Dart Fire

This is Dart Fire. I handdyed colonial and coopworth wool in bright red. I got coopworth from Black Sheep last year. It is so wonderful to work with and take dye really well. I ran them throgh the carder twice and then blend it with colonial. It's a dream to spin and I really like to firy red in this yarn.


Here is another yarn I spun from Fiber Monster batts in Wild Berry colorway. I'm thinking spring socks.


I am not sure how often I will have a chance to post in the next couple weeks. Tomorrow my mom is coming to stay and hang out with us. My dad will follow a week after. They haven't been to the Pacific Northwest before. So we will take them around. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. At least it is sunny out right now. Until then, take care.

Handspun yarn stash

Handspun yarns stash, originally uploaded by Fiber Monster.

Yes, I have been spinning. These are all 2-ply handspun yarn. Some are DK. Some are worsted weight.

Top left to right: superwash merino/alpaca in green, merino in pumpkin, merino in rosewood, merino in bitter chocolate, handdyed merino in white/pink/pale red, and handdyed merino in orange/green/blue/brown.

Small skeins in the front are samples from various carded batts and handdyed projects. I keep these mini skeins in the plastic box and get them out just to look at them every once in a while :)

Since I didn't have any projects in mind when I spun these, now I have to figure out what to do with them. I have about 4 oz of SW merino/alpaca, 4 oz of merino pink/pale red, and 4 oz of merino in orange/green/blue/brown. Obviousy the colors don't go together if I want to combine them into one project. So I am thinking of spinning some solid color to match some of them. But superwash merino/alpaca might be enough for knitting a small shawl.

Any suggestions?

Gotland

I have been playing with Gotland fleece I got from OFFF last fall. It's love at first sight and I know I have to buy it even though I hadn't heard about Gotland before. After I got the fleece and did a little research. Here is what I found from Northwest Gotlands website.

"The breed originated on the Island of Gotland in the Baltic sea, off the East Coast of Sweden. Gotland sheep are direct descendants of the Gute breed. Gutes are a horned breed and are members of the North European Short Tail breeds. Other noted members of this group are the Finnsheep, Romanov, Shetland and Icelandic sheep.

Besides the Gutes, Karakuls and Romanovs are thought to have been brought to the Gotland Island by the Vikings and may have played a role in the development of the modern Gotland sheep. Others feel that Leicester and Rya breeding were introduced and helped create today's Gotland.

Gotland Wool & Pelts:
It is the luxurious fleece and pelt of the Gotland that sets them apart from other breeds. Gotland pelts are world-renowned for their superior quality. The pelts sell for a premium, due to their smooth silky locks and soft handle.

The Gotland's fleece is considered to be among the best in the world for spinning and weaving. It is the very high luster and well-defined crimp, along with the array of silver and gray shades that make the fleeces highly desirable to hand spinners, knitters and weavers.

Gotland wool ranges from 29 to 33 microns."


Right: first wash. Left: second wash. Much better.

Carded batts. Very soft like merino but very silky

It's a dream to spin

Light weight approx. 14-17 WPI.

Terra Cotta

Terra Cotta Carded Fiber Batts, originally uploaded by Fiber Monster.

Trekking XXL socks are done and I have no photo of them yet. Somehow the color of Trekking yarn is still vivid in my mind. Why wouln't it be since I had been working on this pair for almost a year! So last night I carded these batts and spun up some sample. It's a dream to spin and would make great pair of sock.

Terra Cotta Sample

Featured Shop on Daily Chum

Featured Shop on Daily Chum, originally uploaded by Fiber Monster.

Fiber Monster feels so tickling today :) Visit the Lime & Violet - The Daily Chum here.

Thank you, Peachy.