a copper sulphate mordant:-

(Again you can click to get a better photo). I'm amazed at the difference in colour, I have to be honest and say that I prefer yesterday's offerings, but this is lovely in it's subtlety (spelling?) The colour has come out a little more even, probably due to me having remembered to pre-soak the fleece (I was not built to do things that need thinking about in advance! so this fleece soaked whilst the first lot was dyed yesterday!)

Finally a plea to any knitters out there. Dear Sister has fallen in love with Josephine and so I'd like to make it for her for Christmas (it's not a surprise so no probs putting it here!) Now the yarn is 9sts on 10mm needles (actually knitted to 10.5sts on 7.5mm needles but presumably that's to keep it a bit firmer and stop too much bagging) But I'm having the devil's own job finding anything to make it in that doesn't cost the earth.

It needs 1.2kg or 1200m of yarn. So any ideas anyone?????

. . . . . . . Or does anyone know of a similar pattern in a yarn that's more readily available (practically and economically!!!!) Someone has made one in Cascade Eco Wool which I could probably get hold of with a bit of airmail postage(!) but that tension is a fair way out so I'm not sure how she managed to get it to work, or whether she just used the pattern as a starting block and designed it from there herself?! If the world was a perfect place I'd find a superwash wool or merino that knitted to the tension - but I don't think the world's that perfect!!!!

Can't wait 'til tomorrow

. . . . . . . . . To show you my lovely fleece!!!!

Only one photo cos the camera batteries went flat. The colours don't show up as lovely as they are IRL. But it gives you a clue. (especially if you click on it and get the bigger version) Please excuse the green netting - it's what I wrapped it in to do an impersonation of a salad spinner - you had to be there!!! LOL

Beginning to dye

(Hope no-one reads that as beginning to die - I could get all sorts of weird comments)


I decided to have a fleece weekend this weekend, and wanted to play with some natural dyes. I've never used them before and have loads of fleece that I got rather over exuberant about last year, so have started with a mordant of Chrome something or other ..ate, (my chemistry teacher would be so proud of me)! follwed by a dye of brazilwood.

It's all still in the boiler thing "doing it" as the water hasn't cooled yet, but here is a photo progress. . . . .
Fleece in mordant of Chrome something.









Fleece in dye of brazilwood. This was taken a few hours ago, and the water has got a lot darker since, but the fleece is a stunning rose colour. Will try to take piccies tomorrow or soon of fleece.

Dear Sister

It has been brought to our attention that you are unhappy with the lack of postings on the blog entitled Noo's Knits and Other Bits. We would comment as follows:-

• At least I have a blog!
  
  
• As I live down south and have loads more good weather than you, I have to spend more time outside doing nice things, like gardening in the sunshine and walking in the sunshine and knitting in the sun, and spinning in the sun, and drinking tea in the sun, and falling asleep in the sun (!) See, this is today:-

(was that a tiny bit cruel?)

• I do update more often than some people who shall remain nameless (see last entry for art and design amongst the garden mulch for further details) (Only kidding Unc! just trying to keep the heat off)

We trust that this clarifies the current position, however should you continue to have issues with our blogging regimen. . . . . . . TOUGH!

What kind of needles are you?

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
Take this quiz!








Quizilla
Join

Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code

Ha Ha interchangeable just about says it all - and as it happens I've just bought a row counter on eBay - well actually I got one of those hand tally counters that big burly bouncers have on door of night clubs that I am far to old to go to, but it does that same thing for half the price of a knitting row counter!!!

Moon

Did anyone see the moon last night?? It was really orange and BEWTIFULL! We always called it a harvest moon at home - don't know if that's a proper term or one we cobbled from the colour and time of year, but it's certainly here now! Couldn't get a photo 'cos it was behind some trees and a building, and too small to capture anyway I think, but look out for it 'cos it's a stunner!!!!

The aforementioned sock

Isn't is lovely! It's proper thick - made in Trendsetter Stripe on 4.5mm DPN's (This colour is harvest). I changed the pattern a bit, 'coz it was silly! and made short row heels and a normal easy toe. The heel isn't great as the chunky yarn makes it look like there are holes on the short rows that there aren't! But the pattern went for a "Dec 1 at beg of each row (x times), the pick up 1 at beg of each row (x times)" and that was much worse for the whole hole scenario.

BTW if anyone is wondering - you can get a pair out of just one ball. I have half the foot to do on the second but there'll be plenty, so you don't need 2 like the pattern says (which at £10.50 /ball is a blessing!)

Autumn here I come

OK so when I said I was only doing Christmas Knitting . . . . . . I Lied!!!!!!

This is my current project....... (sorry about the flash but it's dark already!)

Here is my first attempt at the body, which I think is going to be undone!! The reason being that I decided in my wisdom to knit it all in one piece, left front/back/right front, so that I wouldn't have to seam the sides (lazy....... Me?? ..... never!!) BUT, I think the stripes are coming out too narrow and losing their subtlety (not that there is much subtle about these colours!), but as you can see from the narrower sleeve knitted below the colours do blend into each other a little more gently in wider blocks.

What do you think (again apologies for the flash!)

I also have one and a half boot socks done - photos probably tomorrow! And have weeded a flower bed, walked the dog loads, cut my grass, and generally got into the swing of things again. I am now waiting for a chicken leg to roast, whilst putting bread on to be ready in the morning, and catching up on some blogging which my dear sister has pointed out has been neglected! - That's because the temperature down here has finally dropped low enough to want to do stuff!!!!!! and do stuff I will!!!

I've been naughty

I've had SEX at Angel Yarns today (SEX - for you non-knitters is stash enhancement excursions)

Look what I did!!!!

The Noro Iro is for a cardigan (potentially with a zip - or maybe just never quite finished as I have a zip phobia! - sure this will spur me on though!) The stripey ball in the front is for boot socks (it's thick and soft and lovely) The green on the right is Bergere de France Berlaine, which is machine washable 100% wool (yes really!) However, it is knit on 3.5mm needles which is tiny and for which I would have no patience at all (it'd take months to knit!) so I have just got one ball to have a play with and try some tension squares with two strands to see if I can do something with it that way!. . . . . And all this is for ME!!!!!!

Family Tree and Christmas Knitting

Anyone wanting "in progress" knitting pics is going to go a bit short now, as I have started the dreaded Christmas presents, and as some - if not all - recipients read my blog, I can't post any photies! - ahhhh!! I dare say I will be knitting stuff for me in between, so there will be the odd picture here and there, but other than that you will have to make do with gratuitous pictures of my pooch!!!!

Other than knitting I have been updating the family tree again! For those of you that are not members of my family, (that would actually be most of you I think!) I am the Keeper of the Young Family Tree. When I say "Young" that isn't the eighth of it!!!! LOL I go back four generations and off in all directions from both Mum and Dad's side, so it's a pretty busy tree. I am also in regular contact with Mum and Dad's cousins (and their children and grandchildren!) from all sides as well as obviously my own cousins - so it is HUGE! (Around 450 individuals!), so when I get around to updating it, it takes a while!!! I have found that the newest version of Family Tree Maker is linked in with the site Ancestry.co.uk which has searches available for 1841 through 1901 censuses, plus indexes of births marriages and deaths from 1837 pretty much up to date, as well as a few other parish records etc. So when you load your family tree in, it automatically searches for any appropriate records. How easy is that?! Obviously you have to pay to have access to the records if you want to actually look at the scans of census images and stuff, but just to know it's there is great and has started me on even longer sessions of generation finding!