Texture

We have textured skeins we have to do, one with silk and one with mohair. Yesterday after assembling my color wheel I felt the need for something fun. So I decided I would use some Merino blended top, cultivated silk noil and sari silk fibers to create my skein. I weighed, and hand carded and weighed again to do the math and get percentages.

I hand carded rolags

I spun woollen singles, and made a two plies.

I love the way the yarn came out after it was finished. It is springy, fluffly and oh so soft! Another skein in Level 2 complete!

Blending Colors

In Level 2 we learn to do color percentages, math, blah! We learn how measuring out and recording helps us to reproduce colors. So blending for a color wheel with colored top is in our homework. I enjoyed this process. I found out after blending with hand cards, hand combs and a drum carder, that I prefer using my drum carder. I felt the drum carder produced a much more even blend. I learned that no matter how many times I put the fiber through the carder, it would only blend so much. It is really about how the light reflects off each color used, creating the illusion of the new color. Although I went for a tradional color wheel presentation, I got my colors backwards, opps!

Level 2 MSP

So Heather here is the picture I promised. This is most of what I have done so far. I think I will spend some time mounting and labeling. I made some labels today based on what we were asked to include. I also think this weekend I will work on combing/blending my fibers for the final project. Saturday my husband is working, so I thought I had time to work on Level 2, but my son just came to me with requests. Sunday we are going to a Lavender Festival. So it is possible for you to gain a bit of a lead on me, just remember the tortoise, grins!

For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, this is my homework for Level 2 of the Olds Master Spinner Program. Last week I attended Fibre Week and took Level 3. One of my class mates is Heather who is also working on her Level 2. I proposed a friendly competition to get Level 2 and 3 done on a timely bases. Heather has decided finishing Level 2 by the end of July is a good goal, so I am desperately trying to keep up, lol!

Oh Canada!

The end of June Me and the Mini packed full of my spinning tools left Portland headed for Olds Alberta. I drove through Washington, Idaho and British Columbia before entering Alberta and heading north to the Olds for the Master Spinner Program. Below are just a few of the pictures I took along the way. I wish they included a picture of the Canola fields in bloom. Miles of yellow flowers with hugh wind tubines scattered through out and the Rocky Mountains in the back ground, it was 8 am and the skies were blue with clouds. It was so breath taking it still makes my eyes well up with tears when I think of it.