I'm supposed to be making curtains. So what am I doing? Not making curtains that's for sure! The curtains need to be finished so that I can start decorating my bedroom. After that, I'll be decorating what will be the guest bedroom which is covered in all of my stuff from my bedroom. So if I'm not making curtains what am I doing??
I bought some beautiful wool from Abbe and she told me how to blend my balls of yarn so that I didn't end up with bands of colour. I couldn't work out how to do this without ending up with a billion yarn ends to sort out so I just started crocheting this shawl and hoped for the best. In fact, at first, changing the balls every now and again was working so I thought I'd get away with it. But clearly, you can see from this picture, that it was a failure. Abbe had offered to redye the shawl but I thought "How hard can it be?" ha! Famous last words!
I didn't want to do the stovetop method of dying in case my shawl ended up like a triangle of felt so I did it in a bucket. I had to stir that shawl for thirty minutes! Thirty minutes is a long time when you're bent over a bucket!
The instructions told me to wear gloves and I did. At least I did until I started rinsing the shawl and then I turned into an idiot and forgot the gloves. Nail varnish remover, hand sanitiser and lots of scrubbing later I was almost back to my normal colour.
The shawl has been washed (it dyed the towels I stupidly put in with it) and dried and it looks better. Not perfect but I think I'll get away with it when I'm wearing it. I suspect that'll be the last time I ever dye anything!
I've been working on my Santa picture. You can't really tell how much I've done until you turn it back to front.
I think at the rate I'm going this will be for Christmas 2030.
I hemmed some pants. Exciting stuff.
Ooh and exciting news! She said "YES!" My firstborn son proposed to his girlfriend and they'll be getting married in just over 16 months of dieting time. Me dieting that is. Either that or I end up on their wall for all eternity forever being mistaken for a washed up whale in their wedding pictures.
Jâc and Erin are having their engagement party in my garden so I've started sprucing it up. This involves doing all the odd jobs that I've been putting off for way too long. First on the list was to paint the side of the new deck to match the old deck. I was going to do two coats but I realised that I'd then have to redo the original deck so I'm sticking with one. Win win!
I'm also finally getting around to sanding and restaining the outdoor furniture. I've sanded one table and it came up well but I'm over doing it! I need to find some get up and go!
You know though that it's going to rain after me doing all this work and we'll end up inside the house! Yikes! There's plenty to do inside too! I'd better get cracking!
