Don't Worry Spin Happy

I think that it has been well established that I love fibers for art and for craft -- fabric, yarn, roving, the animals that bear the fiber, etc. etc. I love it (or them.)

(We interrupt this blog post to admire how cute and adorable Norman is.)

Moving on...so given my love for all things fiber-ish, it makes sense then, that I would like to make my own. Yarn, that is.

Drum roll please...this is the first bobbin of yarn I have spun on my Kromski Mazurka. Is it pretty? not really. Is it even? definitely not. Do I love it? YES!! I can spin a lot prettier yarn on my drop spindle, but let's face it. I am the slowest spinner in the world on the drop spindle. I can't believe how much faster the wheel goes! In part, this is why we have the thinness, and the thickness, and the overtwist, and the undertwist, etc.

But this was a joy to spin! I think I finally get the "zen of spinning" I have heard so much about. Of course, this is when I wasn't fighting my wheel. But with Maggie Casey's book nearby, adjustments were made and spinning continued. This is four oz. of sheeps wool (breed unknown, just lying about) and it took me less than an hour to spin it up.

No plying with this -- why make it worse? Best to just set the twist and move on. I'll keep it with the rest of the crazy yarn that is sure to be produced as I improve my spinning on the wheel. Eventually to be dyed up together and make something funky and cool!

To Dye For

This has made me happy beyond any reasonable expectation of happiness...

My first handpainted yarn! (please pardon the general out-of-focus not-true-to-color crappiness of the photo. I attribute it to the serious lack of sunshine available to take photos in natural light.)



I love this yarn! Two skeins of worsted weight in Navy Blue, Colonial Blue and Lavender, dyes from Pro Chem. I have dyed a lot, and I mean A LOT of fabric -- hundreds of yards! I have dyed fleece to card into rovings. I have been enchanted by all of it, but never never never have I been so in love with a handyed item as I am with this yarn.

I was surprised how easy it was to handpaint yarn. I think "handpaint" must have been a little intimidating to me, given that I have no drawing/painting skills other than to paint backgrounds into a canvas.

First, soak the yarn in a solution of citric acid and Synthropol. The Synthropol scours the yarn, and the citric acid is the chemical to activate the dye. Then, mix the dyes up, first with a little hot water to dissolve the powder and then the balance with regular tap water. Lay out the yarn, and paint it in any pattern you choose. I divided the yarn into six sections and used each color of dye twice. This gives me a longer section of color for more of a striping effect when I knit it up, as opposed to a more variegated effect. Wrap it up in plastic, steam in for 30 minutes, and hang it up to dry. And th-th-th that's all folks!

It is truly, to dye for!