Color Eye Candy

I had a wonderful time at Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene last weekend. I had alot of fun playing with color in the Lanaset color wheel class with Nancy Finn. And here is what I came up with.

This is Merino/silk roving dyed with toned primaries.

Next is Corriedale singles yarn. When I dyed this I was started with my favorite shades of blue and green and wanted to add some orange to make it pop. then added a fourth color to tone down that pop a little!
This is Tussah silk roving. At the top of the picture you can see my inspiration fabric....

My husband doesn't really care for the "wild" color combinations, so I made a blue with different values (blue is his favorite color). I plan on making a scarf for him out of this...
The inspiration for the next fiber was an abstract picture titled something like White Dove in the Desert Morning. The pinks and tans in the picture were alot lighter in value, but I really like how this color came out.
The sample I made was with Merino/Silk roving. I was trying to make a roving that would at least coordinate with some silk hankies that I want to spin that were dyed by Chasing Rainbows in the Tuscan colorway. I hope to spin singles from the hankies and from this roving and ply them together to make something delicate and pretty.

It was fun to see the different colors that people in the class came up with . I think we were all pleasantly surprised with our results. I think the best part of the class was that Nancy was so laid back and allowed us to be creative. I am already looking forward to Black Sheep Gathering next year and hope to take more classes.

Off to BSG

I have been off on vacation for a week now, and what a busy week that has been. Last week, my "baby" graduated from high school. In 2 short months he will be off to college on the east coast - far, far away from mom. I'm not quite sure how I will handle that. He has been such a pleasure to be around lately. Last weekend all the kids were home to see their brother graduate. I'm glad they were all so supportive.
I leave tomorrow for Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, OR. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. It is the only real wool festival that I have been to and I am hoping to find a fleece to buy this year. I have never bought a whole fleece before, just a pound here and there. So Wish me luck!
Stay tuned next week for pics of classes and fiber !

I have been bad this past week. First of all I have ordered several books (Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting , The Celtic Collection - used version!!, Debbie Bliss Baby and Toddler Knits, and Baby Knits by Lois Daykin). And no, I am not pregnant or going to be a grandmother soon, but do seem to know alot of people having babies.

Today I ordered some yarn for the Sweet Hex Child's Hood. I love the old fashioned look of it, and the stranded work is always a draw for me. I am hoping if I get enough practice at it on the small projects, I will be good enough someday to make one of Alice Starmore's sweaters!

The other thing I ordered this week was new cell phones. Our 2-year contract with Verizon was up for renewal, and the 2 kids were needing new phones, so everyone got new and upgraded phones. I am little excited as my new phone will have the Qwerty keyboard, now maybe I will be faster at texting the kids.

Now for updates on projects:

On the wheel-

Merino - 3-ply. I am hoping this will work for a Baby Surprise Jacket.

....and some wool/cashmere blend by Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks

Almost off the needles -

Miss Dashwood - for gift-giving. I need to make some baby booties to go with it.

I received my confirmation for two classes on fiber dyeing with Nancy Finn from Chasing Rainbows at Blacksheep Gathering this month. I am soooo excited. I have been wanting to take another , more in-depth dyeing class for quite awhile. I hope to learn lots!

I am also excited about the new book by Chrissy Gardiner - Toe Up. She is self-publishing this book, and it hasn't yet been released. If you have seen any of her patterns in Interweave Knits magazine, this book is a must have. Her patterns are challenging and fun. I also was able to test knit one of the patterns for the book. ........

Just to give you a little teaser!!

Knit On!!