BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Spinning I'm de-stashing!

Mary Black has some good info on embroidery weaves in her book.

Have you thought of using a warp weighted loom? That would eliminate the breaking system - though you'd have to advance the weights from time to time.

A slight variation on warp weighted would work, but I wonder how it would go with a rigid heddle? Advancing the warp is no problem, after all backstrap weavers do it all the time, and I'm not sure there is a better system than that! I will have to experiment. After all, its what works for me that matters!
That 2 kgs of Optim is singing out sooooo sweetly that it needs to be dyed, do you think it would destroy my stash-busting if I dyed some? I started spinning a little bit last night - its truly amazing! My yarn is so fine, even on a 1.7 oz spindle its virtually laceweight and it feels like silk. Apparently its supposed to be about 14.5 count and it makes cotton feel very sticky and coarse - I will have to go find my tahkli and try it.
Cheers, Caroline who's resolution is getting weaker by the minute!

You're totally right - it's what works for YOU that counts!

Hmmm.....nooo.....I don't think dyeing would destroy your stash-busting at all. After all, dyeing can be a part of processing and therefore it's just one step towards spinning and once it's spun then it's yarn and can be used for a project and making a project gets the fiber out of the stash. So...dyeing is stash-busting

With that logic, I needn't stop spinning at all, hehe! Makes sense!
Seriously, what do you do with your stash? We don't have a winter here like you do, so we don't use wool in the same way its used in the northern hemisphere, or even in the colder parts of Australia. Our spinning traditions come straight from Europe and are very impractical for our climate. And this from a country that produces lots of sheep!
Which sounds like a good excuse to start experimenting with some of the more exotic (and expensive) fibres like soya silk and bamboo! I feel a re-stashing coming on, !

Well.....the area I live in actually has a Mediterainian type climate so our winters are quite mild with very little, if any snow and we seldom see a hard freeze....been only one in the 16 years I've been here. So I'm not the person to ask about this

My spinning friends in colder climes seem to knit sweaters and vests in winter and shawls in summer. Around here the current trend is to socks, slippers, scarves, hats and bags.

Mostly what I do with the stash is.....well...stash it. Unfortunately it's a huge stash since we're planning to move, I sent all the grease fleeces I had off for processing and now am faced with something like 600 lbs of roving. Yikes!!!!

I plan a braided roving rugs or two.
And I do want to spin some yarn for weaving coverlets and blankets. Some of the roving will be sold once we get settled in one place. some will be used for planned blending and dyeing experiments. Some will become cat cozies.

And I thought my stash was bad.....
Its going to be pretty much century heat here for the next couple of days so its scouring and dyeing time. I really should get into solar dyeing and use all the heat and sun we have - has anyone actually done any, and how do you go about it? I usually use food dyes in the microwave and have some fantastic results. Its also very quick and easy and I don't have to worry about the cats getting curious.

Aha - nice warm weather! I love it. Wish we still lived ont he low desert where 100 would be a very cool summer day but my DH can't stand that sort of heat.

I have not tried solar dyeing but recall seeing an article on it in either Handwoven or Spinoff. It was sometime ago so a search of their on-line indexes should show what issue it was in.

How long do you leave the yarn in the microwave?

I zap my yarn/fibres on Medium/High for 10 minutes and this seems to do the trick. I have a very elderly m/w and it has a dial to set the time. In case its dangerous its in my laundry and I don't stay in there with it when its cooking. I lost the temperature control knob ages ago so I can't alter it if I wanted to.
I don't leave the fibres to cool in the dye-bath (the colour is usually all sopped up anyway), they go straight into a rinse of cool water (to stop them cooking any further) then cold, and once the water runs clear, if its yarn, I whack it against a chair to separate the strands, then hang it to dry. I have had no problems with felting, even with Merino, which can take a surprising and substantial amount of abuse and handling while wet( I'm not the worlds most successful felter, grrr!). With fibres/fleece, I separate the locks out to dry on trays lined with fly screen netting on a small greenhouse frame under the pergola. I tend to pick as I go as well, which helps dry things quickly.
Its very rough and ready, but this method works for me and because its quick, I can actually dye a lot of yarn or fibre at once, and by measuring how much dye I use, I can get a consistency of colour with each batch. I do about half a pound per bath.

I've only tried dyeing in the microwave once and only left it in for a total of 3 minutes. It seems to have taken well and didn't fade at all after washing the yarn. It also seems light fast.

I only did a couple of ounces though so I image that more weight would need a longer "cooking" time.

In summer I can put things out to dry and it usually goes fairly fast what with the high temps and low humidity. In winter I dry things inside by the wood stove - no way things would ever dry outside during the rainy season