Hi there!  We had our Dye Day for GLASC last Saturday and our focus was dyeing with food coloring.  I really like the fact that food coloring is a pretty safe dye and that you can really get vivid colors.

I dyed it red on Saturday and I ended up with quite a few white spots.  At first I was tempted to leave it as it was however when it dried fully the next day the color was more pinkish rose instead of red.  White spots are one thing, but I did NOT want pink yarn, so back into the dye pot it went!
It has dried fully now and voila!  Red yarn!

Last Wednesday I completed my project in my weaving class.  Unfortunately the class is the same day as church so last Wednesday was my last class.  When I put the warp on the loom my idea was to weave a shawl out of hand spun yarn.  I wanted a simple plain weave so that the pattern did not overshadow the beauty of the hand spun.  I got the yarn at an estate sale in Santa Barbara County and put it in my stash until I found a good use.  The warp (which I also got at the same sale) was pre-cut as the sale was from a weaving teacher who had passed away.  I did not realize that the shawl would end up so long.  I don't know why it did not occur to me.  Duh, long warp = long project.

With the length of weaving folded double I would still have a long enough shawl.  Of course my classmates came to my rescue!  They said make a ruana!  A ruana it is.  When I complete it I will post pictures.  I am including a picture of the weaving below.

Promised pictures and new pictures

Yesterday was an interesting day.  The weaving guild I belong to (IEHG) had a Dye Workshop day.  Our host (who has a beautiful Victorian home) had several dye stations set up outside in her car port.  We were using dyes specifically for protein fibers (wool, silk, alpaca etc...) and they were the same colors we had at the Studio 66 Retreat.

It was hot but there was a breeze as the afternoon went on.  I brought 8 skeins (4 skeins Knit Picks Bare Gloss and 4 mystery wool skeins from the slush fund table in weaving class) to dye.  A lot of people brought silk hankies (for spinning not for noses), silk scarves and silk ribbon.  I think a few other brought wool but it was easy to tell ours apart.  The colors turned out beautiful!!!!

I dyed one skein of the mystery wool in the same colors I used for the silk ribbons at the Studio 66 Retreat.  It came out complementary (at least I think so).

Mystery wool dyed in rose colors

Wool with Silk Ribbons

Silk ribbons alone (dyed at Studio 66 Retreat)

The day got even more interesting as when I went to go home my car keys were missing.  We looked high and low, I dumped out my bags and no car keys.  It was rather clear that my keys had probably gone home in someone else's bag. Our host offered me the use of her car to go home and pick up my spare car keys!  That was VERY nice of her.  She said I could keep it overnight if necessary however I decided to go get the keys and bring her car back immediately.  This seems rather easy except I live 44 miles away.  It took about 5 hours to complete the trip home, the trip back and then the second trip home in my car.  Between the trip home and the trip back I sent out an email (from the list of attendees they gave me) asking everyone to look in their bags.

This morning when I was getting ready for church, sure enough I got a phone call from one of the other ladies (I missed it as I was in the other room) and an email letting me know that my keys were in the bottom of her yarn bag.  I gave her a call right back and we arranged that I would pick them up this afternoon. Of course it would not be anyone close by, she lives 84 miles away from me.  Can you say sitcom?  I decided to make an afternoon of it and went to some outlet stores I have been curious about for the last two years on the way home.  Needless to say I am very happy I am back at home with my keys!

I have been lucky in other ways as at the Studio 66 Retreat and the spinning guild I belong to (GLASG) I have won fiber to spin!  At Studio 66 I won BFL and a wool/alpaca blend.  At GLASG  I won camel down and silk top.

Wool and Alpaca blend from Studio 66.

Cut Silk Top and camel down from GLASG

Blue Face Leicester (BFL) from Studio 66

Mystery wool 1

Mystery wool 2

Mystery wool 3

Knit Picks Gloss Bare