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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Knitting and Dyeing

I haven't been spending much time on the computer, but I have been doing lots of other things.
Summer is finally here and I have enjoyed working outside!!


Things are growing and blooming, which is so nice after that incredible long winter.


I have done a bit of sewing on the Rob Peter to Pay Paul quilt -


I also finished knitting a sweater -


This is The Seamless Artemisia Sweater from Craftsy.


It is such a great way to knit a sweater - from the top down with no seams, so I tried it on as it grew to make sure that it fit just right (it is 30°C/86°F today and hopefully it will be a long time until I need to wear a wool sweater!).


The only thing that I did different than the instructions was to knit the sleeves two at a time, using the magic loop technique (like I knit socks).

Yesterday I dyed some wool ready for spinning.


It is the first time I have tried this and it went very well (I used acid dyes - just need vinegar to set the dye, and I steamed the bundles in an old canner). The top pastel one is wool and nylon for socks, it came out lighter than I expected. This is the fibre before steaming -


This Saturday the Tour de Fleece starts - it is a month long online spinning challenge (runs the time of the Tour de France), so I am all set.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!