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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Dye Day

You know how kids neglect their homework so they can play on the computer?  Well, I've been neglecting my computer so I can play with my homework!  I had to spin 12 little skeins for the last day of Beginning Spinning.


I tried to make two different weights of yarn. I used rolags I made from fleece for nine of the skeins, and batt for the other three.  Spinning from fleece was easier for me.  I need much more practise with batt, lol!  My favorite skein turned out to be one I made just for fun from leftovers.


Homework complete, off to class I went.  We simmered our yarns in three different mordants (The minerals that fix dye to the fiber).  From top to bottom, that's our yarns after simmering in copper, alum and tron.


Then our yarns went into the dye pots of black walnut hulls, bloodroot, cochineal, and onion skins.  Here's my finished skeins, arranged by dye and mordant.
From left to right, that's black walnut hulls with alum, black walnut hulls with copper, black walnut hulls with tron, and so on.

For our final project, we each sprinkled fleece with a different commercial dye.



I think of this as our "unity fleece".  Won't that be fun to spin?

I loved class.  I loved learning something new, I loved spinning, and I loved the ladies in my class.  It was so much fun.

Next post we return to all things ranch!

12 comments:

Lori Skoog said...

So interesting! Will there be a part two?

Zanzibah Alpacas said...

The yarns are looking great...what a good job you are doing ! Its great to create something quite unique with your own fare hands....looking forward to seeing more ....spinning and crafting ...never mind the computer...spinning is much more fun !!......Jayne

Dreaming said...

Ohhh.... I'm jealous. Very jealous!
I can just imagine the fun!
I loved seeing the effect of the different mordants. Wow!

Kay G. said...

I love the idea of you making something with this yarn and someone could say, "Oh, did you make the yarn too?" (I hope you don't know such a snotty person, but I'm afraid they exist!) And YOU can say, "Well, yes I did!" :-)

Ruth said...

That is so cool.

Jim said...

I love your enthusiasm Terry! And I love this whole process with different 'natural' dying substances.
Oh yes, your 'header' really puts us up there with the driver! Good job!

jenj said...

Those yarns are so cool looking! What are you going to make out of them?

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

I always equate spinning yarn with witch-y fortune telling wise women. Too many fairy tales for bedtime stories?

Your yarn is beautiful. I especially like the greens... are they copper related?

Thanks for sharing. :D

Texan said...

your yarns are pretty! sounds like you learned a lot! Will you be keeping up the spinning? Any fiber animals in your future :O)

sonia a. mascaro said...

So interesting, Terry! These yarns looks beautiful.
My mother was a talented weaver, but she never dye and spinning. She bought the wool to do her work.
I posted many tapestries did by my Mom on my blog.

Stevie said...

Love the unity fleece. Can't wait to shear my lambs for the first time next spring! Stevie@ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com

thecrazysheeplady said...

I somehow missed your spinning class post, so this took me completely by surprise :-). Good job!!!