Sunday 19 September 2010

Colour my world

I've been a busy bee this week, yesterday i woke with the overwhelming desire to dye some fibre. so, I got the kit out and mix the stock solutions with no clear idea of what colours I wanted, and this is what came out the other end...
I was a bit enthusiastic with the chopstick when it was in the pan and accidentally felted it ever so slightly in a couple of places, I've definitely learned to be more gentle next time. It finally dried overnight and I ran it through the ram carder this morning with some other goodies to turn out this beauty
I found the perfect pattern for my next knitting adventure, a lovely pair of fingerless gloves I found on Ravelry. My hands always get cold when I'm spinning in the winter and these look perfect, you knit them flat and then sew them up leaving a thumb hole. sounds nice and strait forward, especially as its got some stitches in the pattern i haven't used before. I've spun up 100g of  falkland/merino top dyed by BabyLonglegs, in a lovely turquoise/purple/blue colourway (Its actually brighter in real life) 
I've also spun a slightly chunkier skein in a matching colour, think I may knit it into a hat. I swear I'm going to end up with more hats than I'll know what to do with, maybe I should consider making some as Christmas presents or something.
I started spinning up some of my new silk batts, fresh off the carder. they were so nice i just couldn't keep my hands off them. I think I'm going to call them "nothing but blue skies"

the bee's are gathering up the last of the summers nectar, its getting cold and they're becoming less active, soon they'll go into hibernation in their burrows, snuggled up warm against the cold. I know how they feel, the sudden cold is making me want to curl up on the sofa in front of the fire with a nice cup of hot chocolate and stay there till spring comes round.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Jess. Am intrigued by your mention of useing a 'Ram Carder'. I just picked up an (old) one from a friend and haven't been able to get any info about it. It's missing the drive belt from the electric drive to the main carder. Any tips or info (or pics!!) appreciated!!

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  2. I realy meant Drum carder (im dyslexic and find this spell check a bit of a chore at times). sadly i have very little exseriance with electric drum carders or drum carder restoration. the only advice i can realy give you is to contact the maker (if you know who they are) as they may be able to supply you with a replacement drive belt. if you can, find a friend who knows a bit about electric drum carders, or ask on Ravelry, as there is sure to be someone there who can help you out.
    hope you get your drum carder up and running
    best of luck
    Jess

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  3. Tks for the tips. I've posted on Ravelry and will await a reply!! Can't find any mention of manufacturer - think they're gone. However my DIY hubby has already rigged up a new belt out of some plastic tubing and it's working. He loves a challenge!!

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