And I simmered it to set the twist and wahed out all the color!
I'm not so sure what I'll do with the rest of the roving. I might just spin it up and practice navajo plying it. There's not really that much so maybe I can make a pair of fingerless gloves. This skein is not getting used!
Actually, there is very little knitting going on around here. I pick up my big lace project and work a few rows on the boat and then put it away. The time just flies so fast when I work on it. I always ask myself, "Are you ready to have hours magically disappear?" The answer is more often than not, "No."
I stopped by Weaving Works on Tuesday. I went in for some silk noil and when I looked at it, I decided to pass. But they now carry recycled silk fibers and I bought a bag which I picked out on the way home. I'm thinking wearing a mask may not be a bad idea. There was alot of powdery stuff in the air while I was fluffing the fibers.
This stuff was so much fun to spin. I decided to separate the colors so I wouldn't end up with the generic recycled silk color. This is what the first bobbin looked like:
The yellow and red fibers, I started off by fluffing them out and spinning right away..sometimes carding them a bit and cutting out the weaving knots with scissors when I ran into them. The spinning went a little slow because the silk constantly got stuff on the hooks. Plying was difficult as well. But I did get a yarn that picked up the light better. You're probably not able to make that out in the photo.
When I did the blue and green fibers, I decided to cut and card. I got a really fuzzy yarn that didn't catch the light very much. The actually spinning process was easier. There was less snagging on the hooks but plying was about equally as difficult.
I definitely would choose to use my bulky attatchment to prevent the snagging on the flyer hooks. I only spun about a hundred yards of the 2ply and I was able to keep my cool but I can see how it could become a hair pulling experience very quickly.
I did notice there was a mix of fibers in the bag. I would run across some long parallel fibers that would spin very smoothly. After visiting the Wool Peddler's site, I see that she sorts her recycled silk fibers into 3 grades. What I'm describing sounds very much like her premium silk fibers. A cut above this are the silk thrums. I would personally at least opt for the premium fibers for straight spinning. Blending might be a different animal. I still have this much left so blending might be my next adventure.
Treenway Silks up in British Columbia was recommended as a source for thrown silk waste which is what I really want to spin. I do like the recycled sari silk but I feel the thrown silk will have much more possibilities.
Meanwhile the Usnea hirti lichen is yielding nothing more than a faint promise of a beige. I have left it to sit for almost 2 weeks. Tonight I divided it into three batches and added vinegar to one, soda ash to the other. The remaining is waiting for ammonia that I forgot to buy when I went to the store this evening.
I think it's time to move on to the next lichen.
No comments:
Post a Comment