Out of My Archives ~ Dyeing Wool With Food Coloring or Kool Aide

Post from ....

>> FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2011\

(http://raising4godlymen.blogspot.ca/2011/01/friday-farm-girls-dyeing-wool-with-food.html)

I was going through my craft patterns last night and found my notes on how to dye wool with food coloring or Kool Aide. I sure am getting the itch to try my hand at it once again this winter.

On January 10th, 2010 I posted on my old blog of my experience dyeing wool with food coloring and had to share it with you all. I have have been enjoying my hand dyed wool Calorimetry headband this fall and winter. ( pattern HERE)

(January 2010)

I have been wanting to dye my own wool for years but never have had the courage to. But I keep hearing about those ( my older brother included) who have dyed animal fibers with Kool Aide. It is a safe and wonderful non fussy way to do it in your own kitchen. You even can use your crockpot ! My crockpot has become one of my most favorite tightwad tools.

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My brother gave me some white sheeps wool last year. I have been holding onto it for awhile and decided to take the plunge and dye it. But as I was researching how to dye it I found out you can also dye it with food colouring ! This neat must see homestead video that shows how to dye wool with Kool Aide. Off there they gave a link in in their more info a very well written out instructions too and a neat link to food colour dyeing your wool.

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Here I am winding my wool into a hank of yarn.

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I tied my hank in several places to hold it together while I dye it. ( suggestion here: tie very loose or it will give a tie dye ring…not reccomended unless you want that look.)

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Here I am soaking my wool in a vinegar and water bath over night to help it to absorb the dye better.

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Here is my yarn in the crockpot after I have poured my food coloring mix into it. Please watch video and read the instructions on the side. It explains it very well. There is one other site that I recommend to read too. Go HERE.

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This is what the water looks like after it has exausted all the colour from the water. It is so fun to keep peeking in and seeing it disapear. This is a GREAT science experiment with learning color therory. I had a ton of fun mixing my own colours with the food colouring.

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TA DA ! Here is my first tries ! 

((((HAPPY DANCE)))

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And my second tries !!

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I thought I would show what my knitting basket looks like right now. The top right corner shows the two balls of yarn that I dyed the second time round. Doesn’t this make you want to try it ?!?

God, Please Grant Me...

  I thank the Lord for the friends that He has given me to make things funny and then be able to see the lighter side of things.

right now

                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                     photographs by...Nicolas ( 4ds)

right now...

:: thankful ...for for freezers full of meat and frozen produce from the garden.

:: loving...the first couple days of snow

:: embracing... the idea of hunkering down for the winter and knit, knit and knit some more.

:: enjoying... the warmth of the wood stove.

:: marveling...at the beauty of the snow line coming down and going up the mountains that surround us.

:: finishing...knitting Handsome's brown wool sweater.

:: loving... the way it looks.

:: plotting...already what I will knit next when I am done.

:: feeling...good about the new knitting skills that I have learned.

::listening... to the hum of the food dehydrator drying soaked peanuts to make peanut butter.

:: keeping busy...homeschooling the boys and making all kinds of things in the kitchen.  Sourdough English Muffins, bone broth for soups, peanut butter, crispy pumpkin seeds and yogurt to name a few.

:: deciding...what recipes I want to use for goodies this coming holiday.

::reviewing...ways to stay with in our budget and pay off debt and stay within our means.

Trip Ramblings Pt.3

The last third of our trip was spent visiting Philip ( 1ds), Essie( DIL) and freshly dropped off, Luke. ( our 2ds)  We planned a day out to Chinatown, The Chinese gardens and get lunch from our favorite Chinese bakery.  The Lord blessed us with a beautiful day and lots of fun times.  It was good to see Luke settling in his new life.  I pray that the Lord blesses him with a good job soon. Please, if you think of us pray for something to show up soon and for him not to get discouraged.

Happy ( 22nd ) Anniversary Handsome

Happy Anniversary

© Kirk A. Finney

When years are passing by like days,

and in my hand your hand is placed,

a knowing smile crosses your face,

a simple touch can still make my heart race.

When I can see my soul in your eyes,

and you see your soul in mine we realize,

that a love so deep can harbor no lies,

where our only tears shed were happy tears we've cried.

I love you as much now as I ever did before,

if possible, I may even love you more,

all starting from a feeling we did not ignore,

a feeling of connection we chose to explore.

I don't know what it is that you saw in me,

what I saw in you was the utmost happiness

that can ever be,

even more so on the day when you and I

became "We",

I can still smile and say with love and

truth Honey, I love you...Happy Anniversary.

Source: From Husband To Wife, Happy Anniversary Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/from-husband-to-wife--happy-anniversary-poem#ixzz2BBVrgMHg 

www.FamilyFriendPoems.com

I know I need to make a updated slide show but this will do for now.  I love the song and have dedicated for the last 5 years.  I will try to get some nice pics during our anniversary getaway to share.

FEELING ACCOMPLISHED?

I read this this morning and it really counteracted what I was feeling HERE.  This took away the craziness I was feeling inside and gave me peace and showed me what was important. Thank you Lord

FEELING ACCOMPLISHED?
People often feel great when they get things accomplished. That is most likely what they will share with others too. Things like how their to do list got accomplished, or how the canning got completed, or the laundry got all caught up. These are great things, and I feel good too, when I get lots done. I've been thinking today that maybe we need to celebrate some other, less discussed accomplishments. The ones that perhaps aren't as tangible and yet probably carry more weight. Things like: I greeted my husband with a smile and a hug, even though I was angry with him, or I did not yell when my toddler broke eggs all over the rug. How about these? I prayed instead of complained when I was frustrated with my workload, or I praised, kissed and hugged my teens today even though some of their behaviour is disappointing. 
These are the bigger accomplishments in my mind. Holding the tongue, showing love, controlling feelings, and behaving with grace and mercy, even when we don't feel like it. Now those types of things are worth their weight in gold and are big accomplishments. They are examples of bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and are worth celebrating and sharing. Love Michelle {{Above Rubies}}

Oh how I want to be able to multi task !

Oh how I wished I could multi task like this young girl!  I am trying to load and edit pictures of the last leg of our coast trip.  Annnnd at the same time teaching homeschool, learning how to cook and eat on the GAPS diet, keep the house in some kind of sane order, volunteer, be a wife and mom, and sneak in a stitch here and there. I am determined to get up my post tomorrow and then a post in memory of my sweethearts and my 22 wedding anniversary this Saturday.  All coming soon.  As I said this time I am determined to not slack off on my blogging.  Hope you enjoy this talented young girl and her talent and the grace she has to keep going even if she dropped a stitch.  

Trip Ramblings Pt.2

Well, the second part of our trip was spent at my moms.  We did a lot of shopping as usual, getting things at a good price.  Thankful for good prices down in the States.  We also got to go on field trips for example the Seattle Science Center to see the King Tut Exhibit.  On the way from visiting Lisa@Happy In Dole Valley we got to see my younger brother.  And there was a day my brother came over from Seattle to visit one day.  What a wonderful visit with all my family.  The next part of my trip ramblings will be when we saw my two boys and my DIL.  So a part 3 is still to come and then I'm done rambling about our coastal trip.  Hope you like the slide show.

Trip Ramblings Pt. 1

We went on a coastal trip a few weeks ago.  In the beginning we dropped off our 2ds at his older brothers to start his new life on his own.  Yes #2 out of 4 boys has flown the nest now.  We are adjusting once again to set one less plate at the table and adjusting to now only having two boys at home.  I am thankful that Luke has a stepping stone into his new life by being able to move in with his brother and SIL plus one other roommate.  It will be good financially  for them all and also have good support too.  Please pray for Luke as he is looking for a job.  I pray it won't take too long for him to find a job so this mama's heart will be at rest.

We had lovely weather while driving 

And I snuck  pictures of the boys when I could.

One of the neatest highlights at the beginning of our trip was getting the chance for our family to meet Lisa's family @ Happy In Dole Valley   .  It is a wonderful blessing to see such a dear blogging friend in 3D, such a blessing.

I loved how the boys clicked 

We went to some of their  favorite places...

A Lego store

Their swimming hole

Lisa's dd stayed warm and watched the boys swim in the chilly water.

They took us for a very lovely walk on a forest trail near by.

I also loved how our hubby's got along so well.  The week end get away in Dole Valley was a treat indeed.  And I feel a life long friendship is now cemented.

And I cannot post this post without sharing what I stitched on while knitting with Lisa. And Lisa worked on her project HERE.

Part 2 of Trip Ramblings to come soon.

Garden Pic's 2012

I found a easier way to post pictures of the garden and I hope you enjoy a peak into my world.  Tomorrow I hope to share one last post before we leave on our trip, heading out soon!

Stand Firm ...and know that God is in control

I will give you a glimpse into what has been going on inside of me and what the Lord has been teaching me. (with the bit of fun of these videos)   I love how God created me to hear from him deeply through music and even more if it has action.  God spoke through the songs at the vacation bible school week at my church during this summer.  I was in charge of the jewelry class and got to hear and see the songs the kids were learning.  The first song hit me the strongest.  It showed me that I was too caught up in fear. I knew this but was paralyzed.   I needed to hear that I needed to stand firm and know that God is in control.  So simple but hard sometimes to take to heart.  As you know from my posts the last few months that I have been struggling with taking this message to heart and fully believe it.  I was not fully leaning on God and knew it needed to be changed.  Through these songs and a few other things the Lord was leading me to read He got through to me.  My heart is at rest ( most of the time) and I am thankful. So I hope you have as much fun listening to the songs as much as I did.  Take the time and let the songs sink into your heart and soul.  Simple words but so powerful.

Be Still

I know I have been absent for a long time and have been sparse all this last year but I have a reason for this absence.  The Lord has called me to be away , he has been teaching me A LOT and it will be just for a bit longer.  We are going in a couple of weeks to see my family, some friends.   I can't wait to see them all but so happy we will get to see my 1ds and bride, which we haven't seen for almost a year. ( too long)  I am in the midst of posting a picture post of what is happening in the garden and kitchen.  I am praying it will happen in a day or two but if not...it is coming.  Miss you all tons!

Garden Goodness and a Peak into My Summer Days

This summer we have been experiencing episodes of power outages because of  weird summer storms here and there.  We  also have been enjoying some goodies coming out of the garden finally, thank you Lord.  I guess being up north things just come a little later than our friends down south.  We have been very blessed with cooking greens, salad greens, snow peas, strawberries ( finished a couple of weeks ago) , raspberries ( peak season right now) , a few carrots and parsnip thinning's. 

A veiw into our garden from the house.

Even rain clouds have their own beauty.  I love the streams of light shinning through. 

This year we have had some of the most amazing moon rises to enjoy.

As always there are soooooo many new science experiments going on.  I will be sharing some more on this hopefully tomorrow.