Warm hands and feet

Okay I am having serious commitment issues with you blog. I think my problem is that I really tend turn into a hermit in winter anyway and now that has seeped over into my online life as well. It’s not you. it’s me. I have hardly posted on my Facebook, Twitter, anything. I have lots of stuff I need to add to my website and haven’t done that either. Gah! I need to just get my butt in gear.

Spring’s coming soon though, right? It has been one heck of a winter hasn’t it? We haven’t had all the snow most of the country has, thankfully, but it sure has been unusually gray and cold this year. Next week’s temperatures are expected to be warmer, in the sixties, but wet. That’s not much better but I will take it. I need to get yarn dyed for the spring shows and the weather is just not co-operating. We have an indoor space for some of the work, like mixing dyes, but the cooking and drying happens outside.

Here’s how we soak yarn before it goes in the pots.

This is the color mixing step which comes after I measure out all the dye powder for the primaries and mix that stock up. These are the indoor parts.

This is all the outdoor parts. Boy, look at that green grass. Sigh.

This is the rinsing and color check stage before we spin the skeins to rid them of as much water as we can to cut down on drying time. Ahhh, look at those gorgeous trees. I feel warmer already just looking at these.

Now this is the perfect cure for the winter blahs isn’t it? Look at all that sunshine and color!

I sat down to write today planning to show you a few things I knit and had no plans to start talking about dyeing. But as I started writing about it and digging up pictures I realize that it was the perfect thing to see on such a dreary day as it is. Funny how that happened. :-)

Oh, and I guess I will show you that knitting too, LOL!

First I made my fourth pair of Knucks recently in Rowan Felted Tweed DK. I love these and they are so fun to make.

That takes care of the need for warm hands now how about the other appendages?

On a whim last night, since I haven’t made socks in forever but wanted a quick project, I cast on for some “house socks” in leftover Cascade Eco wool left over from the baby sweaters last fall. I am using just basic sock recipe in Ann Budd’s Handy Book of Patterns on size 6 needles.

I am using the light oatmeal for the body of the socks and the gray for the heels and toes.

Okay that’s it for now and I am going to try and stay out of my shell now. :-)