Heading into my little studio early this morning.
...One of my partner, John Ackerson's abstract paintings, done years ago, hanging on the door ~ Always loved that piece ~
...One of my partner, John Ackerson's abstract paintings, done years ago, hanging on the door ~ Always loved that piece ~
Mixing teased proportions of 4 to 1, pale yellow Cotswold wool with brown Alpaca... 1st blended batt on right... will prob. give the batt, one more run thru the drum carder.
...everything's an experiment
...everything's an experiment
several blended rolags
Spinning away on the Cotswold wool and the brown Alpaca on the Ashford Traditional wheel... quite a bit of grease remaining in the wool so it doesn't slide as easy as it would have if it had been scoured more... But with more lanolin left in the yarn it will be more water repellent for outerwear... spinning it a little thicker than I usually do so I have a variety of yarn weights on hand... it is tricky to get used to spinning thicker after you have spun fine for a while, but it's always good to give yourself a challenge.
I have 6 bobbins filled with the 1 ply Alpaca and Cotswold... lots more to spin but I ran out of bobbins, so will have to 2 ply these first to empty the bobbins... so far I like it.
Beginning the plying of the alpaca and cotswold ... excited to see how it turns out. ...the little piece of art on the right is a print of a painting my partner did of me playing the piano
Plied the first 6 bobbins of alpaca/wool into 2 ply (upper right of the pic) and have spun up the remaining batts... The plied yarn mellows the colour nicely... I'm liking the blend so far.
Finished with 18 skeins each over 2.4 oz. each.
...... I used the washing machine to soak (no agitation) in hot water, Dawn and Ivory Snow for 30 min , spun out then repeated. Then another soak in hot water to rinse out the soap.
... As we finally received a warm day, I hung them out on the clothesline in the breeze to dry. It always surprises me how quickly wool dries!
The grass has finally turned green and growing and the leaves are starting to leaf out on the trees
Finished drying in the kitchen spread out on a broom handle. The plied yarn mellows the colour nicely...
I'm liking the blend. ...Fun... and I miss working on the project.
** Spun on an Ashford Traditional on the middle ratio.
** Spun on an Ashford Traditional on the middle ratio.
... the process took from May 7 till May 25.. while waiting for the weather to warm up
Cheers All from Desideratum Art and Jewelry, Douglas, New Brunswick, Canada
