On the left, we have the original color. In the center, the lemonade, which has certainly pumped up the green to a happier place. The right, the mango, which is a little muddy, but again, only used 2 packets and 2 minutes of heat.

I know there’s concern about dyeing knitted pieces rather than just yarn so I should have knitted swatches, and still might.

The weird thing is, the lemon one has made a stiff, crackly yarn, and the mango is still pretty soft. So if using the lemon, will have to rinse/wash and block a second time. Also, the concern of shrinkage has me thinking that I will use the microwave method the whole time, and not a pot of hot water, which might felt it more.

So the verdict: if I do this, it will probably be with the lemon. I sure have enough green sweaters, but the lemon seems the least likely to cause extreme blotchiness, and it’s readily available down the street.

I  had already started the sweater, so instead of dyeing yarn skeins I will be dyeing knit pieces (before sewing) - anyone have any good luck with kool aid and dyeing complete garments?

Now the problem is what color, and finding the Kool Aid. Seems every store in my neighborhood carries only the sweetened kind but I managed to find the packets of only 2 flavors in a local supermarket. Not the ones I’d hoped for, I wanted blues or greens, but you know yellow and orange are the colors for Spring around here.

I bought a few packets to experiment before picking a color. If they turn out awful on the pale green, I might have to resort to Ebay to get other packets. Looks like a dyeing experiment might happen around here tonight, folks.

Startitis #1, the next hourglass, out of 3 year old Rhinebeck Alpaca. This the one I started twice due to supposed twisting. Damn thing still twirls on the needles but I know it straightens out. It’s mindless boring TV knitting, and yet I can’t seem to get further than this.

Startitis #2, a sock. A plain old sock out of Knitpicks Essential. I needed a subway/office project. No pattern being followed, just some cute twisty ribs.

Startitis #3, started last night. I’ve had this Elann Pure Alpaca forever. ForEVAH. I kept changing my mind what to do with it, and finally decided to use half or less (I have 20 of these suckers) for the cute Lush and Lacy Cardigan that everyone is queueing on Ravelry. It’ll be a cute spring sweater - but I can’t help feeling a little bit like I am over these muted colors and wish it was a bright happy green. This sage/asparagus/avocado is so 5 years ago. But whatever. It’ll be cute. If it gets beyond this stage. Man, just started items are really boring to look at.

I hope after the nightmare that is my 56 page magazine supplement is done today, one of these items might grow a bit. Which one will it be?

On a dreary, rainy/sleety day, all I can think about is wearing my cheerful new spring clothes.

I hate these socks.

I finally finished the Jaywalkers I started oh so long ago. I had to reknit that first sock to make them bigger because the Jaywalkers are so not stretchy and I couldn’t get it over my heel. When I loosened them up, the stripes became much wider.

I hate them. I hate the colors, which looked great in the skein but crappy knit up in big stripes. I hate the big stripes. I hate that the two socks don’t match AT ALL - one has thin yellow and the other fat yellow stripes.  I hate the pattern, which makes a tight non-stretchy fabric. I hate everything about them but the feel - the Sock Garden is nice and soft and warm. It’s a good thing I wear mostly boots. I will wear my ugly socks in my boots, and rarely have to look at them, and instead will see the silver lining, a warm sock that feels nice once I actually get them on.

Sigh. So much hate. But it is Monday, after all.

The first sock took a week or two. The second one only took 3.5 months.