350 tote bags, now embroidered & ready for the Craft and the New Economy symposium on March 10th!

I felt like taking photos today. I have a busy day & an even busier weekend, so the only chance I had was during Surface Design class …

Last week, after a class field trip to Distill Gallery (for a very exciting new assignment!), a bunch of us yarn addicts headed to Romni Wools, a hugely impressive shop in Toronto. It is yarn heaven, with skeins & balls stacked to the ceiling on two whole floors! Some aisles require you to walk nearly sideways, & there’s a large section devoted entirely to books & magazines. As a class, we rarely visit the city without making a trip. I had already been there twice in the previous week (I may have a problem), so I settled for a single skein of white Cascade 220.

Here’s what it looks like now:

I wish I had taken some progress photos, but the process was quite simple. I mixed up a couple shades of turquoise & blue weak acid dyes, doused my yarn with vinegar, & had fun with an eyedropper! Bundled the skein up with saran wrap, popped it in the dye microwave for steaming, et voila! I’m so pleased with my new yarn, & it was so quick!

We have yet another field trip tomorrow evening, so I think I may need to buy a few more white or natural yarns … my happy heart makes up for my poor wallet. Now, I just need to decide what to knit!

Tara-Marie

Enjoy these blurry shots I took of my work in the studio tonight!

I haven’t done any immersion dyeing since last year, during a Dye Chemistry class, but it’s a lot simpler than I remember. As you can see, I haven’t quite mastered dyeing evenly, but I’m very happy with my results. The imperfections add a little texture, & I’m pleased with the colour.

Now, to work on the sewing, & produce three bags before Tuesday morning …

I hope you all had a lovely holiday!

I’ve been really, really busy — but not with S&B, unfortunately! I’ve been hopping all over the place, visiting family & friends, & attempting to get settled into a new semester at school. I have some fairly exciting projects coming up, which I hope to document.

I’m afraid I don’t really have anything to report on. I’ll just leave you with photos of the little drawstring bags I printed before the break! Coffee cup cozies will now be shipped with these:

xx
Tara-Marie