The New Obsession Continues

Yesterday I dyed roving.  Mmmmmmmm. 
I ordered Blue Faced Leicester and Merino from Wool2Dye4.  Sheila included a sample of her Merino Superwash roving in the package.  They all took the Jacquard acid dyes beautifully.  I was really nervous about felting the roving, so I handled it very carefully.  I had read somewhere that if you bring the temperature back down very slowly that it is less likely to felt.  It seems to have worked, no felting.  Now I want to learn how to make those pretty braids that I see some dyers do. 

This is the Merino Superwash that Sheila from Wool2Dye4 added to my package.  I would definitely get this roving again.  It is soft and luscious, and fluffed up very nicely as it dried.  This is the first one I'm going to try to spin, since I only have a few ounces of it.

Merino.  I have a pound of this lovely.  I may wait until I get my hands on a wheel, and perfect my technique before I spin this up.  My goal is to spin enough yarn for a shawl.  This would do very nicely for that.  Like the superwash, it is soft and scrumptious.  The merino fluffed up nicely as it dried, but not quite as well as the superwash.

Blue Faced Leicester.  I love this colorway.  It came out pretty closely to the way I had pictured it.  I guess I'm feeling inspired by the beautiful orange Sunrise Circle Jacket over at Neither Hip Nor Funky.
The blue faced leicester didn't fluff back up quite as well as the other two rovings, but it didn't felt and will be easy enough to draft.

I know it has been all spinning around here lately,  I promise you I have been knitting.  There is just nothing new to show you.  I'm taking the Train down to DC in a few days, so I'll get some nice uninterrupted knitting time, that should produce a finished object or two. 

Can anyone recommend any good yarn stores in DC?  I don't know if I'll actually have any time to go, but just incase, I want to be prepared.  I know Knit Happens is in Alexandria, but I'm going to be over in the Chevy Chase area, and I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that Alexandria is a bit out of the way.   Thanks.

Comments

[Cara]

Beautiful fiber! There was a tutorial in either the Yarnival I edited or another Yarnival that showed how to braid roving. Give it a look. Have fun on the train! I'm going to Philly at the end of the week myself.

[Karen]

Wonderful job on the dying!! Sounds like you were a natural at it from the start. Have a great trip to DC - I'll be interested to hear what yarn stores you find there. My BIL is down there, and we'll probably head down for a visit before too long. :)

[knittingphilistine]

I've got my fingers crossed that this new obsession works itself into an Etsy shop! (They're all the rage, these day, ya know!) Gorgeous fiber. Every bit of it.

[Carole]

Those look fabulous - you're braver than I am as I've been afraid to try dyeing roving.

[mai]

check out stitch dc (http://www.stitchdc.com/) while you're in MD. they have three locations, one of which is in chevy chase! if you have time their other locations are in downtown DC and georgetown.

and if you do happen to make it to alexandria to visit knit happens, also go to springwater fibers (http://www.springwaterfiber.org/) while you're there!

[Cookie]

Gorgeous!

Well done!

[Brenda]

Beautiful colors! I'm looking forward to seeing what you spin with it.

[Kristi aka Fiber Fool]

Ooo, they are all gorgeous, but I have to admit to being most partial to that last one. My BFL didn't fluff after dyeing either until I predrafted it, but it still made a fine yarn.

[Spinneret]

Said it before and I'll say it again. You have a fine eye for color. Very nicely done.

[Schrodinger]

really beautiful colors, you're making me want to get out my roving and dye it... NOW

[Christy / Not Hip]

I'm very impressed. I love the colorways. Of course, I'm in lust with the orange ;) But the blues and greens are gorgeous also.

[lobstah]

Wow, fabulous dye jobs! You picked some awesome colors.

[stacey]

you did a great job dying!!! the BFL is beautiful....

[Kathy]

Oh my! It's GORGEOUS! Wow.

[nova]

My, what beautifully dyed fiber you have!

[Teresa]

Oh my! Those are absolutely beautiful fibers!
Wow..wow..wow. Now I'm REALLY going to have to learn how to spin!

[Marie]

You got a pattern in Knitty!! And it's beautiful! Congratulations!

[Gini]

Knit and Stitch = Bliss is a great yarn store in Bethesda, MD - VERY close to Chevy Chase. I've been to Knit Happens as well, and would say they are pretty comparable. Here is their website:

www.knitandstitch.com

Good luck - and great pattern in Knitty!

[beverly]

Congrats on your Knitty pattern--wonderful!!

[elizabeth]

Gorgeous dyeing! You sure didn't get that from using food coloring! Re: making roving braids. I lay my roving in three strips on the dining room table, fold one end of the roving over the other two ends, and braid just as I would braid hair. If the roving is particularly long, I'll lay it out into six strips and hold two strips together while braiding. Shoot me an email if you have further questions. I've seen a tutorial on someone's blog before, but a quick google search didn't pull it up. Love your Knitty pattern!