More from NH Sheep and Wool!

Here are photos of the things I found at the Festival in NH...from Ellen's Half Pint Farm in Norwich, VT, a beaded lace shawl knit and pattern in a soft springtime color way....pinks, greens, lavenders, grays and yellows, with dark pink seed beads, and a very interesting book on knitting beaded jewelry and other small items. Can't wait to get this one started.

The next photo is a beautiful dyed BFL 4 oz. hank of wool top for spinning from "Friends in Fiber" in free, eggplant, turquoise and mustard....

AAnd some dyed BFL roving 4oz. Each, for spinning from Painted Knoll Farm in New Hampton, NH. This is very silky feeling, and would make beautiful shawlette a in a lace pattern. The colors are very rich.

NH Sheep and Wool 2

A few more photos of the show booths....one barn was the "Alpaca Fest"--I bought a beautiful true black 4 pound fleece for $35, us skirted....can't wait to get it cleaned up and ready to use for blending with other fibers.....

New Hampshire State Sheep and Wool Festival

What a great day at the Festival! A nice, mid-sized show, lots of vendors, plenty of parking, and food available. Not much in the healthy foods choices--only one vendor with chicken and veggie wraps, and the line was a mile long! The rest were burgers, fried dough and cheese steak subs. No matter, the weather held, it poured rain all the way up, stopped while we were at the fair, and poured all the way home. Lucky for us! I took photos of a few booths, here is one....I liked the New England look--antique country pieces and knitted items with a dyed in the wool look, muted country colors in a natural tonality. Wooly Beers sells hand dyed yarns, rug hooking and needle punch supplies and kits, knitted goods and yarn/patterns. Like the barn board backing, and the country furnishings! 

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....                               

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.

Mohair Locks Dyeing 2

Completed mohair dyeing session! This fiber is so lustrous, and takes the dyes so well. Can't wait to spin it up. Lots of possibilities!

Mohair Locks Dyeing

In about 30 minutes, I dyed these mohair locks. I think they will look beautiful blended with other fibers, such as Border Leicester, on the blending board. I would like to create a pair of wristers, and a shawlette with these fibers. The mohair has taken the dye very well. I used a low water immersion dye bath on the stovetop with a 9x13 metal pan on 2 burners. A bit of citric acid was mixed into the dye stock, then poured over the simmering water and mohair mixture in the pan. Once the dyes strike, or attach to the fiber, the water runs clear. This occurs around 160 degrees, at a simmer. The fiber was soaked in a couple tablespoons of Synthrapol, before placing it into the dye pan. I have all my dye stocks premixed and stored in the basement in a plastic tub, with all the dye equipment as well, so that I can dye at a moments notice, and all my materials are "grab and go". I think organization is key, when you don't have a dedicated dyeing workshop! The greens are very intense, and will lighten up considerably when I blend the with the white Border Leicester wool fleece I have in mind. The resulting yarn will be a soft pastel variegated. Can't wait to try it!