Monday, January 21, 2008

Vacation Fiber Day

We're still getting snow, though the boys can at least get out now. Not all those dark lumps are rocks.

I had volunteered to demonstrate spinning at Click-ets, the library beginning knitting group that meets twice a month. The volunteer who leads the group is a wonderful retired lady and she's excited that this date is also her birthday. Thursday, she popped by my desk to show me the press release! that she gave to the newspaper. I apparently, in addition to demonstrating spinning, am also going to be talking about felting. I don't felt I explained, but what she wants me to talk about is my knitted/fulled bags. After I send the auction bag off, I'm a bagless lady. What to do???

I decided that since it's not hiking weather outside, this is officially a fiber day. Question: What bin of clean locks did I grab from one dye day to get the magnificent halo that this in the central part of this bag?? I know the bottom is coopworth and the top is border leicester. Okay, I'm almost certain it is - maybe.
I especially love the way the yarn on the top of this bag bubbles, almost like a boucle. I decided today is the day to see I can uncover the breeds behind these felted yarn behaviors.
This is border leicester that I bought from Ralph
Groefsma in Mountain Home, Idaho. I realized as I was doing this that his fleeces might be a cross - I think the only breed he was committed to was Lincoln. This might be a mystery breed. The locks are clean and were dyed with poplar a while ago but are only light yellow.

This fluff is
coop-
worth/
salish from Anna Harvey. I also bought this fleece many years ago. I'm going to make yarn of both of these and dye them. I'm pretty sure that these are the two fleeces in question.
In addition to the fiber preps, I also cooked up a couple batches of dyed locks. The left is border leicester and the right coopworth/salish. I'm looking forward to seeing how they work in my bags. I also realize $$$$$$ that I really do love the kitchen convenience of Gaywool Dyes. It's like sprinkling spices into stew. I've resisted forking over dough for almost kool-aid dyes, but if I don't buy them for myself, who will?
Doncha hate how llamas suffer in the snow? Yes, there is a suffering llama in this picture.

4 comments:

Michelle said...

LOVE the color of those dyed locks! I'm not familiar with Gaywool Dyes; I bought myself one little canister of Landscape dye to try on that variagated yarn but the rest of the stuff I have is Kool-Aid....

Tina T-P said...

Me too - (love the color of those dyed locks) I envy you your snow day off - but I don't envy you your snow. I'm just as happy with our frozen but boring weather. thank you very much... :-) T.

Leigh said...

Poor llama! I'd be suffering too if that was me.

Sharon, your fulled bags are just fantastic. I can see why they wanted you to talk about that.

Where do you get your Gaywool dyes from? So far I've mostly used Cushing's Perfection Dyes, though I've just recently been told that their pure colors aren't really all that pure (as in when it comes to mixing them.)

Birdsong said...

It sure does look snowy out your way! Yesterday looked much the same here, though today there were occasional breaks in the clouds. I hope you tracked down the results you were looking for and am excited to see more bag-making underway.