Au Naturale has it's place, but you really don't want to see it walking down Main street right? Same goes with yarn, while I love yarn in it's natural hues, there are those times when life needs a little color and sometimes you get a little more than you were prepared for.
Do you ever have those moments in life where Bob Ross goes floating by the edges of your consciousness saying "Remember, there are no mistakes, only happy accidents."??
Well I had one the other day and all because I thought I'd dye some wool. Keeping in mind I've played with Kool-Aid (people really drink this stuff???) and had wonderful results, but the spectrum is limited and they go and change them all the time. Off to the internet/web (depending on how much your inner geek is speaking up) I go. Food dye, frosting dye, oh joy. Due to the gregarious and curious nature of the young offspring roaming free about the house, I'm keeping the dye stuff to the semi-toxic at this time. Wonderful people in cyber land have provided instructions by the ton. Okay. How hard can this be? Just follow the directions. Check............oh wait..........directions??.......me..........riiiiiiight. Have you never watched me cook?
It's getting late (by mother of 5, farm wife, starting to feel on the ragged side of young terms), but I'd like to have something to play with the next day. I decide to e-x-p-e-r-i-m-e-n-t. This is how I trick my perfectionistic voice into keeping quiet...er. Soak the wool for about 20 minutes in a vinegar/water bath. Get the dye bath ready. Drain the wool and stuff in said dye bath. Now I'm thinking, some parts are going to be more saturated with the vinegar than others, more color variant, fun. I'm experimenting right????? So I let that stew away on the stove top, plenty in there for a project. Oh, color. I specified to my darling husband that I'm playing, what color should I choose??? Playing? Try violet. Sure.
Wool is simmering away. Yay? P-brain starts whispering.
"You did not soak for specified time."
"I know, I'm experimenting, either way as long as it's not mud colored (I'm sure I could find something
to make with that anyway) it will be fine."
"The water is still blue, you didn't soak it long enough, you need more vinegar."
"It will be fine!!! Be quiet."
About this time of my self-arguing, my helpful husband came in and started stirring the wool. Did I over react? Yes, judging from how high everyone jumped. Oh dear.
Well, I get curious and gently scoop some out........uhhhh.......
"Told ya so."
"Shut up P-brain. Where did I put those paper bags?"
The night has worn on, P-brain is chirping in one ear and I keep my mantra up. "This is a learning experience. I'll be able to take something away from it, I'm learning and HAVING FUN!" It's entirely possible that I was foaming at the mouth slightly, maybe a little wild eyed. The rest of the family had evacuated to the living room and I think they may have even had an emergency exit strategy in place.
I'm tired now, officially tired. The last of my energy has seeped from the marrow of my bones and breathing has become akin to climbing Mt Everest. I drain the wool.....................
No one should underestimate the power of adrenaline.
That's not Violet. It looked like cotton candy from the 3rd dimension.
"Told ya so."
"Bite me."
Maybe it will look better in the morning. In any case, I'm tired and P-brain is happily chirping away. Ugh.
I get up the next morning and I'm greeted by the spawned wool. I need coffee.
Apparently P-brain and Bob don't. They both start in. Now there's two of them twittering and chirping away in there.
Fan-flippin-tastic.
Now, apparently (said sarcastically) I'm a bit stubborn. IF and I say if, that's true I would prefer to think of it more as persistent. That has such a pleasant ring to it, don't you think? At this point in the game, you've already jumped off the metaphoric cliff. So there are two options, close your eyes and scream in terror....or......keep your eyes open and hope you spot the road you were looking for in the first place, may as well enjoy the view too. I'm persistent and an optimist. ;)
Well the caffeine hasn't quite woken me up and Mutt and Jeff are still chirping away. I start teasing it all out, noticing though (oooo this is where all that persistence and optimism starts to kick in) that not only has the whole batch been dyed in a wide variety of seemingly unnatural colors (if they are natural, Mother Nature is keeping them well hidden), but the locks themselves are sometimes multi-colored.
Well, well, well. This puts a new twist to things (oh dear, spinning and puns). So as I spin, I'll have a guaranteed variation because the locks hold different colors. This could be fun. Miss P just stammered a bit. Of course she quickly points to the blinding shade of magenta.
Sending it through the carder, set me back a little, but I'm still seeing promise. At least the heathering has toned some of the more obnoxious shades down a bit.
No time to give up, keep on going. What's the worst that's going to happen? It doesn't look nice? Live and learn, at least I'll have learned what NOT to do.
Time to get it on the wheel, within the first few drafts I can see that this is going to turn out well. Bob, sensing that his work here is finished, ambles off to find some happy flora, Miss P huffs off into silence with a trailing "I still told you so." and I keep filling the bobbin.
The end result is violet in appearance, in that I was successful....kind of. There are, however, shots of very vivid colors. I left the nubs in (oh, come on it's what I spin) and a bit larger than single than normal. I'm thinking a nice cool summer night wrap for one of the girls.
The gardens are growing! This is the first year that I've had decent cucumbers since we've lived here. The tomatoes, watermelons and peppers are all blooming, the berries are forming up nicely. Unfortunately, the corn is turning out to be sporadic. Oh well, it will all come together one of these years! Maybe I should dig up some more lawn for the corn patch since it seems to be working so well for everything else. :)
A sure sign of summer is a tent in the back yard. They've all been sleeping out at night, with a dog or two. :) Of course the night's outside have begun a new pastime for the children, "Night Games". How are they played, well much running, laughing and shrieking are involved. They're great for getting the heart going. A firm must to is to try to raise your siblings fright level above your own, without making them so scared that they don't want to sleep in the tent. That of course would mean that you would have to sleep out there all alone, which is "no fun" and won't be done...even if the dogs are willing. ;)
Kermit
