Sew I See!

I've given two of my recent "secret projects", so, details: The first secret project was pretty much a carbon copy of the Chickadee Cowl I made for myself with the Yarn Bee Mosaic Twist-- same color, even.  (That's the two of them together in the photo above.) That pattern is such a joy to knit.  So simple!  So fast!  So much fun to watch the colors interact!  I recommend it highly for even a new knitter.  Once you get over any fear you may have of knitting in the round, you're ready to go. I'm calling this the Froot Loop Cowl because of the name of the yarn’s colorway-- “Fruity”-- and the fact that a cowl is basically a big loop of fabric.  (Froot Loops... I wish I were a skinny little kid again and could eat sugary cereals with no repercussions.) Even the "wrong" side of the linen stitch is pretty, so it's reversible, if you like: I've seen some very covet-able linen stitch scarves knit from odds and ends of yarn-- a go...

I don't have much time to spare for the blog at the moment, but a short post is better than none at all. :o) When the yarn was finally dry (which I tried to speed along by pointing a fan at it for a while), I wrapped it into balls.  Here are a couple of photos: The blue/purple/green in the bottom photo is in four small balls because I ran into a few knots when I originally wrapped it into hanks.  I decided to leave them until after the dyeing, but I didn't want to be surprised by them in the middle of knitting.  This will be a good time to learn about felted joins (which I find a nicer name than "spit splice" (g)). I have yet to use any of it.  Still really looking forward to that, though! In the meantime, I'm making good progress on Big Secret (Crochet) Project #1.   I think I'm about 33% done with that one, but I'm putting it on pause while I start Big Secret (Crochet) Project #2. (I'll go back and forth between the two of them unti...

I spoke too soon regarding the three completed gifts in January.  I still haven't finished that last one-- haven't even touched it since before the last entry.  (Oops.) I did start my first Big Secret Project of the year, though.  It's going well, so far.  There's still tons to do, of course-- and I think I'm in denial about how long it will really take, because the first bits have gone so quickly. Sneak peek: That's all I can show for now. I don't want to risk giving the whole thing away.  (I don't think the intended recipient reads this blog, but just in case...) - - - - - - - Yesterday, I gave in to a long temptation and decided to try dyeing some yarn.  You don't need much, and I just happened to already have everything I'd need.  The only "ingredients" are animal-based yarn (in my case, I used wool) and either Kool-Aid (which comes with its own acid mixed into the powder) or food dye (Wilton's gels, liquid foo...