Author : halleday
1729 posts
When we got the materials for our retreat they said that we’d be doing a tie dye project so we brought our pre-washed white shirts along. I had anticipated standard tie dye…rubber bands, string and dipping in dye baths or squirt bottles.
When we got to the building we found out that it was tie dye with Sharpie Markers and rubbing alcohol. I’ve wanted to try this technique since Elizabeth blogged about it. Of course, there are always so many techniques and so little time.
It’s a very simple process…you just make dots. Seriously. You can create what ever you want. I’m sure you could draw as well but dragging the marker on the material isn’t always the easiest.We had a piece of cardboard between the layers of the shirt so it wouldn’t bleed through to the back.
We did learn that certain colors of Sharpies spread more than others. Not sure why. Also the bigger the dot…the more it spreads. As well as the more alcohol you put on the further is spreads.
Fun and much less messy process than dye baths.
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I also wanted to say “thank you” once again to Patty for the wonderful birthday surprise. Look at the sweet package of goodies I came home to on Sunday.
Patty was kind enough to share some of her “new” quilt pieces with me and one of her lovely looking and smelling lavender wands.
You never know what you’re going to get in Minnesota.
Little J and I traveled 2.5 hours north to a camp for a weekend of Mother Daughter quality time. The lake was still iced over when we got there. 
It was cold and drizzling but we decided to make the best of it…even horseback riding in the rain. We wore several layers of coats, topped with rain-gear, hats and gloves.
There were 14 in our group all sharing our cabin which incidentally had no bathroom but at least it had a furnace!! It was wonderful getting to know this group of women more over the weekend. All of our daughters got to know each other and fostered some new friendships.
There were over 400 women and girls at the camp!! I’ve never been a part of anything like this before. So much fun. I can only imagine that it would have been exponentially more fun if the weather was better and Little J had been feeling better. But she was a trooper and didn’t whine or complain or beg to go home. We had ridden with a friend so leaving would have been a major issue.
We did lots of crafting…
Fabric headband
Leather stamping
Painted frame
Mousetrap note holder
Clothespin caterpilars
We skipped most of the outdoor activities. We spent enough time in the cold drizzle walking from building to building for activities.
Tomorrow I’ll show one last weekend craft that is a technique that I’ve seen others, such as Elizabeth, demonstrate on their blogs. Super fun!!
Ok…it took me three rounds to to notice my mistake. Do you see it?
Here’s a clue…
We all learned in school that hex means 6, correct?!
And now lets count together…
Like I’ve said many times…I’m pattern challenged.
I think watching TV while crocheting isn’t the best idea to begin with but I can’t blame it all on that. Maybe next time I’ll try and easier pattern…and learn to count more accurately.
I’m not giving up and starting over. I’ll just have a pentagonal dishcloth. There’s nothing wrong with that. If a Pentagon is good enough for the U.S. Military…it’s good enough for me and my dishes.
What’s a girl to do when she has a bunch of boring white cotton yarn?
Dye it of course.
I used a batch of red cabbage dye that I saved in the freezer from dyeing eggs.
I decided to use some crochet skill to try out a dishcloth.
I love that the yarn isn’t a solid color. Some people would look at that as a flaw but I think of it as a bonus.
I made up my own pattern. Frankly, it looks like a thick doily to me.
I’m not sure how the color will stand up to repeated washings but who cares! It’s a dishcloth after all.
Next I’m going to attempt to follow an actual pattern. We’ll see how that goes…since I seem to be pattern challenged.
PS…it’s snowing here again.
**SAD FACE**
Here I stand next to the last of the snow in our yard.
We ate lunch on the deck yesterday. Have windows open. We are using the grill. Spring finally did arrive.
I’m back at my Children’s Literature altered book.
Click, Clack, moo quickly became a new favorite children’s book. It’s about these cows that find a typewriter and start sending a list of demands to the farmer. They decide to stop production unless given electric blankets. It’s super cute.
There is actually several in the series now by Doreen Cronin. She definitely has a knack for children’s stories.