It is done.

The past 7 years of my life are now neatly packed up into three binders and I couldn't be more relieved... Well, if I'm honest, I could be.  They could be marked, and I could have my transcript saying just how amazing the work was, and I could look at them in the Olds College library, and be proud.  But for now I'm relieved that my Master Spinner In Depth Study is complete and handed in for marking.  It's so incredibly freeing to have it DONE.

And since I've gotten it done, I get to play!! I had planned a dye week, and promptly ran out of room to dry all he fibre, so it turned into a dye day.  It's all very wet yet, but these are the colours I created, while in the pots.   

Fibre Week is coming up in just over 2 weeks and I'm incredibly excited to be taking a class with the incredibly talented Laurie Steffler.  This class is a 3 day class titled Breezy Silk Chiffon tunic/dress/vest.  I'll be learning to nuno felt, folks!  That's super exciting for me. I haven't managed to be successful at nuno felting, but I'm looking forward to trying it out!  I believe there is still some room in some of the workshops, but alas, not in this specific one...

I'm also really looking forward to being an assistant in the level four Master Spinner class!  I'm looking at this position as a good experience so I can better understand what it takes to teach the course, not just take it!  I'll cross my fingers and hope to be on the roster in the future as an instructor.

Well, I'd better get back to tackling the creation of more yarn, and cleaning the house!

~Kara

Distracted by Dyes

As mentioned in my last post, I spent a day last week washing and dyeing wool.  These are simply the dyed fibres.

Rainbow dyed using only red, yellow and blue.

Deep and brilliant purple Cotswold locks

Merino Top, using the left over dye bath front he purple, and adding the turquoise on top

Merino top, using another portion of the left over dye bath, straight up, with no colour added.

Such pretty colours, and now I want more time to dye more!

~Kara

Dye day

Today, its cold.  And it's raining.  Yes, raining.  On November 10th... Where's our snow?!   But when it gets dreary, I like to spin, and boy do I ever have a lot to spin right now!
On Sunday, I dyed up nearly 3 lbs of wool.  It was the first time I've done a huge batch like that in years.  Literally.   Sure I've done some quick stick it in a jar solar dyeing, but nothing like hand painted rovings, or kettle dyed locks.  My first two rovings turned out quite hideous, but sometimes a hideous roving turns into a beautiful yarn.  I call it the ugly duckling effect.
Anyway, enough words.  Time for a whole bunch of color!

Four different colorways here, left most 2 are merino top, and the two on the right are Cotswold roving.

 These are a  few of the beautiful BFL locks I hand washed. They took color beautifully.

 8oz kettle dyed merino top. It's spinning up quite wonderfully.

 These first two are the ones I'm considering ugly ducklings.  The yellow in the back is not an ugly duckling, it's beautiful.  It's all Cotswold.

Some of this will be spun up, and some will be sold as rovings,  mostly for thrummed mittens, as I'm not certain there's a single spinner up here, besides myself!  Though I do intend to change that, by having a few drop spindle kits at the craft fair on the 20th!

Anyway, back to spinning for me!  Hope you are having a wonderful day!

~Kara