String + Color

I went over to play at a friend's house last week.  Now, taking time out to play is always a beautiful thing, and doing it with a great friend is even better.  But when the friend is Tina Newton, well, let's just say that Tina knows how to play on a whole other level from most:

"Let's go to the barn and play with dye!" she said. "Okay, if you're going to make me!" I said.  "Go pick out a yarn base."  Were more beautiful words ever spoken?  I pinched myself.  I surveyed the choices:  Socks That Rock (in three wonderful weights), Woobu (wool + bamboo), Marine Silk (seacell with wool and silk)...There is no end to the wonder in string.  I felt like I might have to lay down.  And then I clapped eyes on Silkie Socks That Rock.  It has everything:  The crazy twist of my beloved STR, plus a strand of pure Bombyx silk.  The fluff!  The bounce!  The sparkle of that silk!  I was smitten.  Tina threw piles of it into a bucket to soak...

And then we got out "practice" skeins.  Guess what you get to "practice" on when you play with Tina?  MORE STR.  Lightweight this time.  Tina went straight to the dyepots and picked out three or four, without any hesitation.  She knew exactly what colors she wanted for me.  First we made this:

It's deep, and vibrant, and more than just a little sassy.  But Tina wanted it to be more layered and complicated.

So then we made this one:  

It's moody and mysterious, and super-sexy.  But I said I wanted it to be sparkly, which meant that it needed more light areas.

And this happened next:

This one has just the right balance between depth and sparkle.  And then:

Tina pulled out the Silkie STR and we squirted and squished all the right colors onto all the right places.  I felt a little faint.  And a little bit of what it must be like to be the fabulous Ms. Newton:  This kind of power should not be wielded lightly.

I'm pretty sure the Dyers are going to take over the world.  And when they do, we will all happily do whatever they say, because they know how to make the string beautiful.  And they do it with such generosity and magnificence that the rest of us are just blessed to know them.  

Oh, and in case you're wondering, my very own Blue Moon yarn color is called "Quite Contrary", and you can have it, too.  Just call up and ask for some, on whatever kind of string you like best.  Lucky, Lucky, Lucky Us.