My day got away from me. I had every intention of dyeing some of the amazing baby camel down top that I have, but right now, I’m soaking part of a tan alpaca batt to test hot pour dyeing and my colors on.
I’ve spun a little of the camel. Just a tiny bit to see what it was like. I didn’t put enough twist in it and it’s a miracle I was able to ply it. But I did, and knit a tiny, incredibly soft little swatch which I’ve been rubbing between my fingers for a couple of days.
It hasn’t felted or balled at all. A good sign.
If I am able to dye it well, I think it’d be fun to add dyed camel top and handspun to my Tweedy Batts offerings. It’s such nice fiber. I think it’d make a delightful little neck scarf. A small one to tuck into a sweater or coat to keep the chill off. But, this is all assuming that I will EVER figure out how to dye properly. My confidence is nil. Hope remains high, however.
So, I’m going for greens. We’ll see how it works out.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Wow are you ever brave spinning your own stuff and dyeing it too. I love reading what you do.
It almost inspires me to want a spinning wheel, but I would be too much of a chicken to spin and dye stuff. Jean
August 13th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
beautiful.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Mmmm, camel top is so lovely isn’t it? It’s been really fun seeing all the stuff you’ve been coming up with – you are so good and patient with all the dyeing/spinning/swatching in small amounts to find out what works and what doesn’t. I’m sure all your experimentation will prove to be well-worth it in the end – if you need a guinea pig customer, pick me, pick me! 🙂
August 14th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I can attest to how beautiful this stuff is. I want a pillow case made out of it for winter so I can just rub my face on it 🙂