Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Well, maybe not too much. I do have to drive to work tomorrow. But I really do love to see it snow! It has tried to snow off and on all day, but only about an hour ago did it start really coming down....and sticking. ;) So here's a picture of the driveway and the garden an hour ago. It's building up a little, but it's getting so dark it's hard to tell in pictures.


On the diet front, I'm down 17.5 lbs and it's time to move onto the next phase of the diet. We need to start adding things back onto the menu as I'm getting bored with what we're doing now, and am having some serious cravings for foods that are not on this phase. I will revisit this phase again in the future but not for awhile. Another thing that I need to add is a regular excercise program. This sucks mainly because I will need to take some time out from my crafting to do that, and we all know how I feel about that. ;)


Speaking of crafting.....

I give you the newly completed back of my sweater! I plan on casting on for the front piece. DH pointed out I should make sure that I make a left and a right.....I didn't realize how cranky I was until he said that and I didn't find it funny. Honestly....he knows my knitting ability....and it's perfectly possible for me to knit two lefts or two rights! hehehehe Anyway, I'm excited as it looks like I may actually knit a sweater. Bets are being placed all over...I'm sure!!

Here are the results from Wednesday's dyeing project. This first one is the result of Crock Pot dyeing using Wiltons Royal Blue icing dye. I added salt to the water to see if that would help with consistancy. I have to admit that this is so far my favorite way to dye. Soak the fiber, mix the dye fill the pot add the fiber, turn on and away you go. Literally. Go away. For like 2-4 hours. No stirring, no turning. NO felting. I'm not sure why this took up the dye in differing shades other than I only soaked the laps and did not wash them first. I also added a larger than necessary amount of salt, so that may have made the difference there too. I really like how this came out and hope to be spinning this up soon. The down side here is the smaller quantitiy of fiber that can be dyed at one time.

This is the result of using my canning pot and a package of RIT dark green dye. I used the same Merino/Silk laps that I used in the Crock Pot, just more of them. I'm a huge dark green fan and will spin this up for me. I don't think the dye split on this so much as the different fibers took up dye at different rates. There is a very large quantity of this that is the darkest green, and equal amounts of the mossy green and olive green. I worried the whole time that this was going to felt as it seemed like I was having to move the fiber alot to get the best coverage. The downside to this dyeing was the dark pot and it being difficult to see the dark fiber in the dark pot. ;) (That and the dark green silk looked like cooked spinich.) I'm pretty happy with the results though and look forward to spinning it up.

Our spinning guild members are making an afghan to raffle off for the benefit of the guilds bank. We were all invited to participate by knitting, weaving or crocheting 8"x8" squares out of natural colored fibers. No dyeing permitted. ;) I've got some brown on the bobbins but really wanted that for some socks so I may end up carding up some more. I do have a small amount of white yarn that I can use as it's replaceable for the project it's intended for. I'm going to see if I can knit up a square tonight before casting on for the sweater front. I'd like to do 2 or three squares if I can before the next meeting.

I'd better sign off and think about making dinner for us as it's about that time. Especially if I want to get back to the yarn tonight!