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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

What's New, Chicken Stew?

What's new, indeed? Well, it's somehow already been a month since my last post.

I remember working on the following things for sure:

-Laceweight yarn from SSS mill ends, browns and white
-Corespun hand-carded batt (from hand cards), merino, alpaca, superwash, and mohair
-Superwash SSS mill ends, variegated greens
-Dyed some of the super-dirt-ridden fleece I have slowly been processing. (more on this later - maybe today, maybe in another post)
-2ply of supersoft chocolate and raspberry merinos - it's delicious!
-Superthin silk 2-ply (half is spun; now to spin the other half and ply!)
-Failed felted slippers (see below for more)
-And probably lots more :P


So, on the slippers:

I had some grey wool from SSS that I wanted to use to make slippers for my SO. I got it all out and started to felt and I was so excited about finally taking the time to make them that I forgot the most important part of felting: TEST THE WOOL BEFORE YOU GET STARTED. This wool was one of those wools that felts halfway and makes a stringy mess. It wasn't a good felting wool and it wasn't a wool that doesn't felt at all, so all the wool went to waste. It felted hard enough that carding it just ripped it in to tiny bits instead of saving the wool, but wouldn't felt hard enough to make a cohesive slipper. Ah well, such is life.

I have proven to myself once again that it's always the dyeing you hate most that makes the best yarn on its own. I used Wilton's to dye up a white batt of wool. I used black, copper, and blue, which in acidic conditions turns into pink, orange, blue, and purple. I forgot that the black/pink takes over though, so when I was done I had a splotchy pink mess. I had intended to dye two batts the same colors but when I saw the first one I decided to dye one in complimentary colors so that I could ply them. Then I spun the pink mess and out came a very pleasant yarn. So, now I'm knitting it into a scarf for one of the sisters, and the other one will either get a matching partner or it will become a scarf for another sister. I haven't really decided yet. I have to finish the SO's socks before too long though because he has been waiting for them for a long time!

Speaking of socks...it's time to send the doghair socks back to Alaska where they belong. I can't believe that I packed them instead of giving them to the person who commissioned them! He probably wants them right about now. So, I'll take care of that on my long weekend.

That's all for now! Gotta study for my test. More fibery goodness to come once I pick up my drum carder!!

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