yuuago | Pysanky~

Aha! So, I finished my eggs this morning. :D

A few thoughts (and notes to self for next time):

+ It's both easier and more difficult than I thought it would be. The process is pretty simple, the dye works well, it isn't anywhere near as messy as I expected, and removing the wax is a breeze if you do it in a certain way.

+ ...But it's VERY HARD to make a straight line with the kistka. xD Or even a neat line that is not straight. So, I quickly gave up on any thought of doing stuff resembling traditional designs. I don't have that kind of control yet. (Maybe I will eventually). I've seen stencils/templates/guides that can be used to make straight lines and clean circles, so I might try that next year.

+ There were a couple of times when I ran out of ideas. Planning the pattern ahead might be necessary. ;p

+ It's rather time-consuming, especially if you are doing this many. Next time, I will start at an earlier date, do them over a longer period of time - I did these in two sessions (+ a bit of time to remove the wax this morning), and it really would have been better to... spread it out.

+ Another thing that is time consuming: preparing the wax in the first place. It's not hard, but since I was using block wax, it took a while to break it up. I decided to use a cheese grater to do that, which has the advantage of resulting in pieces that are the perfect size to fit in the kistka. But next time I might try using the sheet wax method; it might mean I can skip this step.

+ When I think about it, the most difficult part is blowing out the eggs. It can be a little challenging to use the hand-drill without making any cracks if you don't have steady hands. I can understand why some people drain the egg after the wax + dye process; with full eggs, you don't need to plug them + hold them down while you dye them, because they won't float, so it's more convenient. But I broke a few shells while trying to drain them, and the thought of doing so much work and then having that happen gives me hives.

+ (Incidentally, the egg that you drain in this process is perfect for zapping in the microwave. A++, I've never had microwave-poached eggs cook so evenly. Excellent for sandwiches.)

+ For wax removal, I can't be bothered with holding it up to a candle, man. Oven is better. Process: Set oven to 225F (or anywhere from 200-250 would do it). Line the bottom of a baking pan with paper towel. Bake your eggs for 10 minutes; wipe off excess wax with paper towel - eggs with lots of coverage might require to go in for another 10 minutes. THERE. DONE. NO FUSS, NO MESS, NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT. Brilliant.

So, anyway. I will definitely be doing this next year. And probably on other occasions. Especially since the wax application process isn't as messy as I had thought - as long as you're neat and have your wax ready, it's no problem at all. I could do it in my bedroom, probably. The dye process is the only bit that would require setting paper down.