Space dyeing rovings

DEFINITIONS

“SPACE DYEING is a technique used to give yarn a unique, multi-colored effect. While a typical skein of yarn is the same color throughout, a skein of space dyed yarn is two or more different colors that typically repeat themselves throughout the length of the yarn.”

“A ROVING is a piece of fibre which has been combed, drawn into a clump, and then twisted slightly to hold the fibers together and to prepare them for spinning and/or felting. SLIVER and TOP have a similar meaning to rovings.”

After confessing to Jude about taking a tiny piece of her space dyed roving ( and spinning it ) I received a slight dressing down, and then she agreed to try and replicate the same colours in some of the commercially spun alpaca fibre.

 

The end result of the furtive spinning of pilfered roving. A tiny piece of roving goes a long way.

 

Judy, the master dyer at TAFE, at work.

The alpaca yarn soaking in hot water.

The first addition – black.

The second addition – red.

The third addition – yellow.

Just a slight stir to meld the colours.

Let it simmer gently until the water runs clear which means all the dye has been attached to the fibres.

Almost the end result. It was decided that it needed a bit more oomph so it was returned to the pot with a little more black dye.

Still to take the photograph of the finished product.

Lots of yarn

While waiting patiently for our commercially spun alpaca yarn to arrive we have easily kept busy on other projects.

Here is Georgie weaving a beret on cardboard. In the background you can view our revamped room. Much more civilised now. Oh and BTW, Georgie has a sore knee. She isn’t really that lay back.

And Jill and Rocky hand spinning alpaca fibre.

Jill is the most productive, spinning and knitting beautifully. Below is a wee bit of her hand spun alpaca yarn.

And Georgie was unable to wait. She warped up with an unknown from the store room and used hand spun alpaca by Rocky for her weft. Georgie is experimenting with lace weaves for her alpaca project.

And I stole some fibre that had been dyed for another class. I walked past it, saw the colours and couldn’t help but take just a small bit to spin up. I love it. On the bottom left is the single thread and on the right is the plied result. Should have pinched the whole lot.

Jill again. More hand spun alpaca yarn. Beautiful stuff.

And another ebay mistake! I bought quite a large amount of tussah silk from some guy who was destashing his weaving studio. It looked luscious so I bought a kilogram of the stuff. This is the photo supplied on ebay.

Here is what I got. Very beige with no sheen and it sheds. I hate shedding. When will I learn? I’ve washed it and whacked it but it still sheds, otherwise it could still have been used in some project .

Alpaca Project and other stuff

Each Tuesday morning we congregate in the art department at the Sherwood campus of Deakin University at Warrnambool.

Below is an assortment of alpaca fleece spun by Jill.

Jill decided to experiment with the brown and white plied yarn and dye it blue. These are the results. The verdict is still out.

Jill bought in her Majacraft spinning wheel to show me. She loves it and now it is on my wish list.

Here is Georgie warping up for her first alpaca piece. Georgie is concentrating on lace weaves for her theme.

THE OTHER STUFF

The flower ( not sure what it is) was photographed for an assignment on ‘composition’ for the Photoshop course I am doing.

And these birds are corellas. There are lots of them around at the moment, having a distinctive squawking noise. They also seem to be public enemy number one in many parts of Victoria for the damage they do to crops and the environment.

Granny square full size

Now big enough for a cushion cover. Just have to crochet the other two up to this size. It ended up taking three whole skeins of yarn – Lincraft Prism.

Just can’t help myself

This is what I bought at the Stitches and Craft Show here in Melbourne. It was almost a month ago but it is difficult showcasing a personal weakness. Took a while to decide whether to admit to it or not. At least I stuck to a theme.

I have had my eye on Noro yarns for a long time now. This was the first time I had seen them in real life.

Have never heard of ‘JOY’ before. Couldn’t resist the colourway. It is a merino wool produced in Italy and I can find very little about it on the net.

So with all these beautiful colours I had to have some plain yarn to balance things out.

And this is the total of my purchases in one basket.

They are so luscious. Now what to do with it other than stare at it.

Yarn has arrived

Delivery was so quick. And overall I am happy with purchases.

However, there is always an element of risk when purchasing sight unseen. You can never be certain of colour or quality, unless you are familiar with the brand.

I thought I was ordering this colour, because I adored the rich browns and emerald greens.

 

This is what I received.

The quality is beautiful and the colours lovely, but nothing like the image on ebay. Certainly no emerald greens or rich browns. Every bit of yarn is a shade of green.

Love the silk/cashmere. Can’t go terribly wrong with the colour of cream/white. Well, you can but I didn’t this time around.

The Filatura di Crosa also arrived today, it’s colour actually being a deeper and richer colour than the photograph on ebay. It is 100% wool and good quality but I should never buy wool. I find it impossible to wear against my skin and this lot is no exception. It feels scratchy and itchy to me.

So, I think I’ve been cured of shopping on ebay for the time being.

Still miss you Jill…

Thought you may have called in for a coffee today while we were busy weaving at TAFE. Rocky and Georgie are so far ahead of me…they stay for the afternoon but I can’t resist the call of the grandchildren, and generally leave at lunch time.

I’ve continued my spending spree on ebay and I feel a bit guilty but I’m sure it will be worth it.

Purchase no.1. described by seller as - ‘This is 2 ply Silk Cashmere in Natural from Hand Maiden - two stunning fibres blended into one yarn, simply a delight. This is the undyed version of Silk Cashmere. Material: 55% Silk, 45% Cashmere Yardage: 300m Weight: 50g Needle Size: 2.5mm Gauge: 28sts to 10 cm.’

I’m hoping to dye and weave with this. What? I don’t know yet. Oh, and I bought 2 lots.

Purchase no. 2. described by seller as - ‘This is Lady Godiva in Forest from Hand Maiden - this amazingly soft and luxurious yarn is perfect for a special gift, for yourself or for a loved one. Material: 50% Silk, 50% Wool Yardage: 250m Weight: 100g Needle Size: 4mm Gauge: 20sts to 10 cm.’

Probably should have bought 2 but only bought one. Was attempting to practice some self discipline.

Hi there Jill – we miss you.

We need your expertise. Come and have coffee with us again.

Look at what I have just bought from ebay.

FILATURA DI CROSA - 127 PRINT, 5 X 50GRAM, 100% WOOL, SUPERB QUALITY - MADE IN ITALY.

For a total cost of $21.50, therefore $4.30c per ball of yarn. I think that’s a bargain. Now, will I just sit and stare at it or will I actually do something with it? – weaving, knitting, crochet? I’ve lined my Auntie Pat up for a day to teach me how to crochet. Just need to find a day to go to Geelong – that’s the tricky part.

I’m hoping that I will get back into bloggin’ again soon, once I get more organised with the work associated with teaching and catching up with doing five years worth of tax returns. Here is an understatement – Murray is not happy regarding THE TAX – his patience has run out.

Finished Scarf

I finished this scarf during our road trip holiday. We were at the Coorong in South Australia. Knitting it was an absolute pleasure, using yarns from Lara Downs and a pattern from the Lincraft site.

Here is a closeup of the pattern. Although it may look tricky to some, it was incredibly easy. Three rows out of every four is plain garter stitch.


This image is a scan from my journal showing the details of the yarns used.

The yarn was 1. mulberry silk and 2. cashmere blended with silk. It is so soft to touch, and has a beautiful drape.

Purchases from traders at the Geelong Forum

I can't resist this yarn from Lara Downs. When I make a trip to Melbourne, a visit to the Lara Downs shop in Victoria Street, Fitzroy, is something I get very excited about. I'm in the process of knitting an absolutely gorgeous scarf from yarn I purchased previously - nearly finished. Will post a pic of it when I'm done. This yarn is top quality and oh so beautiful to touch - very luscious. And I've just ordered even more via email. The solid colour is a cashmere silk blend of 2 ply and the boucle is from mulberry silk.

Thought this may come in handy adding little curly tufts to felting projects.

Also couldn't resist this purely because of the intensity of the colours. It is for felting highlighters - mulberry silk hankies also from Lara Downs.

Even though I am relatively new to felting, I have now felted with a few different fibres. These merino tops, again from Lara Downs took me by surprise at how quickly they felted. Hope to do some felting on the weekend. Will post pics.