Live & Let Dye

A few months ago, I decided it was time to start thinking about knitting a sweater. The LYS had Cascade 220 on sale, on my birthday. It seemed like fate. After careful consideration, I picked a medium gray. Nice, classic, would go with everything.

And, I realized when I got home: boring as hell to knit. A winter's worth of pestering a certain Bunny got me a lesson in dyeing. We spent a fun evening changing boring gray to a variegated blue (what else!) But there was a hitch: the yarn had even more of a drinking problem that either of us, and after two separate batches of dye, there were still huge gray splotches. Which could in no way be excused as a "design feature." The Bunny had to go home, leaving me to play with the dye on my own, another day. (And lending me her dye pot & Magic Spoon - thanks!)

After careful review of the process, I got the essentials together:

If you look carefully in the top left-hand corner, you can see a bit of the gray before re-re-dyeing:

Several impatient days of letting the finished product dry finally yielded satisfactory results:

I took it outside to play in the sun this morning (after careful consideration, changing out of my bright-pink flannel nightgown to do so. The neighbours, having caught me taking pics of knitting and yarn in the shrubberies on several previous occasions, are already concerned about my sanity)

Yesterday, I swatched for my First Sweater. I wanted to do something all cabled and funky...but 1) didn't have enough yarn; and 2) thought I should start with something a little simpler the first time around. After rather an embarrassing amount of time poking around on Ravelry, I've decided to go with the Minimalist Cardigan.

I'm a little nervous, coz I got gauge with my swatch...which could be a good omen. Or it could mean that the Knitting Fates are preparing to play with me like Singe does with his mousy offerings, tormenting before going in for the kill...Anyway, I think it looks pretty, and I love how the colour knits up:

Now what I need is a name for the colourway. Suggestions, anyone?

While I was outside, I figured I'd take a photo of the first finished Charade sock:

The foot is not as short and stubby as it looks. Also, it's charading as a Charade sock, since about half-way down the cuff, and for no apparent reason, I changed the placement of the yarn-over. Ooops! By the time I realized it, I had already started the toe decreases. So, I'll just repeat the "mistake" on the second sock, and definitely call that one a "design feature" - my "interpretive version."

Off to pack for the weekend - more out-of-town gigs for Mr.Q, and I'm tagging along as the Official Groupie. (Also, um, there are yarn stores. One in an old Masonic Hall - and conspiracy theorist that Mr.Q is, he couldn't say no to that one!)

Gratuitous cute cat pics (none of Singe, who's currently in the doghouse, after a repeat of the multi-mouse incident two nights ago. Any suggestions for that - aside from making slippers &/or tacos out of the cat - would be most welcome!)

The landlord has reported that they snuggle like that outside on the lawn on sunny days. How cute is that? (Also, how cute are those hairy toes, hmmm?)