Vacation time....

Alrighty I've got the week off! It's another staycation, my favorite....staying home and doing my thang. I have so much I'd like to get to, but let's see how we do. If I had a perfect week I would do this each day:

• Sleep in until 8 a.m.
• Watch a good movie
• Knit a little bit
• work in the gardens
• clean a little debris from the woods

and sometime during the week I would

• clean out the craft closets
• clean out the back room

or not...................

alone in the woods

I've been hanging loose in the woods with no Scotty.  I think this is the first time in our 11 years of marriage that we've gone this long without talking to each other....weird.  He's up in Canada with my brother Roy fishing and building a cabin.  I hope they aren't too cold, I heard it is going to snow there in the next 24 hours....oh my.

I've been keeping busy with the dawgs, tending to my gardens and of course with work.  My friend Kristen came up for the weekend and that was very nice!

It's summer in the Northland and I'm loving it.  Long days, sunlight in the morning.  Flowers growing, birdies singing.....  Just can't beat it!

What's on the needles

Green baby blanket.....1/4 done

February sweater.....1/4 done

Roys socks......1/4 done

Noro socks 3/4 done

Today I dyed, and lived to tell about it

Oh how cool!  I've been wanting to try and dye yarn, and today I took the plunge. I did it on sock yarn blanks....here's some pics and notes:

Please note you are looking at pictures of two different sock blanks - sorry for any confusion.

Step one is to soak the blank in a solution of water with a couple of tbsps of vinegar.  I soaked them for 1 hour, then rolled them up in a towel to squeeze off as much water as I could.  Then I laid down newpaper and saran wrap on top of that, and then the damp blank.

Then I grabbed the dye bottles and began to have fun!  I'd lay down the die and then pat it with my fingers to make sure it was being absorbed by both sides.

When I was done with that tomfoolery, I began to wrap the saran wrap over the blank, bringing the sides in first and then rolling it the long way.

I then coiled it up, and put it on a pan that had two inches of boiling water in it.  The pan was covered with tin foil that had multiple holes poked in it.  I steamed the coil (with the lid on) for 30 minutes, let it cool, and then rinsed it until no dye ran out (I saw NO dye run out!!!).   Then I soaked it in a bath of eucalan & water.

And here's the final result for my first sock blank!  Unreal! So fun & Cool.  Can't wait to knit with it....

Catching up

Well, well, well....time has passed with no updates.  As I write this I'm nursing a sprain from a fall on the ice....hurts bad with certain movement, but fortunately knitting isn't one of those movements!  Scott's in Sunny Florida visiting a friend.  Check out the new haircut he gave himself before he left (picture above). This was taken half way through the cut.  Oh my.

Poor little Chewy dog had a lump removed and we are waiting to hear if it's cancer.  Check out him too with his northwoods home made doggie cone the vet gave him (picture above).

I've been off work this week - orignally vacation to do nothing, but now a few sick days.  We had a bit of a blizzard this week, but the snow sure is pretty.  And since I can't do much, I didn't shovel!  A friend came and plowed us out.

I've been ordering yarn for lace work and color work, oh and ya some new books too.......oh my.

Now we are all caught up!

My Linds & Nik are getting hitched!

This one deserved a post of it's own......my Lindsy & St. Nik became engaged last Sunday!  I couldn't be happier!  No news on the date, but I would guess it will be in about a year.  She & I are going dress shopping & to a wedding expo next weekend.....whoooo hooooo!

Learning more everyday

I'm still on my way to a frugal lifestyle!  It's fascinating all I've learned in one short week.  This week I learned about freecycle.org.  It's a site where folks post things they have to give away or need and the two can connect.  I posted a request for old wool blankets, clothes, fabric and/or yarn to repurpose into new items, some of which can go to charity.

This week I also made my own laundry soap!  So fun....the jury's still out on if it's cheaper....for sure it's the same price.  I think it all depends on how much we use....I'm tracking this, so time will tell.

We also joined the local library this week, and it's amazing how much libraries have changed since the '70's!!!!  So much more of a resource......and they have KNITTING BOOKS.  Oh my, it's a whole new world!

And we're off!

Alrighty then, we are off on our 2009 adventure in frugal living!  I've got the hubby on board.  It's amazing how my thinking is changing already....  I find myself looking ahead and cutting back on everything....from a simple as making sure I don't yank out too big of piece of saran wrap!    Waste not want not!

I've joined some online groups and hopefully I'll get some good tips.  I'd like to get ahold of that book written by the lady who went a year withing spending.....from the library, of course!