Fiber Thaw

"Late February days;
and now, at last,

Might you have thought that

Winter's woe was past;

So fair the sky was and so soft the air."

~ William Morris

Winter's woe is not past as we are due to get a storm tomorrow. However, I know Spring will inevitably come and I will be out in the greenhouse or garden so I have been squeezing in as much fiber time as possible. Now that I finally have space you might say I am having a fiber thaw.

I started last Thursday when I washed Momma's fleece. She is one of the first Finn's I got from Grace and was the last white fleece I had to wash so I could send it out.

Friday I wanted to try out those dyes #1 daughter bought me. I want to spin up some silk for my sister who has caught the fiber bug. I wanted to dye them green with some blue but ended up with too much blue so I dyed some plain green and will see what they look like plyed together. If I don't like it I will dye some more. I also spun up a skein of yarn for the sweater then I went to spinning and worked on my sock.

I finished the socks on Saturday and got to work carding wool and spinning up another skein.

Sunday I carded everything I have left for the sweaterand spun up a bobbin. Then I took some Finn roving I have and tried dying that. I let it simmer on the woodstove then sat it outside to cool while I went to pick up a friend. When I got back I rinsed and hung it to dry then went to spend time catching up.

Monday morning I was right back at it plying up another skein for the sweater. I did a couple of rows on the capelet, cut some sheets into strips to be used in a rug and crocheted about 6 inches of that. I was also able wash two pounds of Bozo's fleece.

This morning I carded the vermillion & black. I need to watch videos on how to get what I want. I wanted a heathered look. I put a layer of vermillion, a layer of black and then another layer of vermillion. I split that bat in half and put it through a second time. I like what I got but I don't think it is going to give me the heathered look I was going for. I also realized with all this carding that I should have bought the brush attachment....something that I will have to rectify soon.

I am also washing more of Bozo's fleece so I can send it out, did three rows on the capelet and now I am off to take mom for her ultrasound.

After so long with only intermittent spinning it feels great to be back at it on a regular basis.