A Colorful Obsession

Green Tourmaline...
I used Country Classics Dyes Mountain Aqua and China Jade for this colorway. I dipped the yarn first in hot Mountain Aqua dye bath for 5 mins, removed it from the pot, then dipped it in lukewarm China Jade dye bath for 10 mins.

Vanda Orchid...
I always love brown and purple. Thinking how to put them together in one colorway, I dipped the yarn first in hot Spring Violet dye bath, than pour in Chestnut dye solution in different spots of the pot and let the bath simmer for 15mins. The colors in these two skeins are lightly different, one has more brown than the other. I may use them for two different knitting projects or just knit them alternately on one.

I really had lots of fun dyeing today.

Fall Color Pixels

In my sad looking garden on this very windy and very dark last day of November, I still could find these gorgeous colors.
There must be another color artist at work around here.
I wish I could find my way to dye my yarns in any hue close to these beautiful ones.
I don't have to travel so far or look for big thing for inspiration.
Ordinary and small life is beautiful life.

Noodles For Breakfast

We should eat whatever we want for breakfast ( but no steaks for me, no, thanks!).
And here is my breakfast of the day: pink noodles.

Pink Noodles

I was thinking about a very sweet pink to dye two skeins of silky merino yarn and to knit a super lady-like cardigan for Sarah.
" Pink noodles!!!" Sarah exclaimed seeing me straining the yarn with chopsticks.
She only thought about food!
The whole process took only 30 minutes. I used one half of a teaspoon of Country Classics "Strawberry" for two 100 gram skeins of yarn, with just enough water to cover both of them in a lukewarm dye bath. It took only 10 minutes for the dye to exhaust and another 10 minutes to rinse the yarn It will take more than a few hours for them to dry. I can wait, I'm sure. Good night, my lovely noodles!

I Know I'm Crazy

And I know I can't sleep tonight if I don't take these photos and blog about my newest hand-dyed yarn, Silver Lilac.
The colors came out exactly how I pictured them in my imagination, light mauve of Japanese tree-lilac with gorgeous sheen of silvery gray.
This gorgeous fingering superwash silk and merino yarn is my dreamed yarn to knit and to hand dye. It so soft, so warm, quite drapery but light weight. And I love how silk and merino drink up dyes in their own way, then move each other and together in a beautiful dance. I must have watched too much Dancing with the Stars.
I love these Silver Lilac so much I think I will go to bed with them tonight!

Silver Lilac

I'm a homebody. I like the comfort of home. Staying home on a Friday night is absolutely fine with me. Feel like I have a pre-weekend rest.
But I'm restless tonight and this is what I've been busy cooking on the stove, my Silver Lilac:

I'm dyeing two skeins of fingering superwash silk and merino yarn which just arrived this morning using Country Dyes in Lilac and Quick Silver. I used dry yarn in lukewarm dyebath.

Let them air dry now. Will see how they look like tomorrow. After all that hard work, I, the woman who played with dyes, still get some time left for " The Girl Who Played with Fire".

Like Mother Like Daughter

Just like Kim, Sarah loves to do grocery shopping, especially when she feels hungry after a long day in school. And just like her dad, she really loves to shop for snacks.
In two big bags she carried home today, I found a packet of hand-made cranberry crackers and this Creamy White Stilton with Cranberries.
She saw me dyeing yarn last night, but she did not know that I dye Cranberries.

It must be a Cranberries day, today.

Cranberries

The DK superwash merino yarn parcel from KnitPicks just arrived this morning. I couldn't wait to try hand-dying three skeins with Country Dyes. Using Cranberry dye, following the instruction, I skipped the yarn wetting part and also added some white vinegar to the dyebath for more intense marble look to the color.

I really want to learn how to twist skeins of yarn into the perfect looking ones. No matter how hard I tried, they always turn out to be either too tight or to loose. There must be a special way.

With my custom-made tags attached, they suddenly looks very ...serious.

I don't plan to sell my hand-dyed yarns. But I love to give them as gift to my friends, the ones who love to knit, of course.

A Sand Bottle from Jordan

Our friends, Safa and Amet gifted us this sand bottle before they left for a long winter trip to Italy. It's one of Amet's "Petra treasures", for the sand used is the natural sand of the rock from Petra, the " Lost City". Sand bottles are popular souvenirs from Jordan, their homeland, with intricate designs done in layers of sand using needles and funnels.

Amet made this one by himself just for us.

See What You Want to See

If I could do this in real life, choose to see what I want to see and cropping off all of my silly mistakes.

My Cup of Tea

I must have this cup for at least ten years. It has one or two tiny chips, but it's still safe for me to have my tea.
I don't like to toss away my old cups or bowls or glasses.
I feel safe to be with old and familiar things. If something works well, why change. I don't like too trendy things.
I'm a sentimental consumer.

Bok Choy for Tonight

green bok choy + tofu + Korean fishcake + olive oil + oyster sauce + 5 mins stir fry
"Yummy Bok Choy for Tonight"

Erica in the Rain

My Erica is so pretty, even in the cold rain, yet so tiny that a small raindrop looks like a giant tear next to her

Name Me Red

The Remaining of a Fall

Painted Last Remnant

Pink Raindrops

The Beginning of a Day

Some days, I like to get up earlier just to have some extra minutes making for myself a big mug of hot dark chocolate.
I have a special mug for my chocolate, just like I have a special cup for my tea or my coffee and a special bowl for my cereal.

It's nice to have a few special things for your ordinary life. Everyone loves to think her life is very special. And nothing is wrong with that.