Handspinning 'Ula' Batts and Tussah Silk



YummyYarnsUk Ula Batts with Tussah Silk (Photographs by Patricia YummyYarnsUK)



 I asked Patricia at YummyYarnsUK if she could dye some Tussah silk for me to be plied with 'Ula'.  I was delighted when it arrived and think considering the two fibres were dyed separately, weeks apart they are a fantastic colour 'match'.  I love the green and the golds with the blue.  I have been spinning like mad!  I have never spun silk before and it was lovely.  A little tricky at first to get the tension right and then it spins as smooth as ... well ... as smooth as ...er ... silk.

I was completely surprised by the results.  Then when they were plied together I was surprised again.  I did not expect it to be so 'Marled'.  I had a slight panic that I had made the wrong choice.  Now it is off the bobbin and in a skein I love it.  It feels heavenly.  I really like the colour and texture of it.  The sheen of the silk is gorgeous with a slight sparkle from gold fibre in the 'Ula'  batts.  I am not sure yet what weight the Yarn is, if I am honest it is probably variable.  Very rustic and hand made! 



Apologies for the photgraph, my enthusiasm for sharing outweighs my photography skills, my philosophy is stick it in the sunshine, point, shoot and hope for the best!

When I have made friends with the other shawl I am knitting, I will finish that first.  Then I am hoping to knit a shawl with this yarn, when I wear it I will pretend to be The Little Mermaid!  I should end up with approximately 200g of 'Yummy' lovliness.



Birmingham and District Guild Weavers Spinners and Dyers - Colour Play Workshop

Today the Guild meeting was exactly what it said...Colour Play with Gillian Shepherd.  I got the chance to play with the biggest stash of yarn and fibre I have ever seen.  I am sure Gill should be in the Guinness Book of Records for the most stash squished into a car!  The morning began with a Powerpoint about colour theory.  The Colour Wheel, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colours.  We also looked at tints and shades.  We explored analogous colours (those that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel) and complimentary colours (those which are opposite each other on the colour wheel).  I can't even say analogous.  I am sure I will play with colour mixing and my little tin of water colours. 
     We were given 'words' or 'phrases' to explore such as 'An Evening by the fire', 'The Beach', 'The rainy Canal', 'A moment of Anger', 'The Misty Morning',  'A Babies Bottom', 'The Naughty Dog', 'Victory' and 'The Lovely Duck'.  We each had one of these titles for the morning.  There were four 'Play Stations'  Knitting, Weaving, Spinning and carding and dying.  I played with hand carders and briefly with a spindle.  I hope the photograph of my fibre is screaming...The Lovely Duck at you!  My Mom had 'Victory'  I will see if she will let me photograph it tomorrow so I can show you.  We only had the pictures in our head to use and we were asked to pick three analogous colours and one complimentary to explore.  I really think I have inheritted my Dad's colour blindness! 
     I was thinking Mallard and tried to do my best to card 'The Lovely Duck'.  I used Green/blues or blue/greens with a bit of purple for the complimentary I used a bit of orangey brown.   See...

After the morning session we had lunch and then returned for a show and tell.  I didn't take photographs of other peoples work so it is a bit hard to tell without the show.  'The Naughty Dog' was interpretted in weaving, there were some Jack Russell colours, green grass and blood, as one of the member's dog had bitten her husband this week!  It was a dramatic textile.  'The Evening by the Fire' was interpreted on cotton using Dye crayons and Dye paint for a more vivid colour and some hand painted yarn was also made using 'An Evening by the Fire' colours.  I tried again to conquer my struggle with the spindle, but I was not Victorious.  My Mom's 'Victory' was a rather funky yarn with Reds,purply pinks, green and green Angelina sparkle.  Mom and I seemed to burn ourselves out with creativity and felt a bit peaky so we left early today.  Us creative/Arty types put our heart and soul into it!  I had to have a nap this afternoon and I bet my Mom did too!  Tomorrow I may spin my Lucky Ducky fibre and I also hope to capture 'Victory' to show you.