Pink Progress

The fair floss - cotton candy - pinker-than-pink fluff is half done. So far it doesn't feel too sweet. It's been lovely and smooth in my fingers, with enough subtle colour variation to keep me interested and a surprisingly "woolly" crimp for a combed merino-lyocell blend.

This little twisty curl, just tickled my fancy. It made me think of squirmy piglets. Not that I've ever really seen piglets in the flesh, but imagining them is fun.

Despite my enjoyment of the first 50 grams, I think I'll card the second half. I can't imagine a garment made entirely from this yarn, so I'm going for variety.

Pink for a Change

I've been spinning my way through the marine coloured tops. After the multi-marle version was finished I did 50 grams of each of the solid colours. There's half a kilo of spinning already. Then I made different colour combinations, mixing the blues together for one and the greens for another. So despite the fact that those colours haven't re-appeared on my blog for a while, they have been in my hands pretty much every day. I have one more combination to do to complete the set, but I've decided to use my drum-carder for that one. It's one of the fierce-looking pieces of equipment that hides out in the studio.

This morning I went to the basket to find a new project. I picked this out.

This definitely doesn't look fierce. It's as shiny and soft and sweet as they come. A merino-lyocell blend from Stranded in Oz. It's one of my previously unacknowledged purchases from the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show. You know the ones that hide out in the bottom of your bag and don't get counted in the tally at the end of the day because they weren't on the list?

Yes it looks like fairy floss, especially when the tops are split up ready to spin. There is a risk that 100 grams will give me that terrible feeling of too much sweetness. I'm planning to spin it quite fine. I'll spin the first half and see how I go. 

By Request

My friend Sharon requested some yarn in the hot pink-purple tones I've been using for my socks. It's just about ready.

The weather here hasn't been conducive to drying, so the skeins are hanging on the back of my spinning chair in the living room, where they can have the benefit of some warm air. After that I just need to wind them into balls and they're ready to go. I anticipate a happy visit to the post office tomorrow.

Meanwhile I've been working on a hand-dyed colour wheel for myself. I'm using teeny-tiny samples, so it's been fiddly, but dyeing is always fun.



Implementing

I've happily agreed to dye some yarn for an encouraging friend. The colourway will be hot-pink-purple. I've obviously had fun in the past with these colours, but it's been a little while and I'm keen to re-acquaint myself with the available options. In particular I have two very similar dyes: landscape grevillea and galah. I figure the best way to check them out is to put them near each other and see if I can tell the difference in real life. I think I'll dye this batch of yarns in the microwave. So I picked up a stray skein of undyed handspun. It weighs in at 25 grams. Here it is soaked and ready to go with the two colours in question separated by the purpley cyclamin.

I can just see a difference between the two pinks in real life and maybe also on my monitor. Meanwhile I have another two different purples and that's before I start mixing colours from first principles, so there will be no shortage of variety.

While I've been uploading the photo and typing, the yarn has been heated in the microwave. Now I just need to wait for it to  react and then rinse it out before I can see the result. 

In the Pink

I picked through my boxes of wool tops this morning looking for some pink. Here's what I found.

I'm spinning it up to ply with my bonus bag of pink merino blend. It will be interesting to see how the different colour combinations turn out.

Not Pink

My red merino and white tencel fibre sat patiently on the table until yesterday afternoon. It was hard to ignore its brightness, but I had a few other tasks demanding my attention, so it just had to wait. Late yesterday afternoon I got to carding it. I wondered how the red and white would combine--it was 70% red merino and 30% white tencel by weight. Initially that looked like a fair bit of white to mix with the red, but here's how it looked carded: Definitely still red and white, not pink. I'm glad to say I kept up the momentum and got through the spinning and plying before bedtime. The skein is washed and hanging on my rack to dry. Now to get my folio in order and handed in. My spinning wheel is conspicuously vacant! It's so tempting to launch in on something new, but I'm going to discipline myself to do a bit each day on sorting and presenting the work I've done. Then I can really heave that sigh of relief.

Pink Quilt Arrived

The Pink Quilt has arrived at its destination. Apparently the postie announced a parcel "for Baby B" when she knocked on the door, since that's what I'd put on the address label:) Here's the pic I promised of the completed front before it was bundled up to go in the mail: Random white buttons and a bit of a free-hand (not free motion) quilted design in the border.

I'm told it's been initiated already--being quite thick and textured, I thought it would be good as a place for baby to sit and play while older brothers and sister do their thing. Since my friends live in (subtropical) Queensland there's not so much call for something to snuggle under. Especially not at this time of year.

Today I'd like to get on with my mystery project, since it needs to be in the mail in the next few days--only binding and finishing off to do, really, then I should try to clear up a bit since each of my recent projects has left a legacy of leftovers, tools and bits and pieces trailing through my house.

Your Quilt is in the Mail

Today I'm focussing on quilt backings and binding--the topics for tomorrow night's Patchwork by Machine class. So here's the Quick and Easy Pink quilt, backed and bound (and quilted) and ready to send off to Baby B. I won't spoil the surprise any more by showing you the front of the quilt all finished until it's arrived at its destination.

I'm doing my class preparation today because my car is booked in for a service tomorrow, so I'll be out most of the day. I'm hoping there won't be any complications since I'll definitely need the car to get to my quilting class--the Neighbourhood House is an easy walk, but the amount of equipment I need to carry usually entails several trips to and from the car. OK, now I'm off to photograph and pack the quilt and then prepare some handouts about binding a finished quilt.

Progress

Here's a progress shot of the Bubble and Squeak: I've done about a dozen rows and it's starting to take shape: though so far it's only a skinny little thing. I'm leaving the tails at the end of each row to form a fringe. That will emphasise the character of the different yarns, add to the excitement of the wrap and save me a heap of trouble weaving in ends. Yes!

Would you believe I've promised to make a roast dinner for tonight. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've made a roast dinner and have fingers left over. It's supposed to be easy, and I guess it is, but I'm consulting on oven temperature and time and . . . The theme for this week has been Pink, but I don't want a pink roast.

Ummm . . . Pink Again

I'm planning a "bubble and squeak" wrap for the end of my Spinning Folio. "Bubble and Squeak" are the fritters traditionally made with leftovers from a roast dinner--usually the day after. So my "Bubble and Squeak" wrap will be all the bits of handspun that didn't make it into the folio for whatever reason:

• excess to requirements
• trial runs
• skeins where I forgot to keep a sample to display
• insufficient fibre to make up the required quantity
• unidentified spinning . . .

To unify the whole thing--and because I don't like to wear neutral colours--I've been dyeing the skeins in shades of purple and pink. Here's today's brew:

This one is the excess of my medium woollen sample. The dye is Landscape, Galah. As you can see, my dye pot is nothing very flash and it shares the stove with the coffee pot. Most of the brown on the stove top is over-enthusiastic coffee. Once the stove cools down, I'll give it a clean up, but for now, I'm going to turn that dye pot down to simmer and get back to my spinning.

Still Thinking Pink

I'm thinking on the theme of Pink, after yesterday's post: I've pulled out the quilt top I made with the pink corduroys earlier this year: It's a quick and easy quilt top for a quick and easy baby. Baby B's birth was so easy, she ended up arriving in the rumpus room at home! Meanwhile, she has been growing up and I haven't got as far as finishing off this quilt. So . . . today I have to go to the warehouse to pick up the quilt wadding for my Patchwork by Machine class. Hopefully I can get as far as basting this quilt today or tomorrow. The quilting will be, you guessed it, Quick and Easy and Pink!

Pink Drink

Yesterday afternoon was spent catching up with R's niece. She's 7 years old and her favourite colour is . . . you guessed it, PINK. She made it easy to choose activities for the couple of hours we were together: a happy meal and a trip to the park.

She had to have this drink: Yep, the contents are water, sugar and some sort of colouring. It's the colouring that does it: what pink loving girl could resist. As it turns out, she hardly drank any of it and it slowly melted into something that looked awfully like red cordial. Oh well!

The park, on the other hand, never loses any of its charm. There's a 3D snakes and ladders game, a big fort in the shape of an aeroplane and, of course, the swings. It's good that some things in life are simply fun.

And More Pink

I picked up this dressing gown at an Op Shop years ago:It's been in the stash, waiting for a suitable project. Like a lot of my stash, it's had various incarnations in my mind, which have not eventuated in real life. Now I'm planning to combine it with the pink corduroys I posted yesterday. That should still leave enough scraps for a pink chenille teddy, which was my original intention.

Yesterday I got as far as digging it out of the box where I'd stored it and giving it a good wash. Now it's clean and dry and ready to go, but it's going to take a bit of determination to make the first cut. Uh oh! --the more I think about it, the more reluctant I am to take the scissors to it.

Pink, Pink, Pink!

I'm playing with the idea of a little girl's floor rug / quilt. I have some pink chenille as well as these corduroys: There are also some pink flannels looking for a home. I guess the different textures are part of the attraction. This pic was taken while I was asking myself whether the duller pink colour--at the top right--goes with the others. I think the answer is No!

The next question to answer is how hardy do I want this project to be? The corduroy will take a fair bit of punishment without complaining, whereas the flannel needs a bit more consideration. Then again distressed flannel does look pretty good. Hmmm . . . I'm not in a hurry so I'll just let those sit together until it becomes clearer.

Hot Pink

It's fun week at the Neighbourhood House. Not that every week at the Neighbourhood House isn't rather fun. But the week of the Winter Solstice is set aside for a particular focus on FUN. It's usually one of the last weeks of term and we all need a bit of a cheer up. This year each day has its designated colour. Today was pink . . . or should I say, PINK:

Leigh dropped in to welcome my washing machine and share a cuppa and a scone with me this afternoon. She was also wearing a pink shirt, but those stockings are just eye-poppers. I'm a woman who loves vibrant colours, but I don't think I could mix up something as potent as that.

By the way, that is my bamboo floor in the background. I've had so much drama with broken appliances and furniture woes, that I haven't offered as Ta Da! shot of the floor yet. I'm still trying to cope with stuff. Of course I may be still trying to cope with stuff this time next year, but I'm counting on it getting a little better.