June 21st, 2014

Happy Summer solstice! Although it may not be warm where you are (yet), it is here. This week, everyday should be in the nineties (perfect for swimming!).

But just because it's warm doesn't mean I'm not cooking up something wooly (quite literally. I was able to get some stove-dyeing done :)).

First off, I ordered a pound of merino wool roving (merino is known to be very soft). I didn't get a picture of it right out of the package, but lets just say it looked like a bunch of brains (...in the best way). To make it thinner, I started slitting it down the middle (it had a circumference of about 5", so if I wanted to get worsted weight, I had a lot of splitting to do).

I did, however, get some pictures of the splitting process: 

                                                           I even made a wooly "snow"man:

I got this wool from Paradise Fibers, a family-owned business that sells knitting needles, crochet hooks, spinning wheels, spindles, drafters, and of course, wool. They have a very wide selection and I highly recommend them. I purchased a pair of circular needles from them, and the quality is wonderful. They also periodically have sales and free shipping discounts (not to mention their point system, which is another great way to save). You can visit their websitehere :)

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I was able to spin several hanks, and I'm improving my spinning skills in the process:

The finished results are still pretty lumpy, but it's better than my first attempt:

before dyeing:

after dyeing:

The after dyeing photo is a bit inaccurate. It really came out more of a teal than a sky/deep blue. Anyway, some of the wool is over spun, some is under spun, and the whole thing has an uneven thickness. I was still super excited when I finished spinning it, but now, not so much. This was Corriedale wool also spun on a spindle, but by a much less experienced spinner (sheepishly raises hand...).

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Either way, if it's lumpy or not, I still had fun spinning it (and I can guarantee you I will have fun making something out of it) :)