Knitalong-Pitiful* (tm)

*button, anyone?  (sing it with me, to the tune of "Beauty School Dropout" -- knitalong dropout...woo-oo-ooo....)

The night before last, I suddenly remembered that I had joined Twisted Knitters.  Not that it necessarily matters, since we all know that I just join things willy-nilly and then participate quite half-assed or not at all, right? (Not one stitch on a sock for Socktoberfest.  Not.one.stitch. And I probably don't need to remind you that it's November now. I still haven't finished the 2nd Trekking sock, and that knitalong ended Labor Day.  We won't even discuss Must Have Too) 

So when I remembered TK, I sat down at the spinning wheel, grabbed some from the ample fiber stash, and spun this:

Regular-sized paper clip added for scale.  It looks like a pile of poo. Honestly, have you ever?!  It's some orangey and some brown and some I-don't-know-maybe-silver-gray Corriedale.  I had such good luck spinning Corriedale into a sock yarn last year that I thought this would be great.  It didn't take me too long to realize that I was spinning perhaps the world's ugliest yarn, and I cut my losses.  I wasn't even sentimental about it.  It's in the trash now.

It also didn't take me long to realize that I am out of practice, and wow, spinning takes practice.  I definitely can't remember how to ride that bicycle anymore.

Not to worry, though.  I've been having a ton of fun with the dyes.  I also had a bobbin-full of some wonderfully soft stuff that I spun last spring and plied it a couple of weeks ago. I threw it in the dye pot with some Jacquard periwinkle the end of last week.  It didn't come out periwinkle, but a brilliant blue-purple -- I'd call it indigo blue, really.  With some white spots where the ties were (damn). It's so soft and lovely I want to make underwear out of it. 

But I won't. 

I got inspired about an idea of Twisted Knitters cum Red Scarf Project, and I decided to dye some more yarns in reds yesterday. I dyed a small ball of My Favorite Rambouillet (a/k/a Plain Vanilla yarn) in burgundy and some Lion's Brand Fishermen's Wool (why do I keep forgetting that that yarn is so nice?....really) a russet red. 

(Colors are not spot-on accurate in this photo. The blue ball is my handspun/hand-dyed.)

The reds are drying now.  Should make a nice scarf, hm?

P.S.  Panera is reconsidering about the Red Scarf Project.  We are an awesome force!  It wouldn't hurt if a few more emails were sent, I'm thinking.....

Comments

[Cookie]

I love that red yarn! I think it needs to be a scarf.

[Carole]

It did not look like poo! Practice is good, though. At least it's fun, right? If it's not fun then don't do it.

[Dave Daniels]

It's so cool that you are such a driving force with The Red Scarf Project!

[jodi]

I'm thinking of starting a play-with-myself-along, with one participant. I'm physically incapable of knitting along with anyone else.

[margene]

At least you try, grrlfriend. Spinning takes practice...that's the truth. If you'd stay off that computer and sit in the other room from time to time with the wheel you'd be fabulous! ;-)
Great idea to dye red yarn! At least you have the dyeing part down on this KAL.

[Jan]

Lately it would seem I could use one of those buttons. I'm really enjoying your dyeing adventures.

[Kathleen]

I'll email 'em again.

[Kelly]

Great dye job!

[janine]

I was thinking about doing something similar. I freind sent me some corriedale that she had hand dyed red and I spun it up into a sort of light DK/ there isn't enough to make a scarf on its own but I have some blue Rowan scottish tweed left over from a projectthat I was thinking of using with it. The only problem is that I plied half of the red yarn with some glitter, do you think that might be a bit sparkly for them ?

[amy o']

I like the poo yarn...

[Theresa]

What is the right place to send a message to with regards to Panera (yes, I am shamefully behind the curve on this one). Should we try to contact a local store manager or their national rep?

[christine]

I like the poo yarn, too..............

[jenifleur]

I think I'm some stiff competition for world's worst alonger. I could knit nothing but lace shawls every day for 15 years straight and the instant I hit "join" I'd have a sudden and violent desire to never knit lace again. You see how I'm knitting red scarves? It's ONLY because I didn't officially say I would. What is wrong with me?

[minnie]

i thought it looked lovely! and i'll need the panera link again, i'm sorry, lol. sounds like you've been having a good time!

[Katherine]

I am totally a non knitalonger, myself. I have joined one, and I instantly lost all drive to make that particular stole. Until the knitalong has wound down, that is.

[Lucia]

Dear Norma, I know what you mean:
As is only too easily seen
By my Trekking sock (one),
My bitchin' mitts (none),
I'll never be Knitalong Queen.

You do realize, of course, that somewhere some yarn company is selling the identical twin of your rejected handspun for $30 per 50-gram ball. Since those are not my colors, I refrain from comment; red is my color, however, and you're making me want to get out my dye pot.

[joan]

I went on to the Panera website, and they have a link to "contact us", which takes you to a list of types of inquiries, etc. I clicked on one that had "donation" in the title. It's pretty easy.

I pointed out to them I'd never heard of them until I read about the Red Scarf project on this blog, and would they reconsider being a sponsor....it's only because of the blog that I noticed the name as we whipped by the store at 60 mph, so they have Norma to thank for any bread that I buy. By the way, I'm pretty excited to know we have a wonderful bread store within 50 miles of where I live. I can make up endless excuses of why I have to drive that direction!

[Kristen]

You threw the freshly spun yarn INTO THE TRASH?! Sheesh, you coulda at least tossed it into the garden or hung on a tree for critters to line their winter nests with! (OK, not the rats who invaded your compost. Other creatures.) What kind of Vermonter are you anyway?! ;)

[lyssa]

Your dyed yarn is yummy! I even like the little white flecks in the blue.

The only yarn I have ever dyed is a skein of laceweight dyed with easter egg colors...it came out looking like Easter bunny puke. Needless to say, I haven't spent any hard earned knitting time crafting it into a fabulous Easter bunny puke lace shawl. Maybe overdying will help....

[Loretta]

Hi Norma -
Just wanted to let you know I heard back from Panera earlier this week - been swamped and didn't have a chance to let you know. I linked them to the Red Scarf Blog - if it happens it would be on Long Island - Huntington, NY. Nice dye jobs -----will keep you posted.

[Ruth]

So, what changed their minds, I wonder? Perhaps someone woke up and smelled all the coffee they weren't selling to knitters who wanted someplace to get together?

Love the red yarns. Dare I ask if you've joined the Red Sweater KAL?

[--Deb]

Good for Panera's and even better for us! Go knitters!

[kmkat]

It may have been poo to you but it was autumn-colored poo. And I liked it.

E-mail Panera? I'm on it.

[Elizabeth Spinner]

I also heard back from Panera, who wanted to know where I lived, so they could forward the request to the local area supervisor. Looks like they're considering it.