Knit by Nora

Compulsive ~ a strong, irresistible impulse to act (i.e., to knit) and Obsessive ~ to occupy the mind excessively (thus this blog)

Friday, September 16, 2005

Today’s Fiber News

I want to start with the fiber that followed me home from SheepFest. The yarn (on left) was raised, dyed and spun by Kris Savage of Sheepstone Natural Fibers in Darlington, PA. The turquoise is a single and the brick red is a two-ply. I have the fiber content in my home notes (will add later today, if you are interested). Kris is a well-rounded fiber artist—spinning, dying, weaving, designing, etc. I really liked her yarns that were plied of combos of home spun and commercial spun. She is really creative and inspirational.

I bought angora bunny fur (in containers on right) from Mary Lou of The Rosefield. Dig the “to-go” packaging; it is four ounces of white angora. There were many shades,grays, blues, mixes, etc., to pick from, all in these clever containers with labels. I confess that I brought a drop spindle to SF…just in case...and I started spinning lace weight angora yarn that day. Lace weight because it is very warm and I do not intend on mixing it with another fiber.

Although it is white, it may not remain so for long. These are berries (I call them ink berries), but I do not know the proper name. Do you? Currently they are smashed in a kitty litter bucket with a little vinegar (I read this makes the dye more blue than red). This weekend I will simmer it on the stovetop for an hour, strain and then dye fiber! I have some spun wool to try first, then I might do a small sample of bunny before immersing it. I have a couple of pots just slated for dying.

I also picked up home made soap (Mary Lou’s daughter) for work gifts. The washcloths are my standard pairing. Mary Lou also displays at the Maryland Sheep Festival so I thought it was cool she does our back roads small events.

posted by Nora | 5:08 PM

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