Dyeing ...

Well the skein I dyed for the armhole bands and collarband soaked up too much dyestuff and came out very deep, deep brown. Much too brown for this vest. I left it in the pot too long. But there was still a goodly amount of dye in the pot and I have 3 or 4 more skeins of white/off-white, so I put another skein on to simmer for an hour then plopped it in the dyepot. Turned the heat on under the dyepot and brought it up to simmer but didn't leave this skein in for as long a time and it came out perfect! A very good match for the vest. I hope I will have enough of this skein to do both armholes and collar, but if not I'll throw another skein in to soak up some color. Shown here next to the first--very dark--skein:



The car had to take an emergency trip to the mechanics this afternoon due to some washing machine agitation sounds coming from the rear wheels. It started a few weeks ago, but has only gotten worse. I need to go down to Belmont, a nearby town, tomorrow and didn't feel comfortable about it without a professional look-see. The problem is a wearing wheel bearing. Mechanic said I could go to Belmost and it should be OK because there is not yet any play in the bearing, but the car has an appointment for next Thursday to have that fixed.

So when the car is in the car hospital, I need to occupy myself in downtown Plymouth and I did so today by stopping at the trendy coffee-shop and knitting over a cup of green tea and a brownie. The brownie was dessert after the fabulous meal of vegetable Tom Yum , spring rolls, and Thai salad at the local--and very good--Thai restaurant. I finished the collar band last night and I was able to get most of the right armhole band done this afternoon at the coffee shop. I finished it this evening. Tomorrow: The left armhold band.

Getting close to a finished vest. After the left armhole band is done I need to weave in a multitude of loose ends. Two loose ends for every color change! There are a lot of them. But it will be a nice task. I have learned in this craft and others (weaving comes to mind) that these "dreaded" "dreary" tasks are as important and vital as the actual making of stitches and bring their own sense of joy and satisfaction to the making of the whole.

Where things stand this evening:



The table I chose at the coffee shop--a table I have often made my vantage point--looks out at this beautiful tree across the street. It is always beautiful: Spring, summer, fall, and winter.