Low Twist Single Spun Yarn

I was trying to spin a single that would resemble Manos del Uruguay... this is as close as I got. I have come to the conclusion that this type of yarn, although it looks like it should be easy, is the most difficult to spin, at least for me. The wool is Blue-Faced Leicester that I dyed and then drumcarded. I spun it "woolen" on my Louet, with the drive band on the largest whorl and plenty of take up so I wouldn't be able to accidentally add too much twist. The staple length was between 6-8 inches so not too much twist was needed. I know it is impossible to spin a "balanced" single, but this skein was hanging pretty darn straight and relaxed!!

Cooking on Thanksgiving Day

We woke up to a blustery day, complete with heavy rain and winds and decided stay home and cook instead of spending several hours on the road with other happy travelers in search of food. I put a turkey in the oven and quickly headed off to the garage to dye... Both skeins are Superwash Merino. I mixed up several colors and hand-painted both skeins using the same colors, however the "base coat" and the "top coat" as I like to call them, were dramatically different in both skeins. Interesting.... now let's see how they knit up!

Dyeing Brave...

They say that you're not being brave if you're not afraid... well, dyeing can be quite frightening, especially when you are dyeing 2+ pounds at a time! Well, I am happy to report that the results are becoming more and more predictable... here are more recently dyed yarns - Left: Merino/Silk/Cashmere. Right: Baby Alpaca/Merino/Cashmere.

More on Dyeing...

Here are two more colorways - both are 100% Superwash Merino Wool Yarn.

The Color of Leaves...

I couldn't resist trying to capture Mother Nature's Palette... this yarn inspired by falling leaves.

Dyeing Superwash Yarn and other Blends

I've been dyeing... so what's new! Here is some 100% superwash merino yarn (top left); and 75%merino/25% Nylon superwash yarn (top right) both are great for socks. The bright rusty orange at left is a novelty nylon yarn, as is the brownish yarn peeking through the center. The two bottom skeins are merino/silk/cashmere blends. I am using Judith MacKenzie's Eco-friendly super-milled acid dyes and regular household vinegar. What fun this is!!!

Spindle Storage Basket

Here is my solution to spindle storage... I bought the wire basket at Pier 1, then wrapped a piece of foam with a wool batt for the bottom. The spindles stay put and the open basket makes a nice display!

Shearing Goats - Emily and Mo Freckles

Yippee! I am happy to report that the arduous task of shearing our herd is finally done. Okay, so we only have two goats but it was still difficult. Linda and I started to shear Mo Freckles a few weeks ago - we got about 1/3 of him done and had to quit. Then it rained, and life happened and it rained some more... Linda came over last week to "help me". I held the goats while she operated the scissors.... After all, she has experience shearing her own sheep, so she's naturally better at shearing a goat than I am. So, you ask, just how long did it take to shear 2 goats? Well, about 3 weeks!!

Spinning on Whidbey Island the 1st of April

What an exciting weekend we had at the annual Whidbey Island Spin-In! Not only was this my first time at the event but I was also a vendor (and boy was I nervous!). Fortunately, I had my fiberholic friend, Linda Two Sleeves (aka Linda Jacobs) with me to calm my nerves. We commuted from Kingston to Oak Harbor each day - less than 60 miles but a ferry boat ride in between so we were up and running muy temprano! Of course, our husbands think we are nothing less than nuts to get up at 5 a.m. to go SPIN -- they just don't get it. Two days in a gymnasium filled with other spinners... AND Judith MacKenzie McCuin. Well, it just doesn't get much better than that! Well, actually it does!! Day 3 of Marathon Spinning... Eve and I were up at dawn. We had a glazed look about us from lack of sleep but the adrenaline was pumping... we're off to Whidbey again for a Plying workshop with Judith MacKenzie! Frank, my husband, still doesn't get it "didn't you spin enough in two days?" Enough spinning? Is that possible? Besides, this isn't just spinning, this is "Plying" with Judith! Frank just shook his head... Eve and I loaded our wheels in the truck and sped off to pick up Linda and catch a ferry boat ... and ply. It was great!

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Spinning Kid Mohair Locks

Being a spinner/knitter I cringe at the thought of acrylic yarn but really like the look of the furry novelty yarns... here is my acrylic-free version. This is dyed kid mohair locks, spun "Z", then plied "S" with a silk thread, and plied again "Z" with silk thread. I washed the yarn and gave it a good whack while it was still wet to help it "bloom", brushed it up with a soft bristled brush and hung it to dry.... What a fun yarn to spin and knit with!!

Emily and Mo Freckles

Emily and Mo Freckles are our little Angora Goats (Emily on the left, Mo on the right). They are hilarious!! Their personalities are great but their fiber is even better.... I can't wait to shear them in a couple months!

Yakkity-Yak about Spinning Yak....

Yak Fiber... well here is a skein of the light brown that I spun and plied (2-ply). It is soooooo soft and springy... I also did another 2-ply with 1 ply Yak and 1 ply of Angora and it is super soft with a beautiful halo.... Now, the big decision.... what do I do with it?????

Saturday Weaving at Linda's House

Our Weaving Study Group met last weekend at Linda's house. Our leader, Leone, has us studying plain weave.... very simple. Yeah, right! I decided to do hand towels out of cottolin at 20 epi. Well, I wound my warp wrong and ended up with a tangled mess that seemed to take forever to untangle. I thought I had it under control as I took my rigid heddle loom home, warped and ready to weave, only to discover a threading error.... I can see how one might abandon their loom or toss it in the wood stove! I am finally weaving!

Making Slippers

Well, I am still knitting and felting slippers with my hand dyed yarn. I need to make a natural pair with pewter sheep on them... Size 11. Well, I worked up a pair this last week but they were odd looking to say the least! I guess I need to adjust my pattern a little to make them come out right (they looked like tubes!). Anyway, I'll post them if I can get them to turn out right.

Knitting Socks

I wetted some sock yarn for dyeing last week and decided to go ahead and dye the yarn over the weekend. Leave it to me to pick the coldest weekend on record! I had the space heaters going full blast in the garage as I hand painted my 2-lb. skein of yarn. It was hung to dry by the wood stove and I started my sock... It is a little slow going on Size 1 Needles but here is what I've done so far...