I didn't get a chance to play with my new dyes this weekend, but I did get to do some online color work.

I'm building a site that will have free templates for Moveabletype blogs. The idea is that if you are using the default template code that is installed with a basic MT installation (3.1x version), then all you will need to do is update the CSS (stylesheet) template and you'll be good to go with your new look.

There will be two types of templates. One will be just pure CSS. The look of the blog will be defined by the stylesheet exlusively. The second type will include some photos to give the blog a bit more character. If you want to use one of these templates, you'll have to have a place to store the images online. I'll also do a small customization to the banner with your site name.

The site is in test mode and I only have four templates built, but you're welcome to go check it out!

More knitting has been completed on the top down mittens. The colors in this yarn are delightful to knit with. There are so many variations, that I'm finding color inspiration in each individual row and could imagine a whole skein of each of the different combinations.

Perhaps with the forecast of cold weather in Ohio over the weekend, some dyeing will get done!

lbc

One mitten knit from the dudleyspinner yarn. I don't like the shape of the top, so I'm going to rip it out and redo it.

I knit the mitten from the top down, starting it like a pair of socks with the figure eight cast-on. On my first try (pictured in the last entry), the tip was too pointy. On the attempt pictured here, it's too rounded.

The benefit of the tweaking? I'm going to write up the pattern (in detail) for knitting these top down. It's a nice way to make mittens and I like the way the top side of the thumb joins the body (like this pair)

A box of supplies arrived last week from ProChemical:

This will account for lots of dyeing fun scheduled for the coming months.

Dog Stuff
This past weekend I attended a puppy agility camp with Ellie. It was amazing. We learned so much and have a ton of things to work on to prepare for doing real agility work. I think the techniques and exercises that we learned will also help Katy as well. Maybe even rebuild her enthusiasm for the sport! Though, lucky Katy will be learning how to do sheep-herding in May. She'll have her herding instincts tested and learn some of the basics involved in working around stock - it should be very interesting.

I was going to make socks with this yarn, but after I started to knit, I realized that I wouldn't want these colors so far away from my eyes. Instead, I'm going to make mittens. I'm knitting at a tight gauge and I really love the knitting so far!

Roving from ebay (dudleyspinner):

Finished skein of yarn:

Color is good!

I never did a 100 things about me...

But, since Diana prompted for this one, I'll reveal at least these...

10 Things I've Done That You Probably Haven't

1. Stuck my hand in a walrus' mouth - more than once.
2. Dived for pearl-bearing oysters (dressed as a Japanese Pearl Diver. Heard many times over those two summers, "You don't look like you're Japanese...")
3. Dressed up on a regular basis as Penny Penguin and Baby Shamu.
4. Pushed back 737s during inclement weather (I was told that I did very smooth push-backs - e.g. the pilot's coffee didn't spill when I stopped the tow motor.)
5. Designed animated "cheers" for the scoreboard at the Ohio State Football stadium. Watched the OSU games from the pressbox too. (the pressbox rocks back and forth during "Hang on Sloopy" - it's a little bit disturbing)
6. A salchow.
7. Trained an Asian Short-clawed otter to eat shrimp though he clearly preferred Canadian River Smelt.
8. Ran the physical wiring in a Central Office to complete customer orders for phone and DSL service. (The third picture down is a Cosmic frame, which is the type that I worked on - though I did some work on a traditional frame as well. A note about these pictures - they are from a Verizon CO. I don't work for Verizon, but I have to say that it's uncanny how similar all Central Offices look.)
9. Passed the CCIE written test two times (never actually took the lab).
10. Watched the start of a NHRA Pro-Stock race while standing on the tarmac at the starting line.

Just in case you wondered. Tonight it will stay light an extra hour due the the miracle of administrated time. Yeah! This is always great news to a non-morning person.

More color, this time in a recently completed, knitted project:

The Noro Kureyon scarf. I bought this yarn at webs and started it on the ride back to Kerstin's. I believe the pattern is in the book, Last Minute Knitted Gifts, but I just followed the instructions on the store sample tag. Mistake rib, alternate balls of yarn every two rows, keep knitting and knitting and knitting until you run out of yarn. I made the scarf two ribs wider and used four balls of yarn altogether. I'll post the colors shortly...