Yarn Washing Day and Spinning at the Arts Festival

I managed to wash most of the yarn I've spun recently. Here's a group picture of six skeins of them.




The blue skeins on the ends are from Into the Whirled's Falkland fiber I have named "Seashore". The green is the third skein and the last of my CJ Kopec's Envious Eyes. I love the sparkle from the angelina in this fiber although the camera didn't pick it up very well. The pink is Shady Fiber's "Pink Eeyore" which also has firestar sparkles in it. Peaking out at the top is one of the two skeins of rag yarn I did using one ply of alpaca from Safe Haven Alpacas in CT and one ply of Ashland Bay Merino. I think the color of the Merino is "Woodland".

My garden butterfly also had to get in the photos:



These were also some of the WIPs I've been working on since Tour de Fleece.

Saturday was the monthly spin in at RI Handspun. I took a break from WIP spinning and started another of my DkKnits fibers called "Irish Beach". I might decide to do a simple shawl with it to showcase the colors which range from greens to pinks, and some yellows. It's a very pretty, soft color blend. Sunday was another spinning day with my guild demonstrating at Slater Mill as part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival. Again, I took the "Irish Beach" fiber. I'm just about at the half way point with the first 4 ounces finished. Since the colors have stayed pretty separate while being spun, I'm going to navajo ply this one.

And, lastly, I have started the foot of the second Shur'tugal sock and should have it done in a few days. Another knitting WIP will be scratched from the list. Yay!!

Playing With Dye and Other Fibery Goodness.....

With the sweltering heat of last weekend, I found a cool, comfortable spot in my craft room located in my basement. I turned on the fan, mixed the soak solution, and started the dye process for 3 yarns and about 7 ounces of fiber.

The yarns were all fingering weight. I dyed the first in graduated shades of a robin egg shade of blue from dark to light.. The second is done in 2 shades of pink which I used full strength and diluted. The third is done in 2 shades of purple and a yellow.

Here is the Cormo in different shades of pink. "Dark Pink Peonies"



Here is some Corriedale in a shade of blue, yellow, and green. "Wildflowers in the Field"



I have some more colors planned for the next dye day. I'm not sure which will be yarn and which will be fiber yet.

Currently, the Minstrel is empty. But not for long. I've decided to start spinning the bottom half of my February Lady Sweater. The Sonata has been busy. I'm getting ready to finish spinning and then plying the last of my sea shore fiber so I can submit it for Fiber 4 Ewe's August contest on Ravelry. Then, it's back to another WIP bobbin, of which I have only 3 left to go.

As for knitting, I managed to finish the first Shur'tugal sock and get the ribbing done on the second one. It's a fairly easy pattern and the heel is very different from the usual plain ones in most other patterns. It is holding my interest as I knit it, and works well as a travel project.