Dye days

Here are a few images from my recent adventures in natural dyeing.  I mordanted some of my handspun and roving in saltwater from the ocean, and then experimented with eucalyptus and oak galls on my friend's stovetop.  

Preparing fibers for dyeing with ocean water.  

Handspun drying in the breeze.

My friend's lovely gate...

Harvesting color with Hilary.  We're gathering fresh shoots of eucalyptus.

And into the dye pot....

Silk, cotton, and my wool roving in the bottom right corner...

Tomorrow it should be dry, and we'll see the results!

Swatching

Some pretty swatches hanging out to dry.  Vintage linen thread, tripled on 10.5 needles.  These are for a fun collaboration with www.fennelbridal.com. Mixing knits and fabric is going to be fun!

Valley Ford Mercantile and Wool Mill

Excited to have a woolen mill open in my neck of the woods:  the Valley Ford Mercantile and Wool Mill in Valley Ford, CA.  This is the massive felting machine, and they specialize in felted mattresses and bedding.  So neat! 

Lale shawl

This shawl was made using Malabrigo Silky Merino (51% silk, 49% merino wool), a DK weight luxury singles yarn in Cape Code Gray. The pattern is from Knitscene, the Winter 2012 issue. Though it was a fun and relatively quick project, I had to navigate through many errors in the pattern charts. And though my gauge was much smaller than the pattern called for, my shawl seems to have come out larger.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the process of making this, and I very much enjoy the feel of it draping over my shoulders. This one will likely be versatile through many seasons, which is a huge plus as well!

Embroidery

Not too bad for my first embroidery attempt? Trees and branches are good practice for beginners. It's alright if the lines are a bit jagged and uneven, which mine very much are!

Best worked in the morning light while sipping tea...

Spinning!

A bobbin full of bulky 2-ply wool from a fleece I got from my friends at Stillwater Cove Ranch. A few more of these to go before I can fire up the dye pots!

Flower Basket Shawl

This was a surprisingly quick knit. I used two strands of Misti Alpaca lace-weight. It's not my favorite color, but I bought this yarn for practically nothing. The yarn itself is luscious. It's a two-ply; one ply is a light blush pink, the other is a deeper mauve. This was the perfect project for it, and I really loved working with alpaca.
The pattern is the Flower Basket Shawl from Interweave Knits Fall 2004 by Evelyn A. Clark. Great pattern, I love working from charts. I will make this one again.