wiltons fun

Here's some Wilton's dyed Cloud 9, a wool and angora blend that I'm currently in love with for hats.

The pictures a bit blurry, but it's the best I can do with my digital and stormy-day lighting. (And man, do I hope it clears up soon. I have to ride my bike to work today.)

These took me hours. I was very technical and scientific on the prep, measured out the vinegar and everything. Very not me. But I'm planning on getting some acid dyes to play with, so I thought I should try following the rules on something less deadly, first.

I think they came out pretty good, considering. My fingers were horrible, terrible colors, though, because I just can not make myself wear gloves.

<-Here's the first ten. There were three more that I dip-dyed in the skein, but the color didn't seem to go all the way through so they're getting re-done. The purple and white in the upper left hand corner is for me, the bright multi second from right (also in the top pic) is for my best friend, and the green and blue in the middle are going to be hat/booties sets for friends babies. The other six I'm going to sell.

Except maybe for one of these.

The four color multis are my favorites, like the one in this picture. They're done with the Wilton's Copper, Burgundy, Delphinium blue, and Juniper green.

I think these four are my favorite Wilton's colors, and I love how they go together. I have some smart superwash dyed with the copper blue and green that's going to be a sweater for one the babies as soon as I can figure out which size to make.




<-the blue and green for booties and hats.

My friends had better start having girls, I tell you. Two boys due in November, my neighbor had a boy, all but one of my cousins have boys...

This is why Kaitlyn gets so many knits.

My mom is going to pay me to make something for her friend's baby, due in January. I've got my fingers crossed that it's girl, because I have some really cute baby girl patterns that I'd really like to make.


Not dying, last night I cast on a pair of Knucks. Yes, I'm supossed to be saving up for a new car. But all bike related expenses are okay, right?

And I needed gloves. Fingerless gloves. Made from Alpaca and silk.

So that's totally okay.

Right?

(I had to make seven different fingers for this one. See that bit of tail there in the backround? That's Shadow. If there's Alpaca, he's there. I left them alone for a few minutes, and two fingers dissapeared from their holders. My animals are starting to get to me.)

Bad dog

This is two skeins of Silk Garden.

Apparently Maddie missed me while I was working last week, and decided that my brand new yarn was a good sub for me.

Couldn't pull out the Red Heart Symphony right next to it, noooo...

*sigh* Well, at least they're still (I think) intact. She just sort of pulled them out, ate the labels, and then somehow twisted them up on each other. So that's good...?

It fits her!

There's a bit of back story for this, my first make-it-up-as-I-go-along sweater.

A couple of months ago, we started carrying Big Wool. While I waited for the pattern book I wanted to come in, I started thinking of how cute (and fast!) sweaters for my friend's daughter Kaitlyn (my almost-niece) and her cousin, Kyli, would be.

A few weeks after that, one of the ladies I work with brought in a pattern book that I shall not name here, featuring what looked like the perfect sweater.

Then I read the pattern, and looked at the sleeves in the picture a little closer and realized, "okay, that would fit me." Not good for a skinny 4-year-old. Also, Julie said something about the sleeves making the baby in the picture look like a little Michelin man.

So that was right out.

I’ll do it myself! I thought. And I’ll make the sleeves raglan, too! Because I really, really don’t like seaming.

And, somehow, I managed to do it. Two sweaters done before their birthdays, and a hoodie for Kyli’s baby brother about half done. I’m so glad that it fits, and is big enough that she can probably wear it next year, too, since I didn’t measure her and just sort of guessed.*g*

I remembered to write down the pattern, too! It’ll be up here in a few days if anyone is interested.

The actual sweaters were finished a month ago, but being me I didn’t get the buttons on until 3 hours before Kaitlyn’s birthday party.

The girls are three weeks apart in age and all sorts of cute when they get together, but they live in different states now and don’t see each other often. Kaitlyn’s sweater is pink with a white heart, and Kyli’s is white with a pink heart, so they’ll always have each other’s hearts with them.

I’ve got to box Kyli’s up and send it still, but I’ll take a picture of it tomorrow when I get into the shop.