by carmen | Jun 21, 2011 | Dyeing, Personal
When Kristen and I dye together, I feel a bit more adventurous. It makes me consider colours outside of my normal colour pallate . Not that I am shy about colour, but it’s easy to fall into a rut of the familiar.
Since most of the hand spun is used in my own designs, I’m also thinking of the finished product when creating colours. Here are a few pretties from the weekend.
I still haven’t managed to take photos of the new inventory. I’m making it a goal this week as well as
- Finishing dyeing the shetland (lace shawls anyone?)
- Catching up on my 355 posts
- Uploading the new hat pattern to Ravelry
- Choosing packaging for the kits
- Digging out another bag of inventory to label…Are you reading this Kim?
- Taking a stab at the back bedroom redo. I still need some studio space at home. Sorry John.
I’ll be off the grid for a few days. Hadiya is having surgery and I need to spend some time snuggling with my girl while she is recovering.
by carmen | May 22, 2011 | Dyeing, Spinning
It was a good week. How to you determine a good week? Well for me, the measurements are simple.
pfd – Pounds of fibre dyed
bc – batts carded
ss – skeins spun
uoi – units of inventory
Simple measurements, easy to keep track of . One week and the market season begins.
This merino is like a fluff marshmallow. As well as the merino, I dyed a pound of wool mohair that is just lovely. I also over dyed some alpaca for carding…Super sweet.
This weekend is about at home production. Yes, it may have something to do with the Victoria Weekend Trekathon on the space channel.
by carmen | May 15, 2011 | Dyeing, Spinning
I gave all of the students an alpaca top to over dye without saving one for myself. That has been rectified. Oh and more alpaca top has been ordered.
I adore alpaca, but have finally tired of spinning it au naturel. I needed a bit of colour, not much, just a tich. And this when spun will be blended with a natural oatmeal BFL. Heading to the studio to ply it now. Just keeping it real. Yes, I can do subtle.
UPDATE:::::Plied.
by carmen | May 11, 2011 | Dyeing, Weaving
Fibre is still drying…None of it is mine. This make me sad. The great colours make me happy.
Something else that made me not sad. I was weaving today……not really weaving, but tossing a shuttle back and forth and making my hand spun live in a different way. Pictures tomorrow when Pearl helps me get it off the loom. I felt something…….I sense trouble. I blame Terri, possibly Sonia….
by carmen | May 10, 2011 | Dyeing, Workshops & Classes
It takes a village to spin a village worth of fibre and yarn. Here’s what’s still drying from the Saturday workshop.
If you recognize your fibre, give it another day or so to dry and then it’s all yours. For the record, you were a prolific and enthusiastic group.
Again, no pink here anywhere. Today was spent moving the furniture back, drinking a significant amount of coffee and dyeing with Kristen. It was a great afternoon of dueling colourways.
I recently picked up a lovely alpaca that I overdyed and I love it so much, even though it isn’t even dry yet, I know I will sneak a cuddle.
Remind me to show you a picture of the dyed top after spinning. I guarantee you it will look less like this wildebeast.
Only one yarn to add today……but it sure is purdy.
by carmen | May 8, 2011 | Dyeing, Workshops & Classes
Yesterday I offered what I hope will be the first of many full day workshops at the studio. The dyeing class was something that has been in the works for a while. Almost a side effect of teaching spinning, if you will. Once everyone has spun their requisite pound of crossbreed or corriedale (learning fibre) they are all sick of white. The first skeins are not as pretty, kind of quirky, but usually end up being unloved as white.
I headed into the studio quite early to get everything ready for the class which involved a lot of juggling of the space. Cups, brushes, vinegar, buckets, cloths, wrap, gloves, masks, oh yes, and dyes. —-check, check, check…..enough espresso pods…Double check.
The group was wildly enthusiastic and have all been past students. One of the most important impromptu lessons of the day –how to use the cappuccino machine.
Once safety issues were out of the way, not trivial, but not creative, there was an amazing symphony of colour in the room. I am grateful to say, not one fibre was dyed with any pink in it.
There wasn’t time to get a lot of photographs, with two power interruptions and a small flood keeping things hopping, but it is definitely something we will be doing again.
Thanks to Jennifer and Kristin for the classroom support. It was wonderful for the students to see expert dyers in action.
