Feeling the Blues

The weather has been good for dyeing this week and I thought I'd take advantage and do a few more colors before it gets too cold to dye well.

I have lots of blues on the list this week.  This is the first - Night Sky.  Deep dark blues, navy, brooding purples.   This afternoon I'm doing Blue Peacock and then Wednesday, it's Aurora.

Given all the crazy events of this past few weeks and days, I wasn't surprised to realize I was feeling the blues.   My heart goes out to all affected by the recent tragedies.  You are loved.

Early Fall Color from the Dye Shop

Things have been as busy as ever around here.   This week, I dyed a whole bunch of yarn in one of my favorite fall colorways - 'Old Brass'.

Here's Moonbeam - a very shiny rayon knitted tape ribbon. It almost glows!

Look for all of these yarns to go up in the Etsy shop in the next few days. As always, if you've got your eye on something specific, let me know and I'll set it aside for you.

MWC This Weekend!

Midwest Weavers Conference

Butler University

Indianapolis, Indiana

Marketplace:  June 16-17, 2017

http://www.midwestweavers.org/conference/

I'll have a huge booth at the show this weekend full of gorgeous yarns perfect for weaving!  Stop in and say hello and tell me what you've been creating lately.

More New Colors: Blue Peacock

...And another new colorway for the summer! 

This one was the result of a collaboration with a client who wanted one of the other colorways tweaked a bit.   So I tweaked....

...and totally fell in love with the result.   Blue Peacock is one of my new favorite colorways.

Pic above: Sparrow cotton/rayon yarn, Silk Bamboo yarn, Moonbeam rayon ribbon, Stella raw silk yarn.

Pic right:  Moonbeam, large skein, rayon ribbon yarn. 

All of these yarns are on Etsy now....
www.robinjedmundson.etsy.com

New Colors: Red Oak

Every so often I get the urge to play with color in the studio and work up some more colorways.   I've got two in the works.

This is one is Red Oak.   I've been thinking about it for a long time.   Earthy reds, rust, brown and purple.   

Pic above:  superwash tencel roving, Moonbeam rayon ribbon, Nuthatch cabled yarn, Stella raw silk yarn.

Right:  Firefly yarn - superwash wool/tencel fingering weight.   My favorite yarn ever.

All of these yarns are available in my Etsy shop, right now.  www.robinjedmundson.etsy.com

Even More Handspun Yarn

This is some of my favorite yarn of all this year.  I made the first skein and loved it so much I spun a bunch more.  Not my normal colors, but so so pretty in person.   It has a delicate sparkle but reads as pretty neutral from a distance.  Like a frosty field.



This is a 3 ply yarn.  The first single is straight gray alpaca.  The second is a strand of superwash tencel yarn spun from a roving I got from Yarn Barn in Kansas, in a very subtle grayed-rainbow colorway.  The third is a silk single spun from my own hand dyed silk in Deep Woods.   The singles were all spun pretty fine, so the final yarn is just barely a sock/sport weight yarn.   This stuff is definitely going into a handwoven shawl. 

More Handspun Yarn

I spin during shows, but never end up with much, so I end up with a collection of smaller bobbins of yarn in pretty colors.   This winter I pulled them out and started pairing them up.   I love this combination [It looks better in person].  So cheery and fun.

It's a 3 ply yarn.   The first single was spun from a hand dyed alpaca batt in turquoise with lots of sparkles.   The second was a lime green alpaca batt with lots of sparkles.   The third was spun off a hand dyed silk roving in bright colors. 

It has a good weight to it because of the alpaca, but it's a sport weight yarn.   I'm trying to decide what to do with it.   Maybe a cheery shawl?  

Deep Blue Handspun Yarn

This is the next batch of this winter's handspun yarn.    I love this deep blue hand dyed superwash wool.  

It's a 3 ply - my favorite - in two different colors.  I start with fine singles so the finished yarn is a sport weight and not too heavy.

A Little Handspun Yarn

One of the nicest things about fall and winter is that once the garden is done, then I have time to sit at the wheel and spin some yarn.

Like this stuff.   I spun it over Thanksgiving.   It's a 3 ply superwash wool yarn.  I started with three colors of my hand dyed roving [deep blues, vineyard, old brass].  It's mostly blues, but it's got some glorious golds, rust, eggplant and russet as well. 

I think there are more than 9 ounces of the finished yarn.  Enough for a nice warm handwoven shawl. 

I get all happy just looking at it. 

The Fiber Event at Greencastle, Indiana

I left the pic big because this yarn is really pretty.

Stella Silk.   ~1350 yds.  8oz.  Hand-dyed, raw silk.   Laceweight.

Dyeing season has started and I've been gearing up for our next big fabulous show in just a few weeks!

The Fiber Event at Greencastle, Indiana, 2014 

www.thefiberevent.com

Friday, April 18:  10:30 am - 7 pm

Saturday, April 19: 9 am - 4 pm

Free admission.  Free parking

Putnam County Fairgrounds, just north of Greencastle, Indiana

I hope to see you there!   Please stop in our booth in the Community Building and say hello.   We'll have loads of dyed yarns, dyed silks, soap and soapsets and samples galore!

If you want us to bring something for you to pick up at the show, please let me know via email [robin at morenna dot com] and we'll have it ready for you when you come.

In the Studio

I've spent some time this winter in the studio, dyeing up some ribbon.   Since it has to be steamed, it heats the studio a bit and helps keep things humidified.  

Plus, when I'm done, I have all this gorgeous yarn to sell.  If you haven't seen my Etsy yarn shop, then here's the link:  www.robinjedmundson.etsy.com.


Photo:  Party ribbon.  Deep Woods.  395 yds, $35.   Available here on Etsy.

I'll also be at our regular fiber festivals this year.  Here's a list of where you can find us.   Please stop by and say hello.   I love meeting you!


Photo:  Frost ribbon.  Forest Fire.  200 yds, $12.  Available here on Etsy.

In the Studio

Look what's come out of the studio lately!    Sunset is on the left and Aurora on the right.    I'm getting a lot of terrific yarns ready for the Bloomington Spinners and Weavers Guild Fiber Arts Sale in November.    It seems like a long time away, but it will be here sooner than I think. 

Giveaway - Crochet Shawl Kit

It's time for another July Celebration Giveaway!  

This giveaway is especially for my readers who love yarn.   I'm offering one of my hand dyed yarn kits that includes 4 skeins of gorgeous hand dyed cotton yarn [More than 1000 yds total] and a pattern for this beautiful crocheted ripple shawl.   It works up fast and easy.  [If you don't crochet, you can knit a simple ripple using large needles and you're good to go!]

This is a perfect summer project for traveling.  The finished shawl is light and lacy and good for summer evenings and air conditioned restaurants.






Winner gets her/his choice of these colors:

Nepeta works up like an impressionist painting.  Think Monet's garden.

These are the blues and lavenders of Cool Water.  [My personal favorite!]

And for those of you who prefer warmer colors, I've got a kit in all the tonal shades of Golden Sands.







To enter, leave a comment on the blog before midnight, Sunday, July 14th, 2013 [EDT].   Tell me what your favorite summer projects are.

[Giveaway open to residents of the US only.  Please watch the blog and contact me immediately if you are the winner.  Prizes must be claimed within one month.]

Class: Spinning 201, Intermediate Spinning

Look at those beautiful hands spinning that beautiful yarn.    I love watching people spin. 

I'll be teaching Spinning 201 - Intermediate Spinning  at White Violet Center, St. Mary of the Woods College just outside Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday, March 2nd.    9 am - 5 pm.   $110.

This class is for people who have already learned to spin.   It's OK if you're a bit rusty.   We'll be reviewing whatever skills you need, then we'll do some plying [2 ply, 3 ply and Navajo plying]  and then hit a bunch of new fibers for you to practice on. 

You can bring your own wheel and your own fibers if you like.   There are wheels available at White Violet if you don't have your own.   

Check out the link above for details.    Email me with questions about what we'll be doing.  Email White Violet Center with questions about registration, etc.    I hope to see you there!

Hand dyed Ribbon Yarn, Frost - Vineyard

 

Click the small pics to go the Etsy listing.  

I've had this yarn for a while but this is the first time I've put it on Etsy.   It's versatile and beautiful.   Great in all kinds of projects:   Scrapbooking, jewelry making, knitting, crochet, weaving, etc.   

$12.  200 yd skein of hand dyed, hand painted nylon ribbon yarn. Appx 1/4 inch wide. Frosty finish.  Makes beautiful knitted scarves [garter stitch] on size 13-15 needles.

Available in many colors. See the other Etsy listings.

Knitting needles: size 13-15
Crochet hook: size M-N
Weaving: Looks best mixed with other yarns 8-12 epi. Looks great as weft.

Care: Hand wash cold water. Hang or lay flat to dry. Bright or dark colors may bleed. Avoid using any hand dyed yarn in projects where bleeding could cause problems.

Fairy Tale Novelty Yarn

[If you click the pics above, they'll take you to the listing on Etsy.] 

I've showed you this yarn on the blog before and it was a big hit. Now I've got it listed on Etsy!

150 yds of three yarns stranded together. 1 strand hand-dyed rayon, 1 strand hand-dyed nylon ribbon, 1 strand mohair [not hand dyed].  $35

Color: Teal/Turquoise. Teal mohair, Aurora rayon, Iris ribbon.

This is one of the most versatile yarns we offer. Knit all three strands together for a gorgeous and quick project, such as the scarf in Lt Blue [size 19 needles], photo 3, or you can separate the strands as you go knitting only one or two at a time as we did in the orange triangle shawl in photo 4 [size 15 needles]. Both of the projects were done with only one skein of yarn.

Available in several colors. Photo 5 shows some of them.

Knitting: size 15-19 needles
Crochet: size T hook or larger
Weaving: separate the strands 8-10 epi

Hand dyed yarns should be washed gently in cold water. Lay flat to dry. Bright or dark colors may bleed. Never use hand-dyed yarns in projects where bleeding could cause problems.

Hand-Dyed Yarn Grab Bags

I have some gorgeous hand dyed yarns in my studio.   Some of them are smaller quatities of yarns I can't get more of.   I thought it would be nice to share the bounty with you guys - at a nice savings, so I have combined them into grab bags of 5 skeins.   Details below.

I have just listed these Hand-dyed yarn grab bags in my Etsy store.  Get 'em while they're hot! 

 

If you click on the pics above, you'll go to the listing on Etsy.

$38 each

Each grab bag contains 5 skeins of hand dyed yarn: 1 skein nylon ribbon [Frost] 200yds, 2 skeins rayon or rayon/cotton yarn [Rayon Spiral, Rayon Overtwist, ZigZag, Cott/Ray Tonal] 150-225 yds each, 2 skeins cotton or rayon/cotton yarn [Warbler, Nuthatch, Fine Cotton Boucle, Cott/Ray Tonal] 200-300 yds each. Each bag will have at least 4 different yarns and 4 different colors.

Color groups [Same order as lower photos]: Bright Cool, Bright Warm, Earthy Cool, Earthy Warm. I am happy to consider special requests, but cannot guarantee availability of yarn/color. For example, you may request 'no all green skeins', or 'heavy on the blue'. Please be reasonable. No returns accepted on grab bags.

The price of the grab bag is 40-50% off the regular retail price of the yarn. Each skein should have a tag with fiber content and pre-dyeing yardage on it.

Hand-dyed yarns should be washed in cold water. Bright or dark colors may bleed. I do not recommend using any hand dyed yarn in a project where bleeding would cause problems.
 

Renaissance

I love warm weather.   The dye loves warm weather.   Colors are always a bit better in the summer.

This is what came out of the dyepot last week. 

Colorway:   Renaissance.  

You can see all of my colors, up close and personal next weekend at the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival in Franklin, Indiana at the Johnson County Fairgrounds on June 1st and 2nd.  Stop in and say, 'Hi.'

Nelly Novelty Yarn

I've been playing around with the yarn.    I decided some of them were lonely and needed to hang out together more. 

Et voila!   A yarn masterpiece.  

I thought you might enjoy getting a sneak peak.

 We're calling it Nelly Novelty.   We have limited quantities of several colors.   Here are a few of the warmer colors.

There's a lot of color action going on in these skeins.   They are not for the faint of heart.

Here are a few of the cooler colors. 

Each skein is 150 yds - enough to do a generous scarf or a midsize shawl.   Use size 17 or 19 needles so there's plenty of room for the mohair to bloom.




We'll be introducing it at the Fiber Event at Greencastle, Indiana on April 20, 2012.  

Email me if you want to purchase some early.

Towels!

I need to make some towels in bright colors.   I love towels in bright colors. 

This is my starting line-up.  It's mostly 8/2 unmercerized cotton with a bit of 10/2 and one flake [short ball of gold, far left in the pic.]

I'm seeing towels in magenta, cyan, kiwi and gold.

And some in blues and purples and kiwi.

And some in gold, orange, red and purple.

Oh.  Yeah.

I'll do them at 20 epi, probably 20" on the loom.   I usually figure 1 yard of warp per towel, then with shrinkage, hems and loom waste, they usually end up at around 24" long x 16" wide.   A lovely size for a towel.