Oh holiday bazaar madness, you may be the death of me! I still have so much to do before the big day on Saturday. I sat down last night and made a checklist of things to do pre-show and things to bring and ho boy, it's kind of long. There are still 13 things on my prep/buy list, so I picked 6 to finish today. I was going to get a car today and go buy the last few things, but SOMEBODY decided to keep me up off and on for 5 hours last night. I only have 7 hours to sleep, dude...not cool. Shopping will have to wait until tomorrow.
So I think I mentioned in another post that I picked up some citric acid and started subbing that in for vinegar to dye my yarn. I am starting to have issues with it... Supposedly 1 tbsp citric acid is equivalent to something like 6-8 tbsp vinegar. I am not big on measuring, so when I used vinegar I would just pour a few glugs in the pot when i turned the heat on, and if the dye bath didn't clear I would add a few more glugs. (very technical term here, "glugs") I have checked several guides, and they recommend 1-2 tbsp citric acid for a pound of fiber. Last night I used 7 tbsp of citric acid and my dye still wouldn't set fully! I ended up with pink yarn instead of red...very frustrating. I'm going to find some pH strips to see if maybe I got a bad batch of acid.
I also only have two balls of undyed yarn left in my stash, yikes! After Saturday I will be ordering some more for sure!
Showing posts with label dyeing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dyeing. Show all posts
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
7 woolies down...
...many, many more to go. My goal is to have at least 16 pairs finished by the fair on 12/4, 4 of each size, evenly divided between longies and shorties and boyish and girly colors. I am remarkably on track. If I continue finishing one pair every other day, I will actually have over 20 finished, but I have to factor in time to wash the suckers and let them air dry before the event. My to-do list still includes ordering business cards and designing some sort of care sheet/tag/thingie, finding a pretty table cloth, getting shopping bags and a simple receipt book...ho boy. Who knows how many crucial steps I am missing because I am flying by the seat of my pants here. Still, I am SO excited!!
Tonight I tried dyeing with Kool-aid for the first time, and I can definitely see the appeal. It certainly smells yummier than my usual vinegary cauldron, and the water was practically clear after one rinse, compared to the 4-5 rinses acid dyes take. But, at the volume I'm working with, it would be so much more expensive to use and the color selection is pretty limited. To keep my wonderful, kind, patient husband content I'm ordering some citric acid right now - he complains to no end about the acrid stench while the dye pot is bubbling. And, of course, since I have to pay for shipping anyways, some new dye colors! *steeples fingers and cackles maniacally*
Tonight I tried dyeing with Kool-aid for the first time, and I can definitely see the appeal. It certainly smells yummier than my usual vinegary cauldron, and the water was practically clear after one rinse, compared to the 4-5 rinses acid dyes take. But, at the volume I'm working with, it would be so much more expensive to use and the color selection is pretty limited. To keep my wonderful, kind, patient husband content I'm ordering some citric acid right now - he complains to no end about the acrid stench while the dye pot is bubbling. And, of course, since I have to pay for shipping anyways, some new dye colors! *steeples fingers and cackles maniacally*
Sunday, October 17, 2010
There is violet dye on my shirt. This is not a dyeing shirt. :(
I have a correction to my last post. Apparently I only suck at blogging - crafting I'm doing pretty well with! This week, I...
Dyed my Osnaburg wrap!
Sent off my craft swap items, including my tea cozy! Also included were two tiny pumpkins and a purple scarf, but I forgot to take pictures of those in my rush to the post office. The nut in the background is Oni.
Finished two wool shorties from my dyed yarn! Also a pair of longies that are still missing elastic and so are not pictured. The photobomber in this picture is Leela.
And, most exciting of all, HOLY CRAP I COMMITTED TO A HOLIDAY BAZAAR TO SELL MY STUFFS! I keep having "wtf was I thinking" moments, but I think this could be just the kick in the butt I need to get my craftiness into business mode. I have until December 6th to finish as many shorties, longies, hats, wrist warmers and whatever else I please as I can. Even as I type there is a dye-pot of yarn simmering on the stove and a batch in the microwave. Grandmas have been enlisted to come over during the week to keep the monster occupied while I knit my ass off. I am hoping to have about 20 shorties/longies in various sizes plus whatever else I can manage. The bazaar is at Granola Babies in Costa Mesa, so I'm focusing on the baby goods, but mama goods are welcome as well.
The one job offer I had has been pushed back yet *again,* so I am not hopeful at all that it will happen. Nobody around us is hiring part time, and the thought of going back to work full time makes me cry. Even the thought of going back part time bums me out, so I am throwing myself headlong into crafting. Wish me luck, imaginary readers!
Dyed my Osnaburg wrap!
Sent off my craft swap items, including my tea cozy! Also included were two tiny pumpkins and a purple scarf, but I forgot to take pictures of those in my rush to the post office. The nut in the background is Oni.
Finished two wool shorties from my dyed yarn! Also a pair of longies that are still missing elastic and so are not pictured. The photobomber in this picture is Leela.
And, most exciting of all, HOLY CRAP I COMMITTED TO A HOLIDAY BAZAAR TO SELL MY STUFFS! I keep having "wtf was I thinking" moments, but I think this could be just the kick in the butt I need to get my craftiness into business mode. I have until December 6th to finish as many shorties, longies, hats, wrist warmers and whatever else I please as I can. Even as I type there is a dye-pot of yarn simmering on the stove and a batch in the microwave. Grandmas have been enlisted to come over during the week to keep the monster occupied while I knit my ass off. I am hoping to have about 20 shorties/longies in various sizes plus whatever else I can manage. The bazaar is at Granola Babies in Costa Mesa, so I'm focusing on the baby goods, but mama goods are welcome as well.
The one job offer I had has been pushed back yet *again,* so I am not hopeful at all that it will happen. Nobody around us is hiring part time, and the thought of going back to work full time makes me cry. Even the thought of going back part time bums me out, so I am throwing myself headlong into crafting. Wish me luck, imaginary readers!
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