Busy Hands, Happy Heart

 Star Spangled

pattern by Threadwork Primitives

the light ones are much better in person

but their still going to get a second dye job

Am looking for this OOP print book if you know anyone

who'd like to part with theirs for cash or a hooked rug

purchased from my friend Bea a few weeks ago

while I was helping set up for her estate sale

created by her son in the late 70s/early 80s

it has so much meaning

her son Ronnie died around that time

we have attended the same church my entire life

she is still active in many projects

*****

I do believe in blogging without obligation

but I didn't intend to be away so long

I have about (no joke)

20 x stitch pieces to show you from

the past few months

Hope you're able to keep cool in this heat

Ohio is bad but not like farther West

It's been a week since Melrose had his dental work

they only had to remove one tooth

He is so much better, other than mad about no crunchy food

Still in the Rabbit Hole

Work in progress and next up

I am disappointed in the "fancy floss"

about 4x the cost of DMC and supposed to be variegated

it is, barely

not being up to pick it out in person makes a difference

my local needlework shop does not carry it

*****

Last night I was dyeing some wool

that was a previous failure

decided to do a little random fabric dyeing too

not sure what this is, maybe prairie cloth

I used to stitch on it a few lifetimes ago

the top piece was formerly a bright gold

the bottom is the before, the middle the after

There are 3 new rugs waiting to be hooked

once the needle will let go of me...

Have a good night folks!

Dyeing Wool Tools

these are two of my essentials

when creating my own dye recipes

or making substitutions

the Cushing color card

is also good for picking colors

to dye straight from the package

no recipe needed

this pie chart is a priceless tool

knowing the value and intensity of each dye

allows you a better starting point

with a new recipe

as well as choosing a substitute dye

If you're new to dyeing

one important consideration is the color of the wool

you are using to overdye

I tend to purchase oatmeal type lights

so when over dyeing they look more antique and aged

if you want a brighter look

the wool you overdye should be natural

Checkout Dorr Woolens for comparison

I admit to studying color my whole life

as far back as I can remember 

I had art classes in all grades, including college

the color wheel

primary, secondary and tertiary

opposites, values, hues, tints...

I don't ever think of these

when working with color as they are a part of my 

genetic make up by now

it's like breathing 

automatic

It is fun to dye and experiment

I'm just ready to use up my stash
ready for

as-is wool from now on

I'm not quitting hooking

this wall would be perfect

in my sewing room!!!

well, I think I keep my face neutral

when taking patient histories

but this is what I'm feeling!

Have a great Monday friends

Bleh Wool

image from Pinterest

these flowers are the shades I'd like to dye

this is what I end up with

bleh! 

the funny thing is I'm using less wool than called for

so the color should at least be stronger

oh well, these will work in with my stash

I've cleaned up my dye supplies for now

~~~~~

so, you don't know Jensen

the short one at 6'2

or Jared?

They star in Supernatural

it's been fun seeing them grow up up on the show

I love their characters

Dean and Sam

they are awesome men in real life

along with Misha from the show

I don't normally follow the real life of actors

but this is a very special trio

Happy Sunday!

the wind is blowing here in Ohio

so nice hearing Mom's brass bells all around the house 

Lavender in the Dye Pots

pulled out my copy of Karen Kahle's

Little Book of Lavender...

rats, out of the dyes so made up my own recipes...

two dye pots going

one more blue, one more red

I hope

this is one of the Pinterest images 

that inspired the dyeing

might do some of those chartreuse greens next

if you want to see how my dyeing has been going

check out the previous days for the "after photos"

yesterday's grays dyed green
are still waiting for a rinse and dry

will add them to the older

post tomorrow

hope that makes sense

I am bored silly with my fabric stash

between mom and I most of it has been around

20-30 years

am not interested in new fabric though

too much to use up

or dog!

Hope you're having a great weekend

I'm off and resting my achy legs and feet

my own fault

for gaining weight over the winter

depression contributes to my eating issues

but I just like food too much!

the struggle has begun to lose weight again

~~~~~

I  hope don't mind seeing Jensen's handsome face 

for a few more days

first he makes me smiles as an actor and a person

second my electronics are giving me an issue 

with changing the header photo

Use It Up Stitching

current work tote bag project

using cream homespun as the light

will only be as big as the homespun on hand

inspired by this top 

found on Pinterest

love the cheerful look of these colors

my stash is sooo boring to me

#useitup

next up in the dye pots

the three pieces of wool across the top are small pieces

the windowpane gray is a yard

it's a Moda wool, I don't care for their wool at all

hoping the dyeing will help me use it

purchased a bundle so plenty more to dye

edited to add:
this batch turned out nice
recipe a bit of this and that
the Moda wool smells awful when dyeing

the sun is shining in Ohio...today

Olivia is baking between the glass and drapes

Dyeing Wool

Karen Kahle's Vintage Colors

Saturday I dyed 6 yards of wool using the 

Vintage Colors dye booklet

both photos are of the same wool

in person the colors

are somewhere in between my photos 

closer to Karen's swatches...

 I might not feel like hooking

but the dyeing kept me busy all day

the colors are a success

pretty much all I could ask for

Cats and Wool

so rare to find these two close to each other

they were both enjoying the breeze

from the front door

Olivia was there first...

the quilt on the back of the couch 

is the last one Mom made for me 

from 2011

I've been using it for napping

*****

dyeing more wool before work today

I'm getting ready to list it for sale

later this week

$11 a fat quarter

plus shipping based on your zip code

USA only

if I don't sell even one piece

it'll be fine

all the colors look so gorgeous next to each other

I haven't dyed much in a very long time

these will add some joy to my hooking

Happy Tuesday!

Just Stuff

overdye:

the teals were formerly dyed light purples

the greens ...lighter greens, tans golds

purple was purple (hideous in real life)

two out of three successes!

today there is more overdyeing

of the formerly overdyed

my kind of butcher shop

 

  today I'm finally dropping off 

all of Mom's puzzles 

the folks at the Alzheimer's Network Center 

are happy to receive them!

Scrubbing up kitchen stuff next

will pack away for church rummage sale next year

I don't bake anymore...

Mom was an excellent baker of everything

keeping a few really old unique pans

Little by little 

if you're my FB friend apologies 

for posting some of the same stuff all the time

my non FB friends are here 

 

Pumpkin Wool

 pattern by Cheri Payne

 when this pic showed up on Pinterest

the other day I knew I had to dye some

pumpkin wool 

it  is one of the few patterns of Cheri's I don't have

but that's okay

I have dozens so can make do with 

her other cat and pumpkin designs...

 

the pumpkin wool took two tries

first dye bath resulted in wool too soft/light for my taste

 redyeing made all the difference

the blue came out perfect the first time

#66 from Barb/Emma Lou's book

2 pots of green on the stove now

with 2 more to go later when the pots are free

It's a beautiful day here

very much like fall

Enjoy your day!

 

Results and Progress

as always my photography skills are lacking

just using my phone

these are fairly true colors

I prefer my dyeing to be over a mix of wool

that way you have much more variety to hook with

these will mix in nicely with my stash

the red was one pot

the blue two batches

I follow the directions somewhat

usually I double the recipe

using approximately a yard of wool per pot

I like mottled so stirring is limited

 

when dyeing it's important to read how

much wool the recipe/formula calls for

adjust accordingly 

to the amount of wool you are dyeing

there is so much online to help dyers...

try Pinterest for amazing inspiration

another shot from a different room

the blues are deeper in person

the tan was a total failure

I was going for an antique shade

ended up with a pale pink-orange-flesh tone

it's going back in the over dye pile

 ( it looks much worse in person)

the red recipe was from Barb/Emma Lou book

the blue from Mad Hen formula

there are two stacks of khaki drab/olive green

that came out nicely

just can't get a good pic of them

*****

 I'm cleaning up my dye mess today

will work on more soon

to get that "ugly" stash usable

this is back on the frame again

 found my words...

About Wool Dyeing

all images in this post from Pinterest

I learned to dye in

a class given by Barb and Emma Lou

it was heavenly!

 the blurry photo above is 

the list of colors by Cushing

the dyes they wrote their book using

I've had one of these charts

hanging in my kitchen cupboard ever since

no matter where I've lived

 

a page from the back of the book

always loved seeing which wools they used to overdye

shortly after they wrote their book

Cushing changed a few of the dyes

so not all recipes will be perfect...

that is always true 

because of variations in water anyway

the cover is a photo of one of Barb's rug

oh, to see it in person was a treat every time 

using the dyes above

the spoons below 

I've dyed a lot of wool over the years 

if I were to start dyeing now

I would probably use Pro Chem dyes

just to avoid those tiny bags inside 

the Cushing enevelopes

I did purchase some a few years back

to dye some Polly Minick recipes

for red and blue

plus

most of the newer recipes are written for Pro Chem dyes

this dye book has always called to me

but I have way too much Cushing to change now

in my stash of recipes:

these recipes from Wendy Miller are great

have the book but not the swatches

love these recipes

too bad the book is hiding from me

especially good over Dorr oatmeal

I have some swatches to show you tomorrow

they are on a little white card each

with a doodle

can't remember who sold them

each recipe is for 1/4 yard

 Karen Kahle's swatches...

would love a set of these just to asmire

one really should keep track of dye recipes

successes and failures

do you think I do? 

I think this is Julies Butler's...

what fun it would be to see each swatch and recipe

*****

wool dyeing is very easy

check out YouTube for plenty of how to videos

when I use up / sell off

my stash of dyes I will most likely switch to 

all as-is hooking

 there is so much available today 

compared to when I started hooking in the 90's

Happy Thursday!

it's dreary and humid here in Ohio

not a good day for taking photos

hoping tomorrow you'll be able to see a table full

of newly dyed wool

 

 

 

Dyeing In Progress

today is the day

wool finally made it into the pots

three pots done

two more on the stove

I'll show all the wool when I put the pots away

later this week

the stack on the dye table is growing

I'm nearly done with one closet

a few stacks of too thin and too loose wool

still in the sewing room

wondering where to donate 

some cleaning done in between

I'm a a major procrastinator

so any time I actually feel like cleaning

I do 

the cats are very busy following me around

came across a bunch of red dot 

from when I was planning on selling patterns on linen

(only 4 or 5 years ago)

since then 

I've come to realize I hate drawing patterns on linen for others

for myself I can have errors galore

hope you're having a great week too!