This week...

We've had family in town, basketball tournaments to prepare for, extra archery tournament practices, stomach bugs, and a meeting with the session of our church in order to join, BUT I am still managing to fit in some sewing and knitting.

I'm working on sewing my little one a baptism outfit using Made.by.Rae's Big Butt Baby Pants and Charlie Tunic patterns. I'm not sure how I'm going to like it yet. I'm making it in brown and cream linen cotton blends. I'm not in sewing mode, so I have to drag myself to the table occasionally-- it has to be done this Sunday!

I have the pants mostly done, even further than this photo shows.

I have just finished up this soaker in some spring colored wool I dyed myself. The colors are really more of what my mom likes to knit in (I'm more of a Plain Jane), but I read somewhere that you really have to knit with the wool you've dyed to love it. I don't know if I love it anymore now than I did when it was twisted into a pretty hank because I loved it pretty well then! At any rate, I like how this soaker came out, and I just have a drawstring to complete.

I'm still working on this pinafore pattern. I had to put that one on hold while a dyed a trim color to match. It will have wait a little longer yet because I have another custom sock monkey in the works!

Isn't it interesting how the patterns in the wool work out? For the bottom half I got the exact same pattern of red orange blotches even with alternating skeins every inch or so. Then for the second half I got the same sort of column of red orange with alternating skeins. I can see how alternating the skeins did not change the pattern because I laid these skeins side by side and dyed them exactly the same. Does this mean I needn't bother alternating skeins if dyed this way? I can also see why the pattern changed--because the orange red bits were not evenly spaced or the same width in the sections I dyed. I'm learning! I don't know if this will change the way I dye yarn or not. I read a very scientific tutorial on calculating for creating a self-striping yarn. While it might be interesting to know the exact (or close to exact) effect you will get from your dyed yarn, I almost think it is more fun to be surprised. If you have already calculated where and how far apart each color will be, you've taken the fun out of being poised over your yarn with a paintbrush waiting for the creative juices to guide you!

I've enjoyed dyeing my own yarn so much that I have scheduled a class to teach home school girls and moms how to dye their own wool. I had enough interested that I will have to schedule a second! What a fabulous crafty project for young girls who enjoy knitting. Their finished project will truly be one-of-a-kind!