Tuesday, November 21, 2006
I'm Getting Better
Knitting and spinning and typing -- oh my! All this adds up to flexor tendinitis. But I've used an impressive amount of restraint for the past few weeks. It's paid off, and I'm now virtually pain-free.... as long as I keep my wrist-twisting activities to a minimum; just doing enough to not have fiber withdrawal.Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Kool Aid Days
My next foray into dyeing was the most fun yet. Using a crock pot and 3 packets of Kool Aid and Flavor Aid I got a wonderful, surprising result.
Here's what I started with: beautiful natural wool roving. It's 3 & 3/8 oz. and the length is 10 feet.
I soaked the roving in room temp water with a glug of vinegar while I prepared the dye liquid.
Very simple: using 3 jars, I opened each packet of the KA or FA and poured each into a jar. I added about 4 ounces of warm water to each jar, covered and swirled to mix.
The "flavors" I used were Black Cherry (KA), Lemonade(FA) and Orange (KA).
I pulled the roving out of the water, and I let the majority of the water drip off as I coiled just enough of the roving to cover the bottom of the crock pot. I started in the center and coiled this layer toward the outside. On this layer I used all of the Black Cherry. I mushed the roving down in the pooling liquid just enough to make sure that the dye liquid seeped to the underside of the roving. Because I used only 4 ounces of water for the dye liquid, I needed to be careful that I poured directly on the fiber. I also was careful to use the darkest color on this bottom layer.
I coiled the next layer from the outside to the center and poured the Lemonade liquid carefully on this layer. I chose the Lemonade because I wanted this color to be the one to mix the most on the fiber with the other two colors. I did not jostle this layerI coiled the last layer and poured on the Orange.
Gently, I added about 1 and 1/2 cups of the soaking water -- just enough to submerge the roving in liquid. I poured this at the side so as not to jostle the roving. I placed the cover on and set the crock pot on Low for 2 and a half hours. The water looked completely clear, which meant that all of the dye had been taken up and set into the wool. I turned the crock pot off and leaving the cover on, I let the pot cool down slowly to room temp. That took about 3 hours.
I pulled the roving out of the pot and placed it into a colander. And here's how it looked:
STUNNING!!!! But this is very wet. In fact it's soaking in it --- uh, I mean I rinsed it through by pouring water into a big bowl and submerging the fiber-filled colander into it. I did this about three times. I didn't want to pour the water directly on the fiber because there's always a possibility of accidently felting it. I gently squeezed the water out and here it is just damp. Notice how the color is much more muted than when it was really wet:
I wrapped the roving in a big bath sheet and rolled it up to squeeze the excess water out. Then I hung it up to dry in the shower. And here's the final product:
LUSCIOUS .... MMMM!!!
And just so you don't think that I've forsaken my other fiber flings, here's my current spindle progress. I can't wait to be "good enough" to spin my KA roving!
What's next??????
Here's what I started with: beautiful natural wool roving. It's 3 & 3/8 oz. and the length is 10 feet.
I soaked the roving in room temp water with a glug of vinegar while I prepared the dye liquid.
Very simple: using 3 jars, I opened each packet of the KA or FA and poured each into a jar. I added about 4 ounces of warm water to each jar, covered and swirled to mix.
The "flavors" I used were Black Cherry (KA), Lemonade(FA) and Orange (KA).
I pulled the roving out of the water, and I let the majority of the water drip off as I coiled just enough of the roving to cover the bottom of the crock pot. I started in the center and coiled this layer toward the outside. On this layer I used all of the Black Cherry. I mushed the roving down in the pooling liquid just enough to make sure that the dye liquid seeped to the underside of the roving. Because I used only 4 ounces of water for the dye liquid, I needed to be careful that I poured directly on the fiber. I also was careful to use the darkest color on this bottom layer.
I coiled the next layer from the outside to the center and poured the Lemonade liquid carefully on this layer. I chose the Lemonade because I wanted this color to be the one to mix the most on the fiber with the other two colors. I did not jostle this layerI coiled the last layer and poured on the Orange.
Gently, I added about 1 and 1/2 cups of the soaking water -- just enough to submerge the roving in liquid. I poured this at the side so as not to jostle the roving. I placed the cover on and set the crock pot on Low for 2 and a half hours. The water looked completely clear, which meant that all of the dye had been taken up and set into the wool. I turned the crock pot off and leaving the cover on, I let the pot cool down slowly to room temp. That took about 3 hours.
I pulled the roving out of the pot and placed it into a colander. And here's how it looked:
STUNNING!!!! But this is very wet. In fact it's soaking in it --- uh, I mean I rinsed it through by pouring water into a big bowl and submerging the fiber-filled colander into it. I did this about three times. I didn't want to pour the water directly on the fiber because there's always a possibility of accidently felting it. I gently squeezed the water out and here it is just damp. Notice how the color is much more muted than when it was really wet:
I wrapped the roving in a big bath sheet and rolled it up to squeeze the excess water out. Then I hung it up to dry in the shower. And here's the final product:
LUSCIOUS .... MMMM!!!
And just so you don't think that I've forsaken my other fiber flings, here's my current spindle progress. I can't wait to be "good enough" to spin my KA roving!What's next??????
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Cat TV
The best idea that I've had in a long time: putting up this bird feeder on the bedroom window. It provides HOURS of interactive fun for the 4 puss-wads. Why, here are two now, watching their fearless finchy friend snack on some sunflower seeds. Say that fast 4 times!
When last we met, I'd posted a pic of a couple of skeins of plain old wool that I'd spun. I used the leftover Kool Aid from my previous dyeing project and dyed these 2 skeins. I wound them into balls then soaked them in water to wet them through, then plopped them into jars with the Kool Aid. When
the water looked clear, I knew that all the dye had been absorbed into the yarn. I zapped them in the microwave for two minutes in their now-clear water. Then I rinsed the balls, unwound them into skeins, rinsed again and hung them up to dry in the shower on hangers.I then plied them together with my spindle (spinning the spindle in the direction opposite what I'd used to spin the balls), and this is what I got.
Okay, the pic doesn't do it justice; I just wanted to get it up here .I think this pic of it knitted up shows the variegated color better, don't you?
I really need to learn how to use my new digital camera better.The dyeing saga continues.......... and it just gets better!
