GASP!!

I haven't blogged since April 6th???!!!! Shame on me!! But, sadly, this is quite typical for me. I have so many scattered thoughts throughout the day that if I sat to write them all down, you would surely think I was insane. A pure lunatic. And while I can't keep my blog posts to one subject per post like some bloggers can, I just do the best I can.

After much trial and error, I got my cottons dyed up! The photo you see is a peek. I did experiments with three different types of cotton yarn, and so far, my favorite is what I named "Comfy Jeans Cotton". It says its a "2" weight, but according to wraps per inch, it's more like a light DK. It knits up beautifully and has a soft twist, as you can see in the pics. It almost look handspun. I just love it!

Dyeing cotton is nothing new to me. I've been dyeing all sort of methods with cotton fabric since college...we're talking like 20 years here. But...I had never dyed cotton yarn. Let's just say that, while the dyes and the process was old hat for me, handling cotton yarn was very new! I have four skeins here that are a tangled mess of spaghetti-yarn-barf! You see, I was so excited to think I could just throw cotton into the washer to rinse after dyeing that I didn't realize what would happen to it when the agitator started doing it's....er...magic. I pulled out of the washer hopelessly tangled messes of beautifully dyed cotton. UGH.

So I tried again. I tied up the hanks a short distance from each end, and a couple times in the middle. Well, that short distance from the end was just enough to get those end loops tangled badly. Wasn't as bad as the first time, mind you....but I only managed to save two of the three hanks. This last time was success. I tied the hell out of those skeins, and I ended up with tangle-free yarn.

So....whew! And I just got my wool order in yesterday, so I will be dyeing today.

This last Sunday, a trip to Ikea with my daughter was lots of fun. I found the most gi-normous storage bags I've ever seen...will be perfect for protecting all my wool this summer!

Just for reference...the table that the bag is sitting under is my industrial sewing machine, and the table is about 40-some inches long. I used to have three big huge ziploc storage bags sitting under there...one for dyed wool braids, one for yarns for sale, and the other for my white yarns waiting to be dyed. All three of those big bags fit into this HUGE Ikea bag...with LOTS of room to spare! Ikea rocks! I also picked up a smaller bag. It's still gi-normous. Now, all of this is in defense against the dreaded clothes moth. I've never had a problem with them, but now is not the time to think I'll be safe. I have a veritable smorgasbord here for moths. It's an all-you-can-eat feast here for them, all this wool.

I also picked up a new dishes set! Ikea had a one-day-only sale. A service for SIX....plate, bowls, salad plate, silverware, coffee mugs, and two different types of glasses. Six of each...forty bucks. They are beee---yoooo---teee---ful!! Hell of a deal...! I was afraid that the silverware would be the cheapie set that Ikea offers, but this was a regularly $90 set, and the silverware included was the "Dragon" set. GORGEOUS flatware! The only thing I didn't care for was the set of wine glasses. I didn't even take them out. Super-thin glass...not suitable for my family. But then, nobody here drinks wine! I guess I will have them for special occasions, when I do have a drink.

One last note. And I put it last, because, for me, it holds the most PUNCH. Thanks to an online buddy I have, Autumn Leigh.....I JOINED WEIGHT WATCHERS!!! I am so excited! Finally, I think I have found a plan that will work!!! In five days, I lost 9 pounds! Now, of course, this is not typical, and is only because I most likely lost a ton of water and yuck that my body was retaining, but I sure do feel better! The plan is pure genius. Finally, someone figured out how to allow a dieter to eat ANYTHING she wants....putting a point-value system to everything that is much, MUCH easier to keep track of than calories or even counting carbs. I am delighted. And I am making better food choices. It's pretty straight-forward. When I make bad choices, with high point values, I don't eat as much, and I am hungry. When I choose wisely, I get to eat, and I am filled up, and I lose weight! Fancy that!

Okay, I'm off. I have dye recipes to write up, and wool to dye!