busy, busy

Today is the last day of school for students. Dan is busy with all of the formal activities involved in year-end in a high school. Grad is tonight. His grandmother is ill and in the hospital so he hasn't had a spare minute in the last few days.

I needed to go into the school and pack up all of my teaching stuff so that next year's teacher in that room will be able to move her stuff in. With much of Dan's and Geoff's help, this is what my family room looks like now.
I'm not exactly sure where it's going to live for storage. It will mean some massive clearing out of other spaces in the house to make room for it. I'm glad that the work at the school is done but I'm not looking forward to all of the work in the house that will need to be done at some point. Sigh.

I was out shopping the other day and got some things that I think will make sock blank dyeing better. I picked up a Rubbermaid gift wrap container because it is the right size to spread out the blank. I got the racks to fit inside the bin to elevate the dyeing surface.

I also bought a couple of sheets of plastic canvas, figuring that I could lay the blank on one before dyeing and it would make it easier to pick up the blank to place on plastic wrap before wrapping and microwaving the wool. I haven't had time to try this contraption out yet but it should, in theory, work well.

And, of course, the bin came with a lid to pack up all of the pieces together for storage.

I did a double-take the other day when Kelly Petkun (!) left a blog comment on this post. Yes, THAT Kelly Petkun, of Knit Picks fame!! She actually read my blog! She had some great advice for dyeing the sock blanks:

Try wrapping your un-dyed, pre-soaked sock blank in a towel and spinning it in your washing machine. Also, add more vinegar to your dye mixes. More vinegar keeps the colors from running. And, if the blank is spun out well, then there is less liquid to ooze into the next color.