Yikes!!!

Well, friends, Wow is all I have to say. Just Wow.

Every year the Weaver's Guild of Minnesota has a Fiber Fair; I should have posted about it but I was too busy dyeing. It was last weekend. I was out of town, so I had helped with setup and brought down a good amount of fiber.

All the bamboo-and-merino hand blended batts sold.

All but four of the BFL braids sold.

All but one of the Panda braids sold (bamboo/nylon/superwash merino, not pandas).

All but three of the silk blend yarn sold.

Suddenly, I have no fiber.

I have a trunk show Sunday.....

Every now and then...

I get something done!!!

I've been fighting a cold for over two weeks, which has meant rather more rest and much less work. I think I've got it licked, though! Tickle, gone. Sinus crud, gone. Cough, gone! Yay!!!

I did a lot of blending today, including some new colorways which I will have to photograph. Also, tonight I am going to pick up my courage in both hands and start dyeing the alpaca yarn.

Photos forthcoming...

Lack of progress

Well, no, not entirely.

I've been doing a spinning commission, and though it's perfectly good employment I feel bad that I'm not producing much in the way of dyed goods. There's only one of me, though...

Here, finally, are photos of Woodland Autumn, both the BFL top and the thick'n'thin merino.

I've also started dyeing up a lot of Panda top, s/w merino and rayon of bamboo and nylon. I must have been subconsciously thinking Christmas, because the first two batches were cranberry red and forest green. :-)

Dyed today

For the first time in dunno-how-long, I actually did some serious dyeing today. Four skiens of silk blend in silver, two each of thick-and-thin in Midnight Blues and Woodland Autumn, and four each of unspun BFL in the same. Very pleased. Tired. Hot. I will post a photo of Woodland Autumn as soon as it's dry.

I have been away so long!

...and I'm not sure exactly what I've been doing. I've been doing a spinning commission--somebody brought me the prepared fleeces of her pet llamas. I've also really been working on a new living history project.

I have a small, primitive loom, made mostly of wood and rawhide. It has two harnesses and needs string heddles. It's *really* basic, and it's also fairly plausible, I hope, for 17th century Scotland. At the very least, it is a good example of just how primitive a loom can be.

So, I wanted a project for it. I've never woven linen. In our period, (1630, highlands of Scotland)
shirts and shifts were of linen. I want to weave reasonably fine linen on this primitive loom.

So, I've been making heddles. LOTS of heddles. I have 6000 yards of linen; that's enough to weave 22 threads per inch over 16 inches, or 176 heddles per frame. I have been making them by just tying waxed linen thread around a block of wood; that puts them all at the same size within a small fraction of an inch.

After I make the heddles, I take them off my block of wood and mount them on the loom. The bottom photo is the loom with some of the heddles on.

Off I go to the Weaver's Guild where I will be able to make a warp of 352 threads, each 7.5 yds. long. Wish me well!

Visit Susan's Fiber Shop!

Susan of Susan's Fiber Shop will be taking my fiber to Wisconsin Sheep and Wool; please visit her. She has absolutely *everything* for spinners and felters!

Oh, dear, I have so MUCH to do!

One of my vendors is willing to take my stuff to Wisconsin Sheep and Wool; I am very pleased and must send her as much as I can; they are full or I would go myself.

The yarn has arrived for A's tartan; I have to portion it out and dye it.

Along with that yarn came a great deal more; I have to start dyeing that.

I am still working on my Etsy store, AfterTheSheep.Etsy.Com, though it is much farther along than it was; please do go look!

I have yarn ordered from one of my local vendors; I have to dye that up. I have to call some of the others and see what I can offer them.

The house is a mess...

I have a couple of wonderful new colors in the silk blend yarn; I am starting a gemstone series. The photo today is Malachite; unfortunately, a photo cannot possibly capture the depth and richness of the color.

Cheers!