Merino/silk lapps which I got from MaryLynn at Indigo Moon Farm. I dyed the white fiber with Lanaset dyes, attempting to replicate a colorway I had created a few years ago. Well, I obviously did not remember the percentages I used, and the results couldn't be more different! (see the bottom of this page: www.goosepond.com/fiber/knitting/page9.html But I thought the results looked pretty enough, and after one pass through my drumcarder, this was what it looked like:
And here's the first ball of singles: I spun it *casually*, allowing the silk to slub as it wanted to.
2 ply yarn. I really like the way this came out. The grist is suitable for about 8 wpi., it's nice and soft, but I only have about 200 yards……..
When I first started experimenting with dyes, I created a horrid roving with blue, red, and yellow. (using commercial dyes) As it was spun, however, the colors became more interesting, and when I plied the finished yarn on itself, it took on the character of a color study. I made a sweater for myself, which I still wear. I think this knitted fabric is SO much nicer than the roving. (wish I still had some to show you, but just imagine primary clown colors!)
Here are some samples from a great plying workshop I took in 2004 with Barbara Clorite, of MA.
I sure learned a lot! (thanks, Marsha, for hosting this) My favorite yarn to make was the seed yarn (top). I used a variegated tencel/merino singles, plied to a navy wool singles. Loved the way the seeds change color as I wrapped.
I also really loved the effect I got from navaho plying a very fine variegated tencel/merino yarn I had spun. The result was a subtly variegated, shimmery drape of a yarn--will definitely do more of this!
I received some lovely soft fiber from a friend in England, (thanks, Julia) along with some gray angora. The fiber wanted to spin very fine, and I'm pretty sure it must be Shetland. I blended it with the angora (about 25% angora to wool) and have spun it into singles. I loved spinning this, and think it will make beautiful lace. Spun on my Louet!
