I taught one!Last night we had some friends over for supper. After supper the boys played, the adults visited, and I spindled. The wife was openly interested in what I was doing, so I trotted off to get the spindle Brian made for me (with the help of our spindling teacher, Sara) and some longwool roving for her to try. She caught on quickly and did a great job, so either she's a great student or I'm a great teacher - ha!
I'm working on the reddish moorit Kara sent me, after plying and skeining the medium brown (82 yards) and skeining the black (70 yards). I still need to ply and skein the "mystery white" on Paisley, but have decided not to use it as the ground for my Fair Isle hat after all. I figured, why not make it 100% Shetland, as befits the design's origins? So I will spin up enough of one of my white or light-colored fleeces for the ground after finishing the four natural colors Kara sent me. Who knows? Maybe the resulting 100% spindle-spun, natural-colored Shetland Fair Isle hat will be good enough to enter in some events next year! Let's see, there's Black Sheep Gethering, the State Fair, Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival....
Dreaming big-for-me fiber arts dreams at . . .
6 comments:
Hi Michelle,
Check the card sent with the roving...that reddish brown one might be Cha Cha and Alpaca mixed if I remember correctly. The light grey was Pearl and Mohair. The moorit/fawn (with white spots in the mix) and black were 100% Shetland.
Hi Kara, I may have been a bit confused. I just looked at the card again and it says, "Light brown mixed moorit/fawn/flecket 100% Shetland. 1/2 oz ball
Black (Hester), reddish brown (Cha Cha) & dark brown (Bahama)
1/2 oz each Shetland/Alpaca blends
So I guess if I use these for my hat it won't be "100% Shetland." Oh well; might as well use the "mystery white," too!
I have two black Hester fleeces, one with her son Blackberry's lamb fleece and one with Alpaca from different years since I had to combine to get the 5 pound min. at the mill. I can't tell which is which from the feel or color as it was before her iset set in. I can only tell from the label on the bag. :) So I am not sure. Cha Cha and Bahama are definitely mixed with Alpaca and the muted brown is for sure 100% Shetland. I'd say use the mystery white or some of your white Alpaca. If you need some other colors I have some nice fawn katmoget I could send either with or without Alpaca (Kemit/Rose grey Alpaca or Carmel/Zeus both are identical in color...a really pretty rose grey. I also have Ag girls Cotton Candy and Pearl mixed with grey Alpaca for a lighter grey. My personal favorite is the fawn roving: Olympia fawn gully and Opal fawn kat with fawn Alpaca. Just email me if you need anything. I can't wait to see the pattern you choose.
Is that her first spinning there with the white?!?
Yes, ma'am!
Wow! My first attempt was a bit more on the chunky-lumpy side. Ha! :)
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