luciousness

I've had fun the last few days dyeing some gorgeous rovings that I bought from here. I got lots of different types: alpaca, merino, silk, bluefaced Leicester, Corridale and South African fine wool all white.

After my lack of success with the natural dyes (I will persevere in the summer) I decided to try some fabric dyes I had. This gorgeous icy blue below was the result of me taking some dye bath from the machine as I was dyeing some sheets and just soaking the fleece in it for about an hour. I love its softness. I then carded and blended all the fleeces together. The different fleeces take the dye differently so there are slight variations and the result is a lovely soft yet strong yarn.
Then I decided to try something a bit more adventurous. I very slightly diluted the dye powders with some salt and water in a jar and mixed well. Then I placed the rovings is this casserole dish with some hot water and vinegar. I drizzled the different dyes over the top and then put it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes at 350 F.
The results after rinsing and drying...
And then after carding them together to blend the different fibres. I love this one too, and can't wait to start spinning it.
But I have so many projects on the go at the moment... I've started handquilting my quilt (man that's going to take a LONG time) and I'm still crocheting the wavy blanket (actually I pulled everything I'd done apart and started again as it was WAY too wide). So many things I want to be doing all at once!

And here's some pics that my sister in law sent me of the scarf I made her for Xmas...I requested them as I forgot to take pics before wrapping it. My very first wavy crochet pattern, and different to the one I'm using now. I used up lots of little scraps of wool I had left over...stuff I'd spun, some I'd bought. But I thought it looked pretty cool when I'd finished.
...notice the stunning clarity of this photo taken with her super duper new cannon rebel camera.