When creativity strikes...
April 21, 2007
This yarn was spun counter-clockwise, plied clockwise out of hand-dyed tencel purchased at last year's Fleece Fair. The direction of spinning and plying is the opposite of the normal; this means in practice that knitted stitches must also be wrapped clockwise to keep it from unplying. It would also be perfect for crochet, which tends to spiral yarn clockwise.
April 21, 2007
From top left: brown wool-alpaca yarn; blue-green boucle mohair yarn; wool roving; two Bosworth spindles; dyed tencel roving; circular needles.
April 13, 2007
This Betty-Boop-ish figure was made entirely of felted wool, and stood about four feet tall.
April 13, 2007
Lots of people seem to sell bunnies at this event. Too bad the wool is so warm, and that D. is allergic to it. Plus, taking care of a wooly bunny is a full-time job.
April 07, 2007
After dyeing eggs for Easter, I had a bunch of dye left over. Not wanting to just toss it out, I took a skein of plain white wool yarn, coiled it in a glass bowl, and poured the dye over it.
April 11, 2006
One of the things I bought were these adorable beads, each about the size of a fingernail.
April 11, 2006
Clockwise, from lower left: apron embroidered with a sheep; dyed silkworm cocoons; naturally colored cotton; black wool roving; carved niddy-noddy; grey wool roving; scented soap; skunk made out of felt; tencel dyed by my alkaline dyes instructor; Bosworth spindle; white wool roving.
April 11, 2006
Here is the final result - most of the colors were paler than I'd like, but the process was fun, and I look forward to spinning the fibers later.
April 11, 2006
After the Fair was over, I took my still-damp fibers home, rinsed them, and laid them out to dry.
April 11, 2006
The sheep was surprisingly calm; it didn't struggle at all.
April 11, 2006
She narrates the history of flax and describes the retting process by which the plants are rotted, then dried, to make the fiber easier to obtain.
April 11, 2006
He points at the mysterious point where "flax" transforms into "linen".
April 11, 2006
Out of a fist-full of plants, you end up with this little wisp of fiber.
April 11, 2006
He begins to comb the fibers through a series of progressively finer hackles.
April 11, 2006
He further beats at the flax to remove more of the woody exterior.
April 11, 2006
Here he is pounding the flax stalks to reveal the fibers within.
April 11, 2006
We were given a variety of fibers, including some pre-dyed with other natural dyes, to experiment with.
April 11, 2006
The results of our labors set out to dry: silk, white wool, colored wool, over-dyed skeins, llama wool yarn I brought...
April 11, 2006
These wool skeins were pre-dyed with natural dyes: madder, logwood, osage orange, and cochineal.
April 11, 2006
This is an amazing process; the skeins come out of the vat a yellow-green, then, when exposed to air, turn that familiar indigo blue.
