Ever get a song stuck in your head?

Well I've been singing Love Potion Number 9 in my head for like 36 hours.

So Dr. Vonthreadmore and I named our latest batch thusly.

It's a very interesting batch. Usually we don't use leftover dye more than a few hours after it is mixed..... the colors shift and change over time if left out. I've heard refrigeration helps, but it's more predictable to just mix new each time to attain expected results. This time however, Dr Vonthreadmore neglected to wash out her dye cups for a few days. She begged and pleaded that she's been dying to try some new blending techniques..... I brought up the fact that it had been a few days and we would have no idea what would happen--- That's when I saw that flash of mad scientist in her eyes so I quickly exited the scene.

We only did a few skeins in this colorway, and it was mixed in a way that is completely unrepeatable..... so if you like it, get it before it is gone! I think it turned out great, it fades from a pearly gray to rasberry, with a touch of light lavender.

This pair of earrings is made with one of the solids from the "Of Fairies And Berries" batch. It has the faintest color intensity change to it, you probably can't even see it in the photos. I absolutely love colors like that though, where the change is so gentle that it doesn't interrupt the design in any way, but gives it that extra depth.

These earrings also showcase some new Delica beads that I have aquired. And yes Elizabeth, I am now addicted.

ehem..."business" expenses

Well, at least that's what I told Dr. Vonthreadmore as we opened our box from Handy Hands this week. We had ordered a cone of Lizbeth 40 in white for the Dr, and her eyebrow raised slightly at the sight of these...

"Really." she said. "did you really need more shu....." I chimed in with an emphatic YES before she could finish.


"And what about all this?" She frowned upon having found a ball of Lizbeth Autumn Spice in size 10, and another one in 20.

"Isn't my thread good enough for you anymore?" She almost couldn't look at me, she was so disgusted. "I had a coupon" I replied. She just rolled her eyes and walked away. Good thing she hadn't seen the three or four other colors of lizbeth I had ordered hiding under the packing peanuts. Anyway, I found the new autumn spice so enticing that I stayed up way too late last night making some earrings and hairclips, even a ring.

After watching her sulk around all day, I had to lift her spirits and prove to her that her threads were indeed valuable to me. So I made myself a pair of earrings. "After all" I said, "They have yet to make Lizbeth in a decent Teal. You know how much I love teal." I caught her peering over my shoulder a few times while I made these for myself. "You should make a pair for the shop too while you are at it. The people must have opportunity to experience the magnificent color that I have created as well. You shouldn't keep it all for yourself. Art like mine should be accessible to the masses and I......" Her voice trailed off in some mumbling paragraph about the value of her work and her impact on the world or something like that.

She is eccentric, I'll admit. Without her however, I would not have the "perfect teal". That to me is worth the occasional bout of nonsense.

(for those of you not familliar with my alter-ego, the illustrious and industrious Dr. Von threadmore, you can read more about our history together here)

Wshew. It's listed

Took me all night, and part of the morning to get the new Vineyard at dusk thread listed. I got distracted working on a new business card design, but it's finally done. You can find it here.

Plans......

I paced the room. " Are we sure this is a good plan?" I asked Dr. Vonthreadmore as she sat calmly without response. "Well, I guess you are not concerned about our empty Paypal account, are you!" I said with a more than a little sarcasm in my tone.

The doctor finally adjusted her gaze to meet mine, and politely responeded---

"don't worry, I have plans."

"Those plans better pay our ETSY fees this month" I retorted back to her with eyes squinted in a half-serious glare. But she could see the tiny bit of a smile at the corner of my mouth.

If you can't read the numbers on those cones, you will see that we now have in our posession 4880 yards of Lizbeth 10, and 8400 yards of Lizbeth 20.

I may bite all my nails off in nervousness, but apparently Dr. Vonthreadmore has "Plans".

Here is a picture with a small child included for scale.


Heheh(nervous laugh) That's a whole lot of Lizbeth......

She is in the pokey.

The shuttlebirds event hasn't even started and she is already making headlines folks.

I tried to tell her that she should stay home, and that there would be no dye available for her there in Spokane, but the Dr. insisted on tagging along....for inspiration she said. "But Sherry (Ladyshuttlemaker) will be there and I must observe her fine work in person! You cannot deny me the privilege of communing with such an artist! I simply will not remain behind!". To short circuit the forthcoming tantrum I shook my head and allowed her passage.

Accompanying us on the journey were Gram Maureen and Barbara, and since they had already driven a ways to pick us up, I opted to do most of the driving. Everything was fine and dandy, and we stopped for lunch and a rest here and there. Dr Von was growing a little impatient however, and after a stop for gas she volunteered to take the wheel for a time. After initial apprehension, she convinced me to take a break and enjoy the scenery through central Washington for a few miles. What could go wrong right? So I handed over the keys and started taking in the sights. Not long after we headed out though, a road-tripper's bad dream surfaced behind us in the form of a State Patrol officer. What could have gone wrong? Surely Dr. Von was responsibly observing the rules of the road, and there must be some sort of misunderstanding.

After the dust had settled and the officer had left us, Dr. Vonthreadmore quietly climbed out of the drivers seat, and handed me a white piece of paper

......

She apparently had been going a fair bit faster than she should have in her zeal to connect with the Who's Who of Hand Dyed Thread, and was now the proud owner of a $144 speeding ticket.

Or so I thought.

Upon closer inspection, I saw My name on that ticket!!!! Dr. Von Threadmore had given MY drivers license to the officer!!!

Can you believe it?

Well, needless to say, Dr. Von is in deep trouble. She has marred my perfectly clean driving record, and will not be allowed to attend tomorrows festivities. She has also been put on restriction from any sort of dyeing activities until she has worked off the debt now owed to the fine folks of Lincoln County WA. So, if you are sympathetic to the plight of our fair Dr, she has set up a fund to cover her "bail" and donations are being accepted so she may regain her freedom once more.

It all started on Monday.....

It was late in the evening after the children had been tucked into bed. There I stood, in the glorious mess that was my kitchen. The greater part of me wanted to say "heck with it" and go to bed, until I heard a voice say-But wouldn't you feel so much better if your kitchen were all nice and clean in the morning????--- It was good old Dr. Von Threadmore. I gave it some thought as she continued. ---you know how it is, you start your day by digging yourself out of the culinary mess that is this portion of the house....and you don't get done until bedtime AGAIN. It's a vicious cycle, and I just hate to see you feel so down. You can do it. You can get this done and have a wonderful day tomorrow being all caught up and having that great sense of accomplishment that you long for......go on,----- She was right and I knew it. I wondered where this burst of encouragement and wisdom had come from though. After all, she hasn't said much to me lately. I think she was feeling neglected or something... I haven't let her out to work since before the move, ..and she's not usually the chummy type anyway. But alas, I finally agreed. So off I went. I scrubbed and cleaned and mopped and then finally flopped in my tatting corner chair. Dr. V sat down on the sofa across from me and gave me a bravo for my hard work and dedication. --- It's all done now she said. Now you're all ready for a brand new day tomorrow.--- Quite pleased with my housework and with our new found camaraderie, we both headed off to bed without another thought.

The next day went off without a hitch. I was able to keep the kitchen looking spiffy all day and I even got the laundry done that morning before lunch. Dr. V wandered through the house off and on all day to say hello and show her approval of my housewifery. And at the end of the evening after the little ones bedtime routine, I sat down with great pleasure in my lovely tatting corner with the satisfaction of the days accomplishment behind me, and a couple hours of uninterrupted time ahead of me to tat. But as soon as I picked up my shuttles, I heard the strangest sound! It was a kind of whoosh....... and then all went dark.

The next morning I awoke from my bed, slightly confused as I didn't remember the events that got me there. Scratching my head I figured that hubby must have taken me to bed when he got home from his shift. Once I entered the kitchen however, it became all too clear.

Chemicals were everywhere. Dye pots had yet to be rinsed, and there were tools and measuring spoons strewn about. I couldn't believe it. I looked around a little more until I checked the laundry room. A wall of warm air hit me as I opened the door..... the temperature was set to precisely 70 degrees.... the optimum temp for curing dyed thread! AHA! There it was...wrapped in plastic and perched atop my laundry machines. Dr. Von Threadmore must have knocked me out. In fact, it must have been her plan all along...... motivating me toward keeping the house clean all day so she could take over as soon as the kid's were asleep.

The Nerve!

And, to top it off, I had to rinse the thread for her and clean up her mess!!!!

Needless to say, I haven't seen her since. She knows to stay out of my way for awhile after she has been sneaky like that. Although she might be in more trouble if she didn't come up with such lovely creations.

I'm calling this batch Earthy Rainbow. I figure if Dr. V isn't going to hang around afterward for the cleanup, then she doesn't get to name the thread either! Hmph!

Anyway,

I give away some thread each time a new batch is procuced, and your dedication has been shown by reading all the way down to the bottom of this post. So I'll reward one lucky reader with a skein of Earthy Rainbow thread, 50 yards of a fine perle cotton that came to me from a far away land......more about that in coming posts. Please leave a comment on this post, make sure I have a way to contact you, and check back on Sunday when I announce the winner. I hope to have some thread live in the shop at that point as well.

Be Mine 2.0---giveaway at the end

Finally, the new thread is live in the etsy shop! Dr. Von Threadmore has been on my tail all weekend.....

The color is called Be Mine 2.0. The "2.0" is to honor all of the poor skeins of oops thread that it took to get this batch right. Lol. I only had two balls of Lizbeth at the end of last weeks endeavor, so this batch is VERY limited. Anyway, I hadn't intended on doing a valentine themed thread, but after it dried I couldn't come up with any other name than "Be Mine" so here it is. We will be dyeing more as soon as our new boxes of dye and thread come in the mail. Until then, I might actually get some time to sit and tat. Go figure.

Oh, and one of my new years resolution was to be more generous in general, so comment on this post to win a small skein of this Hand Dyed Thread. Winner will be drawn on the 30th.

A message from Dr. Von Threadmore

Good evening everyone, this is Dr. Von Threadmore coming to you from the laboratory. As the picture above illustrates, my counterpart is otherwise engaged this evening. Dear Husband heard the tone in her voice and made a detour on his way home to pick up her, shall we say,.... medication.

I however, find myself completely unencumbered by emotionalism. And since I have been restrained from my work for so long, I jumped on the chance in anticipation of the forthcoming chocolate-induced coma.

Color. Pure, rich color. That is what the world is made of to me. I must bring magnificent color to the masses. It is my duty. My gift.

The tatted work is my muse.

The tatter, in this case the owner of this blog, is charged with the execution, but I am the true artist. I am not so easily cast about by a day's events.

.

I need no indulgence beyond the ingredients and result achieved in my laboratory.

Wonderful, delicious, color.

Houston, we have some bling.

I always thought that since I've never been involved in heavy drinking or drugs, I must not have an addictive personality type.

And then I met tatting. Lol!

After a weeks worth of scouring the local antique and thrift shops, I have yet to find more than a handful of material to harvest for more lacy rhinestone designs. So I succumbed to both Ebay and a sale at Joann to find some rhinestone chain to work with.

The first is a black rhinestone bracelet that I found for two bucks, the second is the last of the original vintage rhinestone necklace that got me started on this, and the third is some by the yard stuff from Joann.

Above is a small pair of earrings that I finished to pair with the necklace below (which finally got it's chain attached).

Most of the rhinestone jewelry available at the antique shops is too nice to cut apart, not to mention too expensive. I'd love to get some vintage necklaces in good shape to ad tatting to as they are, but not at thirty dollars a pop. So I'll just have to keep my eyes open for good deals on ebay-- Like the fuschia rhinestone chain you see in the scan below, I got ten feet (!) for like 8 bucks. It's new stock so it is missing that gorgeous vintage feeling that I adore though.


So now I leave you with a sentiment from Dr. VonThreadmore. We were discussing the need for storage containers for all of this rhinestone fun, when I mentioned that maybe I ordered too much rhinestone chain, to which she firmly replied

"there is no such thing as too much rhinestone darling!".



I think I agree :-)

The DR. is in

After hearing much lamentation over the speed (or lack thereof ) of Fed-Ex ground shipping, I was relieved to find Dr. Von Threadmore's much awaited package on the doorstep. That girl has no patience.

Our first order of business was swatching the new colors.
The DR. was too caught up in her "moment" after the swatches were dry, (I heard her say something about "The Precious".... I dunno.) so I put together a recipe box to hold her dye formulas and color cards. And while the kids were napping we did some teamwork and painted a new batch of thread which is curing for the next 24 hours.



You know, I like the Dr and all, but she is a little eccentric. And she does things I find out about later.......like she pretended she was me and told my husband that I required....I mean requested....a skein winder for Christmas. Crazy, right? And you should have seen her when Diane posted about the spinning wheel pattern she is working on. "I've been Featured!" she exclaimed while doing a ridiculous happy dance of sorts. She may be good with color, but the girl can't dance.

It's gone to her head

Well, Dr Von Threadmore has a few sales under her belt.

Now she thinks she's all that and a bag of chips.

There'll be no living with her after this.

I personally think she feels jilted because I didn't add her to the new business card.

Pshhh. Prima donna.

I feel happy. Oh so happy.

Batch number two!
I must admit that I feel more successful with this batch than the previous. I was actually being intentional about the color and it turned out encouragingly well. A few of the skeins had some small whitish spots but all in all I think I did OK.

The light outside is gone so I'll be trying for better pictures tomorrow.

Also, as I am out of thread, out of dyes, and out of funds, I'll be listing some thread on ETSY tomorrow to raise some resources so I can keep going. It will be cheap, just because it's my first couple batches and I'll also be listing a few "seconds"..... some skeins that aren't quite perfect, and I wouldn't charge much more than cost on those.

Please note my disclaimer. ----> I have no intention of trying to go after Yarnplayer, Ladyshuttlemaker, or Heather's business on etsy. I'm not here to compete. The inevitable result of my process is more thread than I'll ever use lol, so I'd just like to offer it so I can fund my hobbies. Also, to differentiate myself from the other dyers, I will only be offering dyed Lizbeth in the future. These first batches are just what I happen to have lying around to play with.

Thread thread everywhere!

What's this? Was it a dream?

No! It was real! Dr. Von Threadmore has done it!
I've awakened to a bounty of, shall we say, inexpertly dyed thread :-) This first batch is made from a small kit of dye that came with the primary colors. So inevitably my first batch was neon rainbows. The colors are unreal! Farther into the process I concocted (Did I say moi? I mean the doctor concocted) some tantilizing tertiary colors.

After the first bout of rinsing I spotted some techniques that need perfecting. The bug has definitely bit though. I'll be ordering a trunkload of white Lizbeth as soon as I can.

And now my friends, I bid you goodnight. I suddenly feel the strangest urge to wear protective gloves........how odd.

In this episode...

......we rejoin Dr. Von Threadmore in her secret Laboratory. All evidence of the mysterious plague has vanished from her hands. However there is not a trace of white thread to be seen anywhwere!

The holiday season may soon be upon her, but snowflakes will have to wait. Unless of course you like snowflakes that look like a parrot.

It has begun.

At night, when the wee ones are drifting off into a deep and peaceful slumber, Dr Von Threadmore slowly brings to life the mysterious lab that once was her kitchen.

Ok, I'll admit that nowhere are you required to wear the safety goggles, but I thought they were cute and it seemed like a good idea.
Here are some of the implements of destruction,

And some of the strange chemicals and concoctions that have made thier home here....

Beware. Experiments of this nature can have a mind of their own. I seem to have contracted some sort of visible skin disease....perhaps The madness is upon me Mwahahahaaaa!!!!

Stay Tuned for more developments from the Mysterious Laboratory of Dr. Von Threadmore.

Mad Scientist

Mwahahaaaaaaa. Today a little box came to my door from Pro Chemical and Dye.

And I've skeined almost all of the white thread available in my house.

I just need to make a run to the store for foam brushes......

What could I possible be up to!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway. Be sure to enter before Nov. 1st. Perhaps if I'm successful in today's scientific endeavor, I'll sweeten the pot Mwahahahahaa~