Absolutely do not try this...

I got this idea that I'd make a 3-ply novelty yarn out of slubby singles. And here's the novelty: I'd dye the singles before I plied them.

After I plied them I planned to over-dye the yarn so it would have a multi-color effect. One of the singles was white and I was thinking that this would pick up the true color of the over-dye...

but that's not the effect I got. Absolutely do not try this with such a dark over-dye. It took the contrasting colors completely away. So that's one experiment that failed. (Quite a lot of time involved!)

This experiment seems more promising. I blended gray Shetland, black merino top, and silk scraps together on my drum carder.

I've only spun one bobbin of singles so far, but the effect of the colorful silk threads on the gray wool looks interesting.

a little update

I forgot what kind of wool I used for the blue batts, but this is what I've been spinning.

Over the Memorial Weekend I worked on some Cormo that had been sitting in storage. I had washed it lock by lock last summer, but it didn't get clean and remained very dirty and sticky. I washed it again and hand pick out almost all of the vegetable matter. The batts are super dense and turned out pretty nice.

One last photo from the Fiber Fair: a linen skirt. Puffy Mondaes out of Nampa, Idaho had a booth at the fiber fair and this is one of the items they were displaying. I love it. You can find the pattern on their website.

Scraps

The fiber on the left is silk scraps, apparently from a factory floor. The fiber on the right is recycled denim cotton. I purchased these at the fiber fair last weekend. My stash is growing!
I don't really have any cohesive ideas to blog about right now. I've got several project going---all unrelated. And more fiber fair photos on the way...

Snake River Fiber Fair

There's so much to tell. The Snake River Fiber Fair was awesome. Great classes and plenty of vendors. Where do I start? Well, I bought a full Romney fleece.

I took a class on combing. The instructor, Lynn Ruggles, brought in about 10 pairs of combs and several types of wool for us to try.

What an opportunity! She even taught us to blend with combs and we experimented with all the sample fibers she brought.

Fiber Fest - BYOB

My road trip started yesterday with a pit stop in Dillon, Montana. I had a late breakfast at Sparky's Garage which was delicious.














Then I headed down to Idaho Falls. My first class at the Fiber Fest was "How to Warp a Loom". Judy was a wonderful instructor and I came away feeling like I could actually do it. I took a bunch of digital photos to help myself remember what she taught.

In the afternoon I took a "Perfect Plying" class. I learned a few techniques but I still can't Navajo ply. The vendors are awesome and I purchased some Jacquard dye, a new orifice hook, and some recycled denim "fiber". I'll be doing more shopping tomorrow---got my eye on a whole fleece.

During plying class I said "wow, I need a cup of coffee...where can I get some?" Well! Would you believe there are no coffee shops here??? No Starbucks in the shopping district. It's a LDS town. Someone tipped me off that I could get coffee at the Barnes & Noble bookstore. So that's where I headed right after class. After being tipped off, I took a good look around town and noticed there are no bars. This town is basically dry! Not that I need to start drinking...it's just an observation. It's quite the contract to Helena or Great Falls. There you will see 2-3 casinos on every city block. At this point, I do need more coffee and feel a little embarrassed to hit the bookstore coffee shop a second time in one afternoon.

The Story of Stuff

         A few weeks ago I saw the 20 minute video call the Story of Stuff.  What a great reminder about over-consumption.  Since seeing the video I have attempted to buy less, waste less, and be more thoughtful about the consequences of my stuff.  This goes for crafting materials also. Of course I prefer the greatest renewable material of all --- WOOL. However, I also like to make other things besides yarn. Here's a photo of a lunch bag and utensil holder I made with vintage fabric.  I've been packing this fabric around for over 10 years and I finally found a good use for it.  I copied the idea for the utensil holder from a magazine that had "earth-friendly" products.  I'll leave that in the car so I can skip the plastic utensils when I'm eating on the go.  Speaking of on the go, I'll be heading to the Snake River Fiber Fest in Idaho this weekend.  I'm super excited to take some classes and be around fiber people.  Check back here and I'll post some photos.