"Dyeing My 2nd Skein of "Bare" Yarn....."

I bought 2 skeins of Bare Sock Yarn from Knit Picks. I liked how the 1st one turned out, so I tried to re-create the process to see if I could get similar results on the 2nd one. This time, I began with dyeing the entire skein yellow, rather than having to over-dye in a yellow dye bath.


After the yellow dye was soaked up and the water clear, I took the yellow skein out, pour some of the water out, added more vinegar, and laid the skein back into the water. I then added both reds to gets some oranges, and then added both blues again, being much more "gentle" when adding the blue dye in hopes that it would not bleed too far out into the skein.


The Sapphire Blue is so rich looking as it dissolves in the water.


After adding the Sapphire Blue and seeing how the concentration was heavier, I went back and added a little more Sky Blue in hopes of getting the same richness of color.


After adding the dyes to my satisfaction, I set the crock pot on high and let it "cook" until the water again turned clear. After rinsing the skein to make sure all of the dye took, I hung it to dry.


The finished skein of sock yarn. Similar but different than my 1st attempt at dyeing this year, using these colors. I am very happy again with the results.

"New Arrivals!!!!"

The neighborhood welcomed our newest residents.....Kai and Zoe! Krista and Jacob became proud parents early last Thursday, and we were introduced to the twins on Friday! Yes....they were less than 48 hours old!! Here is photo of the new family, along with their good friend Christine.


Oh yes, I was able to get some "holdn' time" in with Kai. Christine had dibs on Zoe most of the time they were at happy hour, although I think she finally let Angela have a turn. ;)


Our friend Ramona also joined us that night. She and Benjamin hung out a lot together, too. Uncle Rob was nearby in case she needed help.


Michael and Anna also came over for a visit. They had some news to share as well......they found out earlier in the week that Anna is carrying a baby boy, so I felt it a good time to give them their baby gift, a blanket that I had knitted for them.


I'd also knitted/felted a small purse for Ramona. She happened to wear perfect colors to go with it for her photo shoot. :)

"Dyeing "Bare" Yarn........"

I ordered some "Bare" yarn from Knit Picks, a internet supplier for knitting/crocheting. This is the first time I have bought yarn for home dyeing, plus I purchased a starter kit of 6 Jacquard Acid Dyes, too. The yarn is sock weight.......a blend of 50% Superwash Merino, 25% Superfine Alpaca, and 25% Nylon.


I experimented using all of the dyes, with the exception of Black.


Yellow, Vermillion and Fire Red, Sapphire and Sky Blue are all included in this "experiment". After dyeing this skein in the crock pot, I wasn't happy with how it turned out. The colors didn't seem as vibrant/rich as I expected, so I re-dyed the skein, using only a yellow dye bath.


Here is the results. I am VERY happy with how it turned out. I think of it as very "Autumnal". Any comments?

"More of America's Best Flowers Photos, Plus Deck Pots"

I have a few more photos of the greenhouses at America's Best Flowers. Truly beautiful flowers there........


The last one......


These are the only flowers that I bought. 4 little impatiens for the pot that gets the least amount of sun.......


The outside plants are ground cherries. Ground cherries are supposed to taste "strawberry-like". I planted 4 Purple Beauty Peppers in the middle of the pot. I know they are too close together, but with not knowing if there will be enough sun for them to grow well, I figured "what the heck"? They will certainly require more water, but that is nothing new with container gardening.


Our 3 pots of "Better Boy" tomatoes. As you can see, I cheated and bought 2 rather big plants so that we'd have an earlier crop. Home grown, just picked from the vine are the most delicious eating!


These 4 plants are cherries tomatoes. Once again, I planted too many in the pot but with not knowing if there will be sufficient sun for them to grow well, I decided that it was worth the gamble.


Yesterday, I re-potted some coleus and set those plants out on the deck, along with a HUGE Mother In Laws Tongue, and our 2 amaryllis that are in their leaf growing stage. Hopefully, they will do well this summer and when set inside for their forced dormancy, when re-planted, they will give us beautiful blooms again.

"My Trip to America's Best Flowers....."

I finally went yesterday to go and buy the flowers/vegetables that we wanted for pots/planters out on the front deck. I drove out to Cottage Grove to America's Best Flowers Greenhouses. We've gotten plants from them the past few years and I really like the selection they have available.

I took a few photos while there........here are some gorgeous pots of Impatiens.


The entry to the other areas and greenhouses.......the place is HUGE!


And random shots into greenhouses packed with plants.


This is the vegetable greenhouse where I picked up several tomato and pepper plants.


The variety of color was fantastic!


More photos of the greenhouses tomorrow, along with our planted pots.

"Fern....."

When Don asked me if I had any photos left for my blog and I said the "fern", he stated that we've had a very boring life as of late. I beg to disagree. I enjoy our life, regardless if we "DO" something special or not. We have a very comfortable life and I am very happy with it. :)

"My Turn for a Surprise Package......"

Friday was my turn to receive a surprise package in the mail. It was from Maniphone, Jonathan, Simon, and Henry! They sure know how to tape something to make sure it won't come apart while in transit....... ;)


A wonderful note from Maniphone......


"CHIPPERS"!!!!!! Chippers are potato chips that are dipped in chocolate. They are DELICIOUS!!!! They're a "specialty" taste treat of Grand Forks, ND.


And there was more! I now have my own Sheep Farm!!!! Maniphone, with some help from Simon (and I'm sure Henry was supervising) created this sheep farm for me. They definitely know how much I love fiber and wanted me to have my own sheep. :)


A close up of my sheep farm. It was immediately hung up in our kitchen! Thanks Guys!!!!