Last chapter - Bringing up to date

Have also been dyeing. I am taking part in a round robin on a yahoo group I belong to. The first two pictures are fabric that came to me space dyed. I struggled for weeks about what to do with it. I eventually decided - form expereince with my own pieces that a second space dye was in order to enrich the piece. The photos are not good - they just do NOT capture the colours etc. You just have to trust me that the results are gorgeous:) The fabric has been sent on it's way for the next layer.



The above lot are dyeing a rainbow - with my niece - don't they look gorgeous deep colours. They are wet in the pics above. However, I believe I may have got the short straw with the fabric - everything has come out relatively pale - and I believe the fabric may have been polycotton - but sold as pure cotton for dyeing. Got it mail order - lots of it!

Unfortunately I don't have time at the moment to try a test of dyeing a variety of other cottons I have and including this percale - to see what the result might be. I know of no other way to know whether the fabric has any polyester in it.

Disappointing to say the least. I do like pale colours - but for this exercise ie. dyeing metres and metres for a course I'm doing in October - this is far from a good result. Also a huge waste of dye - cos obviously it washed out!!!!!

Anyhow - most recently. Yesterday my sis and I visited the yummy yarn store 'Stash Yarns' in Upper Richmond Road - Putney. We went - cos I hadn't been yet - and also cos I will be an aunty again soon - 5 weeks time ish - and an aunt for the 4th time. My sis wanted some dk yarn for a friend to knit her some baby things. i don't have time at the moment - for anything other than a pair of booties or socks. i am behind with a few things including one very special project for someone else.

Anyhow sis bought some mission falls cotton - which is really nice - in pure white and also some rooster almerino in a lovely soft greenish blue. Also a mixed yarn hank to knit a scarf for herself in yummy shades of green.

Me - I got some sock yarn - a german one and a fleece artist one, a copy of interweave knits funky mag - knit scene, and one of those knitting row/stitch counters I keep meaning to buy... I tried to use an old one that fits on the end of the needle the other night - horrible nasty little thing...

Good to finally meet the two ladies in the shop and also to find an old friend sitting there - Jan and I met at Ally Pally last year. Good to catch up again.

We had a few bits to do in Putney - and as we were walking to the bus stop I asked if sis minded if we popped into the Sewing Room - a sewing shop in Lacy Road. I wanted to talk to the lady there about software for my new machine. I had understood correctly that the software is more or less compatible - the restriction is that it must be able to save designs in the file format that suits your machine. This is good - we had a long chat - she gave me some brochures - but it will have to wait a while - as it will be a bit costly - and as it doesn't work on Mac I will need a basic laptop for it.

Also they have some yarn in the shop - they have some adrafil and some gorgeous fine alpaca from garnstudio. Yes that's the other yarn in the pic that hasn't yet been explained. I spent ages last night on the net looking through the garnstudio website for the free patterns. You buy your yarn and all the patterns are free - downloadable from the website. What a great idea.


Clarence is the sleepy puss cat. It never fails to amaze me where cats will sleep:) She is my sister's family cat and now 16 years old - bless her.


Well that's enough to be getting on with - more or less up to date. Must go and iron and pack now - YUK!!!!! And TRY AGAIN - to get hold of someone at BA who can tell me if I can currently take my knitting on the plane...