Happy New Year!

Seems hardly possible that another year has been and almost gone. It seems even more impossible that at this time last year I had not even thought about taking up the old needles again. I hadn't knit at all since my eldest child was about seven and he's now twenty-eight! It kind of went out of fashion. My three children didin't want to wear hand-knits and slowly it was becoming a very uncool thing to be doing. Anyway, forward wind to December 31st 2008 and I am 100% addicted.

I have spent a very relaxing 'last day of 2008'. This afternoon I spoke to my son and his new wife via 'skype' (online free phone with videocam), another experience I wouldn't have anticipated partaking in a year ago. They have spent Christmas in Australia with his wife's parents. Mr Snoopydog and I have their labrador, Scott, with us for the holidays (smile lots!!!!!!!).

My good friend josiekitten gave me a 'Kool-Aid' dyeing kit for Christmas and as I had a couple of hours to myself today, it seemed the perfect time to try it out. IT WAS FAB! I LOVED IT! So much for agreeing to stash-bust in 2009............I now neeeeed to buy more undyed yarn and lots more'Kool-Aid'. Anyway josiekitten explains the process beautifully on her blog, so all that's left for me to do is to show you the results of my labours.

I love the vibrancy of the colours and the way they merge into each other. I used blue, red and yellow, but as you can see so many other shades appear as the colours blend. It's brilliant! The learning curve is very steep. I didn't put the clingfilm under the yarn before I started dyeing, so it was a very tricky exercise once the yarn was dye laden; a nightmare to stop the colours mixing where you didn't want them to. I am really please with the result though. It looks much better dried than it did wet. As Mr Snoopydog said, 'hmm, yes that does look quite good. I thought it looked awful when you were doing it!'.

Well, there are only one and a half hours left of 2008 and I am determined to stash-bust (saving one pound in my money box for each ball/skein of yarn I knit). I think I will also join josiekitten in the sock challenge; to knit a diffrent pattern each month, using stash yarn. Great idea josiekitten. I need to choose my twelve sock yarns now. I will post my selection tomorrow!

Wishing everyone a PEACEFUL, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND YARNFUL NEW YEAR.