The website sandra referenced also mentions kool-aid dyeing, and a third option (very appropriate this time of year) could be Easter Egg dye tablets! Snap them up at 1/2 price the day after for some cheap fun. Google can lead you to lots of yarn dyeing tutorials, even Kool-Aid color charts. Sorry, not enough time to reference my favorites right now, . . . because. . . I want to tell you about yesterday's thrift store finds. I was fortunate to hit a Salvation Army shop that is clearing out their winterweight sweaters for 99 cents! It's spring! Maybe some of your shops will do similarly. I found six: Old Navy, 70% cotton/30% lambswool, worsted weight, LIGHT BLUE with a KETTLE-DYED appearance Valerie Stevens ?, 100% LAMBSWOOL, sportweight, MARLED LIGHT BROWN, tan, & burgundy. Kind of blah, so maybe I'll over-dye it Outback Red, 100% wool, fingering, NAVY and med. blue TWEED WITH teeny ORANGE NUBS, and Very NEAT BUTTONS Weathervane, 100% wool, heavy worsted CREAM. This one will be dyed for sure. Open Country?, 100% Shetland wool, sport, OLIVE HEATHER, WITH a deep red, rust, yellow, and brown FAIR ISLE BAND. Yes, I'll save the contrast color bits, and store them with the olive, because one row across the front or back of a man's sweater is about equal to a row on a hat, and the color planning is already done for me. French Connection ?, 55% SILK, 30% acrylic, 15% ANGORA, Very Fine weight, multishaded grey. Don't know how successful an unravel this one will be, but I LOVE the 5 steel grey mother of pearl BUTTONS! Do I know now what any of them will become? No, and so I warn you again, this can be habit-forming.

Diane - thanks again for the Ragu recommendation. DH sent his 25 year old Coach briefcase to them and they responded within 24 hours. Since Coach no longer makes that style briefcase and replacement handles are unavailable they offered to make a new one. DH had them recondition the case too and they completed the repair and it was back within 2 weeks. He wasn't interested in having it look brand new - those scratches and dings represent many years of daily use - but it does look great. The new handle is the exact shade of his briefcase - which after 25 years is no longer the original mahogany, but significantly darker. DD took a 2 year old Coach handbag back to the store because the zipper material was fading. She had the original receipt and the bag showed no signs of wear. The SA told her that 'sometimes that happens' and only offered Coach repair services for a fee. Coach used to have a great product guarantee - but now they officially only offer a one year warranty that covers 'manufacturing defects'. From their website this morning: Coach products are handcrafted from the finest materials to ensure satisfaction and service. We offer a one year warranty on our handbags, briefcases and small leather goods. For any manufacturing defects within this warranty time frame, repairs are on us. Beyond the warranty period, we offer repair services at set fees.

The Insult and Curse Book.............Michelle Lovric

From Mizan: "Mike has just got off talking to the mosque administrator concerning the plant swap gathering. "They concluded that we should heed the latest recommendation of “less than 10 people” guide line. Therefore we should cancel it for now and postpone it till later in the fall? Or when it is declared safer? We are still welcome to use the facility as future swaps venue during safer times." Thank you Mizan and Mike for everything you've done, and will keep doing, to facilitate the swap.