Are you sure you should be drinking that?!?!

Kool Aid is wonderful stuff....it's an American cordial (sort of) powdery drink mix which comes in little sachets. I couldn't imagine drinking it, but it's wonderful because it permanently dyes fleece and rovings in lovely colours...which smell realllll nice! hehe! Tye tracked some down in the city and threw some my way, God love 'er.... These photos here are dyed only with the Kool Aid. I used a purple sachet(grape flavour??), an orange one, which was apparently a mandarin flavoured drink, a weird white polar icy thingo which I couldn't even get my head around, and another one that boasts being blue powder that made green drink that ended up as Cherry..(huh!?!.) Not that you follow the directions on the pack, of course....(you don't add any sugar when you're dying with it)....I was absolutely stunned to read how much sugar you're supposed to add when making up the drink. It was something like a cup to a pint. I'm thinking a pint is about 700 mls or so but don't quote me on that... This green dyed roving is made by the Cherry sachet. When I tossed in the White Polar powder drink it went fluro...I'm not joking. Fluro. To get the varied strengths in the one roving I simply tied it up in knots before I tossed it into the near-boiling mixture...all of a sudden the water in the saucepan on the stove top goes clear and that's when its ready to take out. This roving has had the powder sprinkled directly onto it when wet...then wrapped and microwaved for 7 minutes....very high tech!........not! One sort of disturbing thing, though.....I wanted to dye some bright orange rovings for a beanie for my brother so I drove into the Melbourne to the Spinners Guild and bought some "Citrus" landscape wool dye. I dyed those rovings up some time ago. It was still hanging on my drying rack when I dyed these Kool Aid rovings and I was flummoxed to see that THEY WERE IDENTICAL. Now either Landscape uses Kool aid or Kool aid uses Landscape...or they both use somethin' else. I'm not sayin' nothin'....... make of it what you will....hehe Well...that's it from Sheepychic bloggings. All the very best, and do try to get your hands on some Kool Aid. It's worth it just for the nice smell through the house! Any enquiries for yarn or rovings for sale please email sheepychic@hotmail.com All the very best, Ruth. Have a very, very Merry Christmas. Kiss ya man, hug ya mum, give the kids a lolly and pat the dog.

My name is Ruth...and I'm a sockaholic....

Just a quick post...to ask if anyone will please interact with my poor children and clean up my house. I am desperately addicted to sock knitting and I just can't stop! hehe....

Seriously, though...I am sooo enjoying knitting at the moment. I still

need to sit and flick through a step-by-step guide but I'm getting there. One fun aspect to all this sock thingie is rummaging through my old handspun projects and finding suitable yarn. I've never really bought yarn (I was a spinning before I learnt to knit) but seeing Tyes new yarns on her blog recently has got me wanting to!

This yarn is a Sheepychic Multi-coloured snowy hank I spun up a while ago...(yep..I hand dyed all o' that!) which, if you look closely, has a gold metallic thread running through it, too.

I wanted to ensure I had enough for a pair so I swung over to a nice fine little Sheepychic Natural Chocolate corridale single that was hanging about. I figured little D or P is constantly scooting out without their shoes so the corridale will be hardy and hide stains...and hey...it'll be under their boots, anyway. I was really pleased with how it all went together...

All the very best and thanks for logging onto Sheepychic bloggings. Be sure to leave a cheerio in the comments if you're visiting...and if you've enjoyed having a little gander please let a couple of your knitterly pals know how they can log in too....

Any yarn enquiries...contact me at sheepychic@hotmail.com

Regards, Ruth...x

First sock down......

I've often read over blogs such a the Yarn Harlot,http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/ Tye's MMD http://merrymunchkindesigns.blogspot.com/ , Spinning Athena http://spinningathena.blogspot.com/ and loads, loads more and admired the divine hand knitted socks. As a full-on Spinner and a happy beanie knitter I've always held hand knit socks squarely in the 'too hard basket'... but now...now thanks to Tye they're in the 'took half the night but can be done' basket.

This funny ol' sock is my first full attempt. It's made from my own handspun which I dyed and spun ages ago...(remember the Rushworth yarns?) with some gold metallic thread plied through. Tye taught me the long tail cast on method for socks, (which I photographed step by step so I could learn it later with my thinking cap on- brilliant idea!!) then lent me a cool step-by-step guide which was great. Da-daaaaa.....I did it! I actually knitted a sock! With my own yarn, too!! (allow me one little show off....hehe)

I can't tell how addictive knitting socks is...I just couldn't put it down!! hehe...and you get to look really clever, too 'cos you use four needles! I'm off to finish a tiny one I started at Tyes place...so bye for now.

Thanks for logging into Sheepychic bloggings and don't forget...If you'ld like to order some Sheepychic yarn or hats be sure to drop me an email at sheepychic@hotmail.com

Regards, Ruth...

Primary colours.....

Those who know me as I go about my life know that I tend to ride with the reins fairly loose..(so to speak) and I think that is a good thing where spinning and dying is concerned. It's a mystery, but when I throw caution to the wind and spin/dye when I'm just being me the results are just soooo much nicer! When I'm trying to do something, like replicate some specific colours, or follow a recipe I've recorded, quite often the results disappoint me. It got me wondering...when spinning and dying, just how loose can reins be? Can you give allllll the control away? Can you tear a picture up into a million pieces, throw them onto the floor and see something even more beautiful? I dunno. Sooooo...that wondering got me pondering. hehe... Isn't it weird and a little bit cool (although we don't really give it much thought) how all the colours in the world are derived from Primary colours (and dark and light.) Good ol' Red, Yellow and Blue. I decided to give all control over to randomness. I've grabbed the crockpot, made two hanks worth of Merino Tops coils, randomly placed pockets of primary coloured dyes and filled up with water. I didn't stir...I didn't plan. I put on the lid and walked away. I didn't allow ANY sneak peaks...when I lifted the lid I was agasp. It was breathtaking. It was beautiful. I haven't seen a Sheepychic roving THIS Divine for a while. I'm gonna say it.........it has to be said.......I think....it....could be...a..................................TROPHY YARN. I love it. To the point of tears. What a hopeless yarn junkie you are, Ruth.

I've called this roving Sheepychic -"random's gift" This photo doesn't quite do it justice, which sadly, is sometimes the case. It's the texture, too....it's so soft and fluffy. (These are really nice quality tops, though...got them at "That Spinning Place." I'll pop the link on the Sheepychic site in case you're looking for some)... I am making a vow. I will be dying with this cool Random Primary colours method I've used each weekend and will post each one. I am keen to see what the colour roving gods send to my old crock pot. Now of course I am after a clear turbo cooker so I can see what is happening in there...hehe. Stay tuned to Sheepychic bloggings to see it spun up shortly...

And for a change of subject I want to submit two photos I took this weekend which combine to help define the word "happiness"...its my boy, M. hehe!

The whole family enjoyed our night watching some Monster trucks (USA v AUST.) very much...although my insides are still vibrating from the noise!

We've all been to the zoo, museums, circus and even the symphony orchestra in the city so this time it was something for M. and B. It was great!! AND LOUD!!! ....(What??)....I SAID IT IS LOUUUDDD...(huh?)...LOOUUDDD!!!!!!!.....(tell ya later....hehe)

Thanks for logging into Sheepychic bloggings...all the very best. Don't forget to leave a cheerio in my comments, or if you have a liking for any yarns or rovings you see in the blog they are for sale and you can contact me at sheepychic@hotmail.com. Regards, Ruth xx

Good o' fashioned hang about dying day....

Fine day...kids outside playing. What to do? Break out the dye stocks, that's what! I've gone all out, with the not-tooo-worried attitude which I love to spin and dye by. I've dyed off about 6 hanks worth, all in different colours and using different techniques.

This fun bright bundle is a neat combo of blues, pinks and purples dyed with a 'wet n dry' technique which I love as it leaves some areas perfectly white. It's called Sheepychic - "Marrah"...

The second one pictured here is a rainbow dyed Merino roving where I'm aiming for soft, muted multi-coloured shades.

I have long learnt to stop predicting what rovings will look like until the spinning's all done....I don't let myself get too excited. (or disappointed) hehe

Well...a sneak preview...I'll post more pictures as they dry. Maybe I'll spin these up myself, but if anybody wants to spin them up their way Sheepychic hand dyed rovings sell for $10 for the 80gm bundle. I find 80 gms lots fit nicely on my Ashford bobbins. Any rovings or yarn enquiries can be left at sheepychic@hotmail.com

All the very best and thanks for logging into Sheepychic bloggings. Regards, Ruth xx

The Yarn Museum....

Just a little news flash! Sheepychic Handspun "Waterwheel" from the My town-Kyabram range has made a little appearance in the Yarn Museum! Hooray! I'm so proud! hehe

Thanks, Tye for letting us know about the Yarn Museum and putting the link on your blog! I noticed there is a category for the "first ever hank" at the museum site, too....wink,wink, nudge, nudge you guys leaning at Tye's Point Cook Homestead knitters and spinners...

This image is from the Yarn Museum's web site...here's the link:

http://www.yarnmuseum.com/gallery_shows_changing/anythinggoes_gallery.html

To finish up...a quick picture of what the Water Wheel handspun finished up as....funnily enough as a Sheepychic Witchie beanie that I knitted for Tye! There is a sparkle though there...but it doesn't really show up in the picture.

All the best, and thanks for popping into Sheepychic bloggings...any enquiries about buying some yarn, or a witchie beanie just like this one please email me at Sheepychic@hotmail.com

Regards, Ruth....xx