synestheticknits

so my strawberry shortcake collection has been sadly neglected for some time. i brought them out recently for some freshening up. i love how they still smell... and i remembered that i have tons of extra nakie dolls! these three are currently looking for new homes. since i've been knitting up so many tiny sweaters and things, maybe some strawberry shortcake-sized stuff is in order... i do miss the days of scouring ebay auctions for stray shoes and pets, and the elusive plum puddin'. maybe someday.

i got four ounces of natural llama roving a few weeks ago.. time for some dyeing mishaps! i used a tutorial for steam-dyeing (which i of course can't find right now, sigh), but it is similar to the cold pour method described in the twisted sisters sock workbook . here i have the roving laid out on plastic wrap. i've been using easter egg dyes and wilton's cake dyes, since the only space i have for this sort of thing at the moment is the kitchen. all food-safe stuff! i pour the dyes on from a bottle, this time using purples and yellows. when you're done, you fold up the plastic wrap on the long sides, then roll them up into little bundles. one thing i learned: be sure the ends are closed up well! then you boil a big pot of water, and place your wool bundles in a colander over it. the water level should be just under the colander. let it steam for about 45 minutes. i placed a cookie sheet over it for part of the time, to hold the steam in. here are the bundl...