Indigo

Or not. Where has it gone? My carefully preserved stash of instant indigo grains, unobtainable in this country.

OK, so I do know that all my dyeing stuff, pans, dyestuffs, the entire freaking lot, is in one dreadful mess. But I knew what I was looking for, and I did sift through paying attention, and no little plastic pot.

Damn, damn, damn. Not so much because I had wanted to include blues and greens in this latest bout of soy/silk dyeing, but because I can't easily get the stuff here. I have emailed a vendor in the States....fingers crossed I can get some without having to wait until SOAR.

I am also aware that I am perfectly capable, technically speaking, of doing a more traditional indigo vat - not real, honest to goodness, natural indigo with madder and bran and several gallons of human urine (I will do that one day, I swear, but not....today) But emotionally speaking, I just ain't going there. As should be perfectly clear from all the emphases going on around here, the anxiety levels are on the rise, and putting me, them and lye in close proximity would be, I m absolutely certain, an complete disaster. I'm just not going to risk it. No blue, no way.

So, I contented myself with attempting another logwood dye pot. And this time, it looks as if it going to be all right, and maybe, just maybe, gorgeous. Crosses fingers again. This batch of dyeing has been fraught with all sorts of problems - it would be nice to finish with a flourish, or even two - I am going to use up the last of the fibre in another mix, I think. I fancy a flaming orange.

Other stuff is going well. I am on the second sleeve of The Jacket. I didn't like the look of the cast off on the first one, and may do that over, but the rest is fine. I have decided what I am going to do for front bands, it is now just a question of do I do them separately, or attach as I go. I lean to the former, as I doubt my ability to do the latter neatly enough, but I might give it a go. Depends.

Spindle spinning for a shawl is moving on, too. Only problem comes if Neelix wants to sit on my lap, and then the spindle gets attacked. Sometimes delicately, sometimes - as happened a night or two ago to the DSM - with the spindle being given an almighty thwack, knocking it half-way across the room. Siamese are extremely good at getting their point across.

Speaking of which, I was catching up on taped CSI episodes. And Faye Dunaway was in one. Crumbs. She chose her surgeon badly. Her face has been tightened up so much, and the outer corners of her eyes lifted so extremely that she looks like a rather cross siamese herself.

And, finally. (Stop now if of a rightward political leaning.) I have seen the future and it is terrifying. Terrifying. You don't even need to play the video. (In fact, only do so if well-caffeinated and feeling very, very strong.)