Fun, Fun, Fun

It's been quite a fun few days, but I am worn out from it all! I am very pleased to have fun to report, though!

An Interesting Religious Diversion

The Dear Partner found this article on the behavior of religious folks versus nonreligious (atheists, agnostics). It was based on a scientific journal article. Here's the link http://www.humaniststudies.org/enews/index.html?id=219&article=7 -- the site is the Insitute for Humanist Studies (hmm, maybe I could get a job THERE). I was interested to see how the secular socieities had more law-abiding populaces. Read the whole thing--it's an eye opener, though of course I have no idea if it's just a bunch of bull or well done stuff. No time to evaluate at this point, but maybe later.

Friday Fun

I went to the coffeehouse I'd talked about, and did OK. I still get a bit of a nerved out vibe there, but was able to enjoy being with some good friends, including the musicians, who are always SO kind to the Dear Partner that it makes me a little teary. The wife of the pair said his puns remind her of the way her dad was. Ah, someone who can handle incessant bad puns with grace. I need lessons!! I am going to try to take the DP to see them play again tomorrow, and try to get some of his friends to come out to celebrate his birthday (it's Tuesday and he will be double-nickel) (I am much younger!!). This will wipe me out, because it means I will get no sleep (driving kids to early band practice before dawn on Tuesday), but I can make the best of it. In any case, I think I will try to go back to church on Sunday next. My older son really wants to, so I think if I just show up and listen, but do not get involved with personalities or organizational management, I might, might be able to. And I hear there are nice new people...

Hair

Did I mention I finally got a hair cut appointment? I did. September 1. I am tired of the frizzy mess that is my current hair. I am sure the Great Gregory will work a miracle.

Dyeing Yarn

Ooh, yesterday was fun. I spent the entire work day at the yarn shop, which was not my plan, but was fun. It was not too busy and we got to look at a lot of pretty colors. Some good teaching occurred, and lots of knitting helping and such. And I got to look at the tarot deck Jody got me (I now finally have the Barbara G. Walker deck--my heroine--and an odd one it is, too--but readable). Many thanks to Jody! And she got a MOST unusual deck, the name of which escapes me, but it something about the secrets of the sea...she can tell us what it really was.

Then, after work and finding Tina, whom we had lost (and visiting her apt, which strongly resembles my kids' playroom in decor and ability to place an object on every single flat surface--so cute and so how I wish I could do things!!), Jody, Tina and I all trekked to my house to dye yarn. I have the biggest kitchen, you see. And a patio that can be ruined and no one will care.

I am impressed that we didn't ruin anything, other than the color of Jody's hands. I wore gloves.

I had enough tiny containers of color and larger containers, that, along with Tina's giant dye pot with an atomic symbol on the bottom, we had plenty of dyeing stuff. And a lot of places to soak yarn, thanks to my first-floor full bath. And a turkey baster and some syringes to apply dye with something like precision. It was way fun. I made some sorta ugly stuff but learned a lot, and will still be able to use the yarn to make a felted bag, I do believe. I don't think the dye will come out--we nuked or boiled it all and it seemed stable. In fact, when rinsed, none of the Kool-Aid dyed stuff ran at all. All the color soaked into the wool!

I dyed I think 5 skeins of off white knitting worsted wool and one skein of laceweight that used to be an ugly sock. The laceweight I wanted in sort of muted colors, and I ended up with a sea-blue-green, greenish brown, and salmony-rose blend, with various shadings. I think it is very close to what I had been thinking I wanted. Just pouring Kool-Aid in little containers until it was a color I liked. Can't wait to share photos! (Jody and Tina took some and I assume will post some on their blogs)

Mostly we used Kool_Aid, but Tina had some fuschia RIT dye that she turned some lightweight yarn into quite a beauty with. Jody made a "sausage" that was blue to purple, and the blues came out really interesting and two-toned. They will make AWESOME socks. We all had definite successes and near misses (the color salmon kept creeping into Tina's stuff), but in all, it was quite a fun evening of learning and adult beverage drinking. Tina learned, for example, that Ace Pear Cider is the Best Pear Cider on Earth (nectar of the gods, I always say). I now have a lot of Woodchuck to choke my way through, or give to unsuspecting acquaintances.

And a horrible accident had a semi-happy ending. You see, yesterday, while we were at the shop. Jody had brought some sodas to drink, Diet Dr. Pepper, with cherry. Late in the 100+ degree day, she went to her car for some reason or another, and upon opening it saw that the soda she had left there had exploded most heinously, all over the car AND some really, really nice undyed wool from lovely, rare sheep. She was NOT pleased. Poor yarn. Permanently disfigured. But, she bravely dyed it with black cherry Kool-Aid, and oh my, did it come out pretty. Looked like Manos de Uruguay kettle dyed yarn (duh, it was sorta dyed in a kettle). The color was gorgeous, ranging from very deep to lighter, depending on we are not sure what. But, while the yarn might have best been undyed, it is certainly glorious dyed, and I hope can grow up to be something nice.

Anyhow, my pals and I had so much fun. I hope we can do it again and have more people. We now know a bit more of what we are doing.

This morning, the Dear Partner went into the downstairs restroom to see the glorious sight of all my yarn (plus one that may not be mine--anyone want to own the dark reddish stuff??) with the morning sun pouring through it. He said it was really beautiful. And you know, if a dude comments on how nice yarn looks, it must REALLY look nice.

Photos to come, I hope.

Comments

Tina said...
Hmm... I made it home with all of my "dark reddish stuff." was it the one of yours that Jody dyed, perhaps?
Sunday, August 20, 2006 1:50:00 PM

Robin said...
I love dying wool with kool-aid! I've only done carded wool, then used it to make all kinds of fun waldorf-like felted objects. Orange kool-aid makes awesome felted pumpkins!Sounds like a fun day. Wish I had a local yarn shop like yours, Suna!
Sunday, August 20, 2006 1:59:00 PM

Jody said...
The dark reddish stuff is indeed the Ella Ray that I dyed for you - cherry and grape, yum.It was a lot of fun. Gotta get to posting picutres, though that may not happen tonight.
Sunday, August 20, 2006 6:30:00 PM

Anonymous said...
Whee! An appointment with Gregory! I think I am finally resigned to not having him in Illinois any more. I got a cut at a "haircuts r us" place this month that is not too bad. When I was whining to a friend that my hair just hasn't been the same since he left, she pointed out that I probably paid a third of what I paid for a haircut from him. And it's probably 75% as good. A bargain, I guess. And really, pretty good.I'm really happy that you will be getting a nice new cut, though. You know he's good!Nancy Jo
Monday, August 21, 2006 12:37:00 AM

Judy said...
Your yarn dying sounds like a fun time was had by all, and you even dyed some yarn to boot! ..LOL.. Honestly, you should have just added some vodka to all that kool-aid and sipped through a straw while the yarn was soaking! ..giggle.. Okay, okay, it probably doesn't work that way, but it sounds fun anyway. It's fun times with friends like that, tht make all the other carp easier to put up with.Judy
Monday, August 21, 2006 2:35:00 PM

deb said...
I found the article to be very interesting. Unfortunant really but true. And this from a religious person, however I am not the type religious person to say my religion is the only religion. And the dying party sounds very fun indeed. I second the vodka in the kool-aid. hehehehe
Monday, August 21, 2006 5:57:00 PM

Suna said...
Those of you encouraging the vodka need not fear. There was Mike's lemonade, pear cider (both good (Ace) and bad, and apricot beer)and even a huge case of the giggles as we wound our way from yarn to tarot. So, we had lots of adult beverages to inspire creativity, even if we didn't mix it with Kool-Aid. I still don't think I can bring myself to try Kool-Aid after so many decades of abstinence.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 10:43:00 AM