Sunny Sunday...Kool-aid dying (failed) and Chainsaws

Sunday is almost over, and I'm beat. I need to go back to work and sit quietly for a while. After yesterday's post. I decided that I needed, that is to say, NEEDED to go assault the laurel hedge in the back yard. And I NEEDED to use the chain saw - a little electric number that I hadn't tried before (D has used it). Let me tell you, power tools ROCK. I hacked off a good 2 feet off the top of that hedge, which has slowly been whittled down from a fifteen foot monstrosity to almost something I can maintain by myself. I just can't quite reach the last bits nearest the neighbor, so I have this funny two-tiered hedge for the moment. This morning? Moving hedge pieces into the truck, and a second attack at the hedge in the corner - some of the "branches" I was cutting into were really tree trunks - 5" or so thick. Crazy wide, but short, since we've been hacking pieces of this down to size.

While the acorn squash I picked up at the Farmer's Market yesterday were roasting in the oven, I decided I needed (yes...NEEDED) to go scrape the front steps to prepare for painting. Silly me. My hands are tired, and now the steps will definitely have to be painted. Hopefully they don't get too dirty when D moves all his equipment inside, and maybe I can slap a quick coat on before it gets (too) dark.

Knitting-wise - I made my first attempt at kool-aid dying today. Lesson? Make sure the yarn you are attempting to dye is wool. We know wool works, everyone on the web says so, and of course the Web is Always Right. Cotton? Not sure. Something that looks like cotton (in my arrogance, I was sure it was cotton), but when wet, feels more like acrylic? Definitely doesn't work. I did toss in a ratty (but cotton for sure) dishcloth and managed to give it more of a grape-ish tint, but it doesn't seem to be taking dye all that well. It keeps bleeding red.

Next time...Wool. Wool for sure. I wonder if Lopi will work (it'll probably felt, but it's Wool (capital "W"), no doubt.

Needless to say, I'm a bit pooped. A severe soak in the tub is called for. Oh, my shoulders are calling out for it. Yup, I need (NEED) a good soak...