Yaaaaarrrrrrrnnnn

I totally missed out on talk like a pirate day. Again.

*sigh*

Instead I finally pulled the slightly more than 3 oz of organic cotton off the CPW. This is what that much handspun cotton looks like:

I assure you that however impressed you might be, its not enough. That is a crazy amount of cotton. Seriously. Do you know how long that much cotton takes to spin?

Anyway, I wound it off onto one of these nifty weaver's spools that I got so I can a) get stuff off the single bobbin antique and b) actually be able to find an empty bobbin for the sonata once and awhile. They were quite handy, very cheap and they hold a lot of yarn singles. Also they fit a cheapo ashford lazy kate.

I am still experimenting with the best way to wind them. I rigged up a makeshift quill thing attached the sonata flyer to get the cotton off but I suspect this is not a real good idea long term. I did locate my mini-dremel, which would be a pretty good solution, but the battery charger is MIA. I distantly remember going "Oh hey! I've been looking for this for three years!" back when I was packing in Kentucky, and then immediately stuffing it into a random box of crap so...

Yeah, its possible at this point I just need to get another dremel.


I also finished my experimental merino this weekend. I was trying to work on spinning thicker singles, which I think I was moderately successful at, but by the end of it there was all this really pretty yarn and I just knew plying was going to ruin all the colors.

So I dawdled for awhile and angst for awhile more and then someone at a knit group pointed out that the colors were kind of mardi gras and I should do something with gold beads.

Yes, well.

After three hours of cussing at seed beads that idea was scrapped, but I did ply with a gold thread.

I rather like it.

Weight varies between a light fingering to a dk and its quite light and soft and lofty. 320 yds to the larger skein, 230 to the smaller. A little over four & a half ounces total. The roving was from allspunup on etsy and I want more. No idea what it will become yet, but the nice thing about making yarn is that sometimes the yarn can just be the end project and sit around looking pretty and impressive until you come up with a pattern for it.

Less sucessful this week was dyeing.

When I first dyed this it was a sunny yellow. It was a quite pretty color actually, very bright and vibrant. And not at all the warm ambery yellow-gold I was going for. So I, in my infinite wisdom, thought I'd just pop it back in the pot, add some reddish browns and a bit of selective green. Tone it down, warm it up, mellow it out...

And I'm not sure I like it.

Actually I'm not sure I hate it.

Its muddy. The colors bleed everywhere instead of staying in the nice distinct areas I put them. The greens just give a greyish tinge to the roving, and the browns split a bit and there's more orange and less gold than I wanted.

Its wet still, and so I'm reserving final judgement for daylight and dry wool... but its not looking good. I suppose worst case this becomes sampling fiber and I get another batch for the finished yarn... but I'm bummed out.

Maybe I should have just been happy with my sunny yellow.

Also, my orange dye stock has taken on a disturbingly gelatinous texture. Its freaking me out a bit.

Also, also. I got my Kauni today. But it deserves its own post so I'll save it for later.