04.29.07
Posted in books, natural dyeing, random, spinning at 10:02 pm by wendy
I blame Yul Brynner for my inability to say “etcetera” just once like a normal person.
First some etcetera:
A picture of a quiet evening in.Mom would love this pic, and really, it’s thanks to her that this pic happened. When she took Belu for the week because we had foster dogs coming out of our ears and Belu was seriously PO’d, Crivvie and the Weasel really worked out any issues they had over ownership of Mom/Grandma and with each other. We miss her everyday.
Ooh, that turned into a bit of a downer, sorry.
Um, here’s something that’s totally boring except for one person:
Knitters Coffee Swap Qs:
1. Whole bean or ground?
whole bean please. We have a grinder and we know how to use it.
2. Fully-loaded or decaf?
Caffeine is my bestestestestestest friend.
3. Regular or flavored?
Regular.
4. How do you drink your coffee?
Usually with 1% milk because it’s what’s in the fridge, but half and half when I’m out and about, black when we’re out.
5. Favorite coffee ever?
Hmmmm…not sure. The Wild Divine roast from a local merchant (Divine Madman Coffee–619-339-5379, they specialise in certified organic, shade grown, fair trade coffee and donate 10% to a local wildlife rescue) sticks out in my mind.
I get a 2 shot 12 oz. mocha in the morning before work because milk+chocolate+caffeine= perfect morning meal. 
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?
I’m not an expert. I won’t pretend to be some dilettante. But, um, some coffees taste manky, some don’t. I generally like something in the mid category–not french roast, not a mild breakfast type. So, mid acid, mid roast. I’m a moderate in nearly everything.
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
I like lemon bars too, good accent, but um, most times it’s a donut or blogs with my coffee. Depends on if it’s a day off or not.
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?
Local roasters rock!
9. Yarn/fiber you love?
It’s possible that I love everything and everyone.
10. Yarn/fiber you hate?
But maybe I hate nylon.
11. What’s on your needles?
A bottom up V-neck stash buster. Wear Everywhere Pullover in linen. Map of the World afghan. Baby socks x 2. Socks for me. Um, there’s more but what, I can’t remember. Ooh, a Sherwood in Pima Silk.
12. Favorite colors?
Blue and green (but not teal ;)) Red and yellow, like flames… Not really keen on pink or purple.
13. Allergies?
Cats (most). That’s about it. I don’t expect I’ll get sent anything dipped in pymethrin, so I figure I don’t need to bring that up.
14. Anything you really love, really don’t like, or just need to get off your chest?
Underpants!
So here’s the natural dyeing thing:
Carrot Tops & Copper Sulfate!
So, I took 3 skeins of the Henry’s Attic Inca Organic Cotton in Ecru, Sage & Desert, weighed them, scoured them (that’s where you fill up a big pot with water and soap and boil the shit out of it, then rinse it. Okay, maybe don’t boil it. Whatever your end purposes speak to) mordanted with alum (5% weight of goods as recommended by Michelle Whipplinger of Earthues for cotton) and eventually got around to getting some carrot tops with which to dye them.
I swung by too early for a farmer’s market in La Mesa, when they were just setting up but asked a vendor if she could save tops for me, so when I came back and bought several bunches I got 3 times more the tops–in fact, I ended up with a 1:1 ratio of WOG (weight of goods) cotton to carrot tops, which was just what I wanted to try.I put half of them in an enamel pot with enough water to cover and put them on high heat. When the carrot tops already in had wilted and browned out, I added more water and more carrot tops.
Eventually, I had something like this:
In smell and color it was just like my dandelion reduction (which I never used and never blogged) so I suspect a similarity of results could be had. A Handbook of Dyes from Natural Materials by Anne Bliss is a great resource–its only drawback is perhaps that it is organised by dyer’s name– not color, material, lightfastness, or whatever criteria might be most important to you.
I love it because it does consider lightfastness and subjects the end products to that objective test. Surprisingly, this is an important end step that many natural dye resources gloss over (or regard seemingly indifferently).
Anyway, it looked like tea when I dipped a cup in.
Alone, carrot tops on a material mordanted with alum make a strong yellow with a very high lightfast rating.
But add copper sulfate (blue vitriol) and you get a green:
Unfortunately, I forgot to document the weight of the blue vitriol/copper sulfate I added. I just poured until I liked the color of the dyepot. D’oh!
Here are the end results, after simmering and cooling, simmering and cooling. (perhaps a two day thing, I let it get hot and simmer for a while, shut it off, went to bed, and later the next day turned it on and up again and let it simmer/boil again and cool off when I had free home time). Sorry, good documentation would have specific times.
I didn’t exhaust the color in the pot. So far, in my experience, that doesn’t seem possible in natural dyes. But I was happy with the color I saw in the pot (my eyes and brain as a dyer have managed to do an automatic adjustment of the number of shades reduced to see the end color between dye pot and dried and expected washed/rinsed product. I am such a schmartypantz.)
So, from the top to the bottom.
Natural white (ecru)
Natural white (ecru) overdyed with carrot tops and copper sulfate
Sage
Sage overdyed with carrot tops and copper sulfate
Desert
Desert overdyed with carrot tops and copper sulfate
I let the dyed goods boil, washed them in a warm water machine with normal detergent, and put them through a hot dryer… I treated them roughly because I want them to be bomb/babyproof.
So, the undyed cotton is softer and more unprocessed than the dyed. But there it is.
And also, to prove I’m still doin’ it:
Here’s 2.1 oz, 184 yards of 2 ply, averages out to 1401 ypp, and sportweight. Corriedale roving from Dove & Jager (sheep names) in Pennsylvania and handpainted by Sue of Love Interwoven. I have no idea what I’m going to do with this but I enjoyed spinning and plying it and that’s what matters.
BTW, Love Interwoven is a new company in San Diego. I love talking to Sue. She’s my new Mary-Kay.
;P
Anyway, she’s become a Louet dealer too and is working on blending custom batts and handpainted rovings. Expect great things to be uploaded soon. But until then…she’s taking phone orders. Her prices are fair for the market, you can call and order yourself some schweet spinning surprises.
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04.27.07
Posted in random at 10:06 am by wendy
If you’d like to deal with an incredibly incompetent investment company that makes you go WTF at every turn, that turns $4K invested in an IRA over ten years ago into less than $3K, Morgan Stanley is the place to go.
Wow.
Let’s fee you to death.
Let’s make it impossible (or at least very difficult, I haven’t managed it in two years of visits and phone calls) for you to make changes to your account to preserve the remaining money.
Let’s make sure you can’t talk to a broker face-to-face because we took the money you invested and turned it into something so small you don’t warrant an appointment. You can call a hotline though and wait on hold, how’s that strike you?
Back when you could meet with an advisor, let’s make sure you meet with a different one each time and let’s make sure the forms you come in to fill out (to change the name on the account to the correct one, a form to move the money away from our incompetent clutches, etc.) just disappear. And now if you want to change your name on your account, because you don’t have enough money with us to be worthy of wear and tear on our branch office carpet, you’ll need to send us a certified copy of your marriage certificate. So what if those things aren’t free, it’s not us paying for it!
Oh and we’ll be totally useless on the phone but tell you you can look at your account specifics on the website. And when you go to the website and go through the sign up process, in the end you’ll get a screen that says to finish the enrollment you’ll need the info we’ll snail mail to you. Oh, and if the letter doesn’t come, say in a week or so, just call the oh-so-helpful hotline.
Ridiculous.
I might be a little cranky because I just spent an hour with the IRS phone system. Then Morgan Stanley. Before that, I talked with Vanguard. Vanguard rocks. Not much competition for them in today’s sample, I know, but they are definitely a much better company. Oy.
Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Morgan Stanley can bite my @ss.
Next post: Natural dyeing-pics finally, if I can get my camera and computer to talk, and the Knitter’s Coffee Swap questionaire. (sorry, Dawn, I am le suck.)
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04.25.07
Posted in random at 11:23 pm by wendy
heh.
There’s a point in blogging where there is so much to say, acknowledge, share, ponder, muddle through etc. that it becomes a fearsome task, something huge and intimidating…and maybe a little tedious, since it means rehashing and rephrasing events that maybe you’ve felt you’ve dwelt enough on.
So little by little, I might catch up, I might get to what I’ve meant to say, but maybe not.
But right now I want to just say this:
I am going to Black Sheep Gathering!
Woo-hoo! I have wanted to go to Black Sheep since we lived in Oakland, lo so many years ago (okay so maybe just four have come and gone without me that I’ve pined for), but it’s just always snuck up, the time hasn’t been right, money’s been tight, I’ve always put it on the wishlist for “next year,” and this year…well, I should put it on the wishlist for next year.
I should, and I’m not going to. One of the lessons of this year so far has certainly been Don’t Put Things Off, so even though I know the timing won’t be right, and I really shouldn’t spend the money, I’m going to go anyway.
Say it with me, and say it loud: Damn the Man!
Yeah, right, anyway.
So, I’m working out travel arrangements–I will probably fly in and out of Portland, for several reasons:
So I’m looking into when I should go to Portland, when I should go down to Eugene, what to do in Eugene–beside the BSG(!!!) and all of that.
I think I’ll be camping at the fairgrounds, both for the experience and the moolah preservation, but the rest of it is up in the air. I’ll have to decide what to do with the shop (close it for the time, or run it from the road with Nick as conscripted minion?) Is it practical to rent a bike to jam around on, or have enough Californians moved to Oregon I’ll need a rental car?
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04.12.07
Posted in random at 10:18 pm by wendy
Random & inappropriate:
I was on a treadmill, behind another treadmill, and when the girl running on the treadmill got off I saw her face and thought, “Wow, that butt totally doesn’t match that face.”
Which is one of the dumber thoughts I’ve had in a while. Well, today anyway.
I hate farting while on the treadmill.
Half because I’ve been stuck next to a farter before and yuck. When it’s crowded at the gym and we’re all running in our little hamster balls and strapped into our ipods, it’s nasty to breathe in another person’s little reminder of their own pervasive er…individualism.
The other half is ‘cuz when your ass is all sweaty and you are movin’ good, a fart changes character. It changes from my little easily controllable comic friend (seriously, I have a gift) to some vague slippery amorphous sensation which threatens to bring along friends. Solid friends.
…
Um, so yeah. You are probably dumber now if you’ve read this far.
Yeah, I don’t think deep thoughts at the gym.
I get annoyed at the choices of channels on the screens and my inability to ignore them and I listen to podcasts/audiobooks or music mixes. I watch the other people and I wonder if the stripe of sweat is visible on my booty. And I hope the person behind me isn’t watching my butt like I’m watching the butt in front.
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04.09.07
Posted in entertainment at 6:32 pm by wendy
Burn things and drink are favorite…
Anyone want to celebrate the taxes being over and done with thing? Howsabout a bonfire at Coronado’s North Beach fire rings on Wednesday, April 18th?
It’s a hump day, Nick has the night off, we’ll have s’mores makings & a wagonload of sensitive papers to burn. Bring tax returns more than seven years old and anything else you’ve been meaning to shred or get rid of that won’t make toxic flamage, and maybe some real wood to help hold down the papers and keep the fire going solid. We’ll bring real wood too. Heh, heh. Anyway, here’s the evite, if you want to come and let us know to expect you.
April 27th–taking care of a new year’s goal: Drinks at the Top of the Hyatt, hopefully arriving before sunset to watch the lights change along the skyline. Here’s the evite link if you’d like to come–I’ve never done an evite thingy, let me know if it doesn’t work like that, but I imagine I’ll need to let the bar know how much space we’ll want in advance.
And that should do for our social impulses for the year. 
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Posted in random at 4:01 pm by wendy
Does anyone in the southern California area have a Bosworth Journey Wheel? I would love to see one up close and spin on one.
I saw one on the blog of the Harmless Drudge; it looks so lovely and amazing.
I mean, not that I need another wheel or anything, (really, I don’t) but ooh, I love the loveliness of a Magic Box, I’d like to see how it spins.
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04.04.07
Posted in random at 11:13 pm by wendy
I am 28. And I am wearing retainers.
Again.
I admit, I’ve made some poor choices in dentistry. I allowed a Smilecare dentist office to work in my mouth three years ago. (for those unaware of smilecare, you’ll find them listed in your provider as an individual dentist, but you’ll show up and see a smilecare logo everywhere. you’ll figure, ‘eh, what’s the difference?’ but smilecare’s assembly line & shoddy dentistry & incompetent billing will show you the difference.) Long story short, I could either have the crowns in my mouth cut off and replaced or wear retainers 24/7 for three weeks. After the “contacts” close, I’ll need to wear them at night, or whenever they need to stay closed. Bummer. (”contacts” are gaps between the teeth, I have one big one in each quadrant, eating hard foods the past three years has been painful because they pack in. It makes flossing more of an excavation. TMI. )
I feel so sexy.
I am so excited that the British are coming home! I couldn’t tell you exactly why, but this situation has really been worrying me, and I am so relieved they have been released.
Doing the taxes. Yay.
I’ve been engaging in natural dyeing, despite a raid by the DEA & FBI (just kidding). Carrot tops & copper sulfate. Details to follow.
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04.01.07
Posted in books, entertainment, knitting, random at 8:36 pm by wendy
IMPORTANT
Did you know I’m a rumor monger? Stop eating anything with wheat gluten in it.
Contaminated pet food ingredient sold as “food grade” may be in human food supply.
And now for something completely different.
Google’s offering free broadband! And an awesome new option for Gmail!
And, at least Lion Brand admits their yarn is lame.
The things you find on flickr. You know those Biore pore strips? That pull stuff out of your pores? Someone took a picture of theirs. I can’t look away.
Mourning Update
I had a dream the night before last about Mom.
This is the fourth one that I remember, and while I had the “yay, you’re alive! but this is probably a dream and not the other way around, but yay! I don’t want to wake up!” feeling I still got to hug her and smell her again and it felt so real, so it’s all good.
The Road
One of my favorite books from this last year is now Oprah’s book pick. The Road is such an amazing book and has really stayed with me and Nick, one of the rare books this year I read in a single sitting. Believe me, I wanted to put it down.
It’s incredible and encapsulation would do nothing but mislead you, but it’s fantastic— but it definitely contains his bleak awareness of darkness, of evil, of selfish cruelty.
And the helplessness of guardianship of another life in a world full of this selfishness and cruelty.
Also joy and love and pride and fear and hope. So don’t let the sticker on the new releases of this book scare you, don’t be shallow like me.
The joy of trying to be a natural dyer in the disputed meth capitol of the world.
Despite every resource I read on natural dyeing assuring me that pool supply companies stock these chemicals, I get nothing but attitude and “NO! We don’t sell that here!”
I am using these chemicals in natural dye processes. I am careful & moderate in the use and disposal, no need for the hostile freakouts I’ve been receiving.
I’ve said what they are, I’ve said what I need them for…I mean seriously, if you don’t know what the hell sodium hydroxide or copper sulfate are, all you need to say is “I’m not sure we have that but I’ll look.” I guess pool supply and customer service are mutually exclusive. No need for the reaction I got the last time, her anger was so out of nowhere it was surreal, but it was consistent with the weird defensiveness of other pool supply store employees.
I think asking for the actual chemicals (even by the common names of lye or blue vitriol) instead of brand names makes them feel stupid. Maybe it’s all those chemicals that make them stupid. Hello? Who sells chemicals but doesn’t know what the hell they are? Only as brand names? Jeebus, these are things that children are swimming in!
But at least I fuckin’ know what their molecular structure looks like.
Yeah, like THAT means anything.
“I was eloquent! Shit!”
I guess I should start compiling lists of the brand names these chemicals are sold under. Or just tell the “help” to go away and let me look through everything myself. Boy, I read this and it seems so melodramatic and witchy–really, buying something from a shop shouldn’t be a big deal at all. I don’t know what’s up with this, it’s really odd.
Looking Forward
The Golden Compass movie! I pictured Lyra as grubbier, but okay. And I have to admit, the armored bears are my favorite part of the series. The very graphic part where Iorek rips Iofur’s jaw off made me go, “whoah? This is a kid’s book? Awesome.”
Link to preview on youtube
Also Captain Tightpants is Lord Asriel. Rawr.
I didn’t finish the sweater or the bicolor cardi.
I suck. I’m a knitting lame-o. I picked up Sherwood again too. So I can inch along on various projects and not finish anything indefinitely. I’m a genious.
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