Hello my dears, sorry I've been so poor at posting again just recently, work continues to be manic. I think it is slowing up slightly, but not so much that I actually have free time, and what free time I do have has exciting new challenges in it, but more of that later... I have managed a little bit more stitching, Cut Thru Castle continues, as does my sense of impending doom as to how my friend will react when I present her with a gift for her daughter which definitely contains a man on the toilet. 

Second, the continuing crochet, this is not as much as should be done, and I have no real excuse (other than the exciting new challenges), this is portable, I should be able to do another one whenever I have ten minutes free, but I'm lazy, and quite tired at the moment, see earlier manic-ness, and all I really want to do when I get some is lie on the sofa. But I need to start thinking about that deadline pretty soon, so I have started to be a bit more dedicated again this week.

 And this is the excitingness, I've started experimenting with yarn dyeing. I'm quite enjoying it and have many ambitious plans, but it is rather time consuming. This was my first attempt, when all I had was some primary colours to play with and my attempt at mixing purple did not go well.

This is my second attempt after I'd gone out and got some new colours... yes, there are mistakes, yes, I don't think I'd be able to replicate it, but this was a second attempt and when you consider that I'm pretty proud of these.

The one second from the left has potential, I wanted the pink to be more vibrant, and I think I know why it isn't, so I'll try that again. The same with the one in the middle, that and the fact that it came out lighter than I intended.

The one on the right was also meant to be more vibrant, again, I think I know what I did wrong and I think a different technique would work better, so I'll try that again. The one on the left was just dunked into an un-exhausted dye bath and actually turned out kinda pretty. The one second from the left was the last one I did and pretty much playing with what I had left, and I love it, and will have to try and find a way of perfecting it.

There will come a point when my yarn dyeing lives on another blog, but at the moment, sorry guys, you're stuck with it.

Pottering along

This is amazing, second time in as many weeks that I have actual progress to show, I'm so proud. Cut Thru Castle is progressing, you can even see the beginning of what this room is starting to look like, and the shape of the next room. I meant to do this one room at a time, but I wasn't concentrating properly when I started highlighting the chart for the yellow, and then realised that I was flowing in to the next room, so I went with it. And the next room is only a wee room (literally) so it'll give me something to work towards and have two rooms done before you know it (hahaha! Got to love the optimism). 

And the blanket is progressing as well. I finished my target of all the green (again, so proud), and have started on the purples as well. I intended to get a big chunk done today, but we've got my family staying next weekend, so it occurred to us that we probably ought to do some housework, so that's how today was spent instead. Now I remember why I hate cleaning the kitchen, especially the oven... my hands feel horrible now because they've been submerged in water and cleaning chemicals for half the day.

I'm not sure how mum time I'll have this week and so I may not have much progress to show next week, but I'll give it a shot. Happy crafting all!