Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Mystery Roving

Well, I've been saving this mystery roving that I bought at a wool festival, and decided to spin it up Sunday afternoon. It has a nice progression of colors throughout the whole roving, and you can see two bobbins of it here. My plan was to slightly over spin the singles, then ply it with some silk thread. That was a disaster. The silk obscured the lovely subtle color shift and made it look like coned yarn from a bargain bin, that nobody wanted!!  I hope I can find a solution. Maybe I will try some finer thread in a better color, and try some core spinning. I'll post the results ASAP....                               

Monday, March 3, 2014

Winter Color Palette

It is March 3. Dreary, overcast, bone chilling wind, and the temperature can't be 20 degrees. I felt a touch of the winter blahs this morning, and to ward off having them get any worse, I jumped in the car and took a ride. As dreary as it is this time of year in New England, I looked around at the world that lay before me as I drove along, and I noticed some subtle, beautiful colors in a wonderful range of tints and tones. When I returned home, I pulled out my deck of Color-Aid papers, and put together this winter palette. Perhaps a handwoven table runner, or a scarf or shawl. Or, maybe a small art quilt. Hand dyed, handspun woolen yarns knit up into a cowl, or a pair of mittens would be nice, too. The possibilities are endless.