The weather today (aka Day 16 of my 2011 stash down challenge) was exquisite.

It was an unseasonably warm day due to be followed by two unseasonably cold days, and I was unable to resist the temptation to spend time outside, busying myself with sweeping, raking, and dog walking. Eventually, however, the siren call of crochet caught my attention, and with my 10.0mm hook in hand and two strands of another of the vintage worsted weight wools from my stash acquisition, I made four more flowers for my felted flower-basket-to-be. Added to the previous flowers already made, I had the eight flowers called for in the pattern:

Here the flowers can be seen as they will be arranged with the crocheted pieces that will form the basket:

While I found myself enchanted with the shapes, forms, and proportions of the bag, I was not as taken with the colors, so I got out my many packets of Kool-Aid and set to work.

Using lemon-lime Kool-Aid in one pot, and black cherry Kool-Aid in another, I submerged one crocheted flower into each of my little stove top vats, brought the respective mixtures to a boil, and then let them cool.

Here is the result:

Tomorrow, I am hoping to dye the six remaining flowers, spruce up the basket pieces by soaking them in a bath of lemonade Kool-Aid, and crochet the pieces for the straps, so that I can begin assembly of the basket of flowers.

With a generous dose of determination and a little bit of luck, I just might finish this project by Saturday.