Solar Dyeing Wool Report!

 On Friday of Memorial Day Weekend 2025 I put three jars on the deck railing with a little over ten grams of combed top of un-named breed of wool in for solar dyeing.  In one jar were avocado pits and peels.  The second jar had red onion skins, a lot of tiny ones that I found in the bottom of a potato bin at Aldi!  The third jar had four hibiscus herbal tea bags--a bit of a waste of good tea, but!  The jars were all filled with water to almost the top and some plastic stuffed in on top to submerge the wool in the water and dye materials.

Four weeks later I have opened the jars, emptied everything into the 13-quart stainless steel bowl my parents gave us for a wedding gift (our mother gave one to each of my siblings who all married in the same twelve months period all those years ago!) I then rinsed the wool and set it to drying.

This is what we have:

The white fiber on top is where we started.  Sample number one under the white is the avocado solar dye.  It actually did take up some color.   Sample number two is the red onion dye.  Sample number three is the hibiscus tea.  That gave the most color.

So-for an experiment which held high hopes but not much in the line of expectations, I am pretty happy!  

This weekend the Tour de Fleece starts.  One of goals I have for Tour de Fleece is to card each of these samples then spin them into a tiny skein of yarn then knit a sample and see what we have.  Yay for Tour de Fleece and goals!

The wonderful Columbia Spinners who have accepted me into their midst have a great plan for every Saturday during TdF for learning new skills.  During all the other days I am hoping to really improve my spinning to create a more consistent yarn so it will actually be useful for knitting.

Last year's Tour de Fleece  product yarn is not yet all used up. I did knit a shawl with most of it that initially I did not like at all.  Now, months after the end of the Spin It To Knit It Along, I am feeling somewhat better about it.  The remaining yarn from last year is now in the back of my mind for using to weave a shawl sometime this year.  We shall see.

It is Fireworks Season! Again!!

Multiple times during the year since we have moved to South Carolina, we have seen many many little mobile fireworks stores.  They are everywhere!!  They moved in nearly a month ago.  Again.

Here is one of them:

This happens to be the back of the fireworks trailer that is in the Neighborhood Walmart parking lot.  If you need any pyrotechnics, come on down!!!

Any occasion seems to be the time for fireworks here.  A few times in the past few months we have been sitting in our upstairs tv room and have first heard, then seen, fireworks across the pond from us.  This past weekend we heard then Dear One stepped to the front window so see them two streets over from us. I have decided that on Independence Day I will just lie in bed having opened the blinds and just watch from the bug-free convenience of our comfy bed!

May you all have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Mini Yankee Doodle Chicklet!

Ginger Balch at In Sheep's Clothing, a yarn shop in Torrington, Connecticut, has come up with another darling chicken/chicklet pattern!  I purchased the kit two weeks ago and had it in hand within a week.  This is what I made:

 She included everything in the kit but I thought I needed a "Liberty Bell" instead of the little Christmas bells she included. I found them online for not very much money.  I am so happy how it turned out though the next one I make I will insert a tiny bit of stuffing inside to make the chicklet poof out a bit.

It was on my mind to make a ton of these and hand them out to friends BUT common sense came to me. I already have **two projects with time crunches so...maybe for next year if anyone would like a Mini Yankee Doodle Chicklet...but you have to let me know so I can put it on a list!

**The two projects with end dates are The Woolly Thistle Vest Knit A Long which ends early to mid July and the Hoadie's Sweet Vanilla Sock Test Knit which ends 12 July.  Both of those dates are coming right up.  The socks are toe up socks.  I love them. They fit really well.  I am ready to start the legs which will only be about four inches, maybe five.  Since I wear "combat boots" so I can walk, I need the cuff of the sock to come up a few inches above the top of the boot.  We shall see how far I go!

The Woolly Thistle Vest KAL is more taxing as the vest has to cover a lot more territory. I am at the point of dividing for the armholes/front/back.  I plan to steek for the armholes and for the sort of scoop neckline.  Since I am creating this pattern myself there is no guarantee that it will be any good at all...hoping for the best.

DIY Tensioning Device For Rigid Heddle Loom!

 Today I cut four pieces of PVC pipe to use as a tensioning device along with two pick sticks and lots of flat rubber bands for the 16” Ashford Rigid Heddle loom. It worked!

Lilac GreenStalk Vertical Planter: Set Up, Filled, Planted

 Before going to the FamilySearch Center this morning I put the wheels on the swirly base for the lilac-colored GreenStalk Vertical planter.  Of course I did not see the instructions, I just followed someone who showed what to do on YouTube.  Sadly that person did not mention staggering the locking wheels and i did not notice the difference so all three locking wheels are on one side.  Oh well.  It will probably be okay, right!?

 When I returned home from the FSC I mixed together the organic potting mix with some wonderful compost from BC Mulch and More.  While there I was instructed on how to get our lawn to look like a lawn instead of a back lot.  I hope to get started on that soonish.  Must speak to dear neighbor first.

After mixing the soil I filled the containers, placed the containers and their individual watering containers on top of each other then finally planted 2 Contender string beans in 12 holes and planted two zucchini plants and four yellow marigolds the latter six in the bottom layer.  I hope to plant some flowers or maybe some lettuce or more kale in the top layer.  Just not today.

After completing this job I picked the blueberries which really were ripe this time.  The two Brightwell plans produced best…and taste delicious.

First Time Warping Rigid Heddle Loom For Kitchen Towels

 For some time I have planned to weave kitchen towels.  Yesterday I got step one finished.

Today I finished it up...a long process.  If you are a rigid heddle loom weaver you can see that there are some problems...but I am hoping for the best anyway!

The yarn is Maurice Brassard 8/4 cotton.  The loom is a 32" Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom.  I have warped 220 ends and plan to weave at 10 ends per inch.  I am trying a houndstooth plus some plain weave and some stripes. I hope it won't be ghastly!  We shall see.

Kale! Quite a Few Varieties...

 A couple of months ago I was in a store where seeds were sold.  I saw a packet that had multiple kale varieties.  I hoped I would have some curly kale and some dinosaur kale.

This was our kale meal for tonight...the first time I have harvested from the GreenStalk.  Last year the bugs got the kale.  Miserable things!  There are at least five different kale varieties in this dish...one of which is the looked-for dinosaur kale but NOT the curly kale.  I might plant a few more seeds later in the season and see if I get curly kale.  Either way, this was a delightful mess of cooked kale for supper!  At least I for one enjoyed it!

The second harvest of wax beans was on the table for supper, as well.  I cooked both the kale and the beans in the 3-quart Instant Pot.  It appears as if that piece of equipment is on its way out.  Last week, for no reason I could ascertain, the top black knob "blew" twice.  I washed everything and put in a new gasket.  Today the IP did not come up to pressure.  I may do some online investigation to see if I can figure it out.  If I cannot, I will say goodbye to this one.  And probably not replace since we have an 8-quart plus a 6-quart Max that zi use for pressure canning leftovers.  That works so good for us since we can can in pint jars, four at a time.  Works great.

So: solicitation for help:  has anyone had Instant Pot problems they were able to fix? I would love to know what you did.  Many thanks.