NaBloPoMo 2011 · Project Spectrum 5: The Basics

The Fix and Some Fun


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Another little dip into the pot turned this (parts of which I love, but not so much as a whole)…

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…into this…

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…and I'm happy with that. There are subtle changes, some depth.

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A possible pairing.

The pot hadn't completely exhausted, so I threw in a ball of Plymouth Galway. There wasn't really enough dye to create anything super exciting, so I added some gray… a prelude to the last month of Project Spectrum.

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Yes, please!

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And now for some fun! Look who's working in my area this week! Angie and I got together last night for dinner and then a little knitting over coffee/tea. We usually have camnesia when we get together, but this time nabbed a barista to take phone pics… with both of our phones!

 

NaBloPoMo 2011 · Project Spectrum 5: The Basics · Uncategorized

Dye, try, dye again

I finally knit up the yellow test skeins for my PS Square Project and managed to get them photographed while there was still some light on Saturday afternoon. Observe.

image from www.flickr.com
image from www.flickr.com
For the first time, I ran out of yarn and had to use some dyed scrap to finish the two mitered squares, above.

image from www.flickr.com
That monochromatic bunch is like sunshine…

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…or reminds me of corn on the cob. Happy and delicious!

After all the excitement and activity on Saturday, I had a very hard time getting going on Sunday — and there was lots to do! Motivation finally found me around noon or so and I ended up doing two loads of laundry; cooking two pumpkins and a squash, and making another lasagna with some of it; glueing a favorite pair of shoes (hoping to get one more winter from them) (man, that's a messy job) (aaaaand I'm not sure that they're suitable anymore for wearing in public); and cleaning up my studio/office!

My room was so bad, I could barely move without worrying about knocking something over and that type of situation is not conducive to anything creative or productive. One reason for cleaning up is that, heading into the dark season, I wanted to get something set up for photography. I finally changed the speedring on my old softbox so that it fits a newer light that I have, and set it all up in a more permanent (and somewhat portable-around-the-house) fashion. There's room! There's light! There are photos!

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I also needed to fix the Project Spectrum Aqua/Cyan yarn and give it some OOMPH. Smartly, if I may say so, I decided to experiment on the test skeins, even if (or maybe because) they weren't perfect — that's what they're for!

image from www.flickr.com
So, the fix isn't perfect, either, but it was definitely not a futile exercise.

Stay tuned… more tomorrow… after my dentist appointment.  ; )

 

Project Spectrum 5: The Basics · Uncategorized

To 5th Avenue and beyond

I did a lot of dyeing yesterday. Almost all of these items were still damp, to some degree, when photographed.

image from www.flickr.com

  • Project: Fifth Avenue Cowl (A Cowl for Nick by Margaux Hufnagel) (You want one, too!)
  • Yarn: 100% Merino 3-ply, bulky weight, 250 yards, Make.Do.Dyed for Project Spectrum – Yellow*
  • Needle: US 10-1/2, circular
  • Mods: None!
  • Start to Finish: October 21 to October 24, 2011

So, besides the fact that yellow is just really not my color – I believe there's a total of ONE "yellow" article of clothing in my wardrobe – there was far more deep purple than light muddy purple-brown in this finished yarn, making it very Viking-esque (a fact I haven't been able to shake that since it was brought up in the comments). It never occurred to me at the time, just as it never occurred to me that the green and gold border I cross-stitched on my husband's Christmas stocking was Packer perfect; apparently, those worlds just don't collide in my creative mind. Heh.

It may have worked if the proportions were different, but I knit it all up making the final decision to throw it all back into a pot o' purple. It turned out pretty great, I think, "glow-y" and with lots of depth. I really can't wait to wear it, and I promise a modeled shot.

image from www.flickr.com
As I told Ali yesterday, while showing her this yarn, I needed a pale sky blue yarn for the Sky Scarf. She said, "Oh, for a sky like today's?" Um, yeah! I need a pale gray and a white (next month is neutrals) and then I think I'll be set. I still haven't settled on a shape/project.

image from www.flickr.com
Especially when compared to my previous PS dye test skeins, but even without, I doubt one would guess these were all tests for the same color*. The flavor of the month is cyan/aqua!

Three-way

This is also the first time I dyed the finish/project skein at the same time as the test — sometime the tester is just too small to really see the full effect. There are parts of this that I absolutely love, and parts that I'm not so crazy about. I'm not sure what this will become.

*It's all exploration and experimentation, at this point, and if I learn something or am further intrigued or motivated, then I'm happy… no, I'm thrilled!

 

Knitting-Shawls · Project Spectrum 5: The Basics · Travel · Uncategorized

Study this

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Not only did I get to visit Silver Lake with Margene (one week ago today!), I was also able to photograph a fresh Different Lines there with Margene as my model! A little overwhelmed was I, what with being at Silver Lake with Margene, and the moose, and the kids, and SILVER LAKE with MARGENE! They're pretty standard FO shots… except, you know, they're at SILVER LAKE! Whew!

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  • Project: Different (Different Lines Shawl) by Veera Välimäki, 100% Rain
  • Yarn: Malabrigo Sock (eggplant) from Iris Fine Yarns, Appleton, WI
  • Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Superwash Wool & Nylon, fingering, Make.Do.Dyed for Project Spectrum in a shade of pink that reminded me of Grandma, so called "Virginia"
  • Needle: Susan Bates Quicksilver 6US/4.25mm
  • Mod: Knit one row and cast off in contrasting color
  • Start to Finish: August 31, 2011 – September 26, 2011. Finished while at the Rocky Mountain Knitters' Retreat at Alta Lodge in Utah!

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Margene took one of me, too!

I had a great and busy and quite productive weekend — cooking, knitting, dyeing, harvesting, dyeing some more! Also gearing up for a brand new, twice-monthly Knit Night at the coffee shop beginning this Thursday… Wish you were here!