How good it is to be back to my Tweed Chronicles! I seriously have been yearning for this moment for what seems forever, thinking about wool blending in my sleep. So having moved tools of the trade into the new loft room, it is with great celebration that I resume my blending experiments, just as I was doing two years ago. I have been contemplating a pale palette over the last year, ” pastels ” just appeal to me these days, wanting to tame the intensity in life with soothing color I suppose. I received so many gifts from the spinning community after the wildfire, not only a beautiful Ashford Traditional spinning wheel from “L” (thank you so much L , I am forever grateful, and the Ashford is working beautifully after being stored four seasons in a shed!) but there were many gifts of spinning wool too (thank you & hugs to everyone who sent wool!). So now having everything nicely within reach, I looked over it all and got an idea with a hand-dyed color braid I found, by Nest Fiber Club, called “Muse”.
Wanting to lighten up the color a great deal, I added one part white. I went from these . . .
To these . . .
to these . . .
and finally to these . . .
I reckon I will be spinning up these tasty wool sausages next and seeing how my hand at the wheel does after an unplanned hiatus. This was the perfect re-entry into my blending experiments too, although I was a bit forgetful about the steps, it came out lovely. Now as I need some practice again with my recipe documentation, here’s how I did it . . .
♣ ♣ ♣
Techy stuff for One + One…
- Recipe I am calling “One + One” is 1 part hand-dyed colored roving plus 1 part undyed roving in natural white, grey, brown, or black, etc. (in this case white).
- I split a sliver off the “side” of the length of dyed roving, along the entire length so that it has the same colors in sequence as the hand-dyed roving. I then weighed, and it was 28g. I then matched the same weight in ultra fine white merino, totaling 56g.
- Then divided the two rovings equally into 4 thinner slivers ( made into little rolls to photograph) to hold together while drawing onto the teeth of the blending board, until the teeth were moderately full ( which actually only took three times, and why you see my wool rolls count go from 4 to 3)
- Using paintbrush tool to lift batts from board, (rolling up again to photograph 1st mix) I drew out each roll onto the board again as before, resulting in slightly finer mixing of color, for a second batt.
- Repeated last step again, ending after a third time.
- Drew off rolags.
- See ALL color blending experiments & recipes archived in Tweed Chronicles
Click 1st image in mosaic and go to slideshow in sequence with commentary…
Jenjoyce Design 
Spinning this morning?
I went down to water the garden first, then I did spin a little! However I cleared out of the house because I expect the contractor to be driving up any minute now. xx
The loft won’t be at my total control until the contractors are finished, maybe by the end of this month. After that its just Jeff and I doing the rest of the work through to the final inspection, but during this time I can just go into my loft any time and spin or blend or knit or sit at my laptop and drink coffee, iced tea, nibble chocolate, whatever…. whenever! 🙂 xx
Oh … and doesn’t that ledge look great without any trim? It will have trim eventually, but until then, its my favorite clean white photo spot!
Beautiful! Its the perfect backdrop to the blends.
I think so too! I mean, maybe we shouldn’t put trim there… hmmm. I will ponder that need for clean white angles. Love them!
I’m drooling!
Yay! 🙂
I hope you try it out yourself too. xx
Oh, amazing! I can’t wait to see what the yarn looks like. I have hand cards but no blending board. I might need one…
Sarah, you can make one easy. The carding cloth is really expensive, but if you and/or your husband are handy with some finish plywood, you can DIY for sure. Mine is 12″ x 24″ , and cost about what one would cost already made that is 12×12″ . Just sayin. xx
I have looked into it, but not jumped. However, your tweed is amazing, I need to figure out how to make it happen!
I only did the jumbo size so I could be ridiculous. 🙂 A normal 12″ x 12″ by Ashford, or any of the makers, would do wonderfully!
lol ridiculous? I doubt that! My dear wife buys me lovely crafty birthday presents, perhaps next year I will suggest a blending board. This year she got me a frame stand for my table loom. 🙂
But a blending board is necessary, I think. 🙂
Yes , your wife would love to know about your blending board mojo! I did not know you weave. Is she also a craft maniac too? Lucky you! I think one day I might want a loom of some kind or rather, maybe a table, or inkle, or 4 harness flying shuttle tweed maker (( er… did I say that? Get it out of my mind!)) xx
The thing about the blending board is that the artistry is so much different from a drum carder (which you have?) . I use mine kind of like a drum carder, but you know the artsy blender types…. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blending+board+for+fiber
My wife is NOT a fiber crafter. She has an interest in woodworking, but not the time to devote to it that she would like. Unlike knitting, etc, it requires fairly solid chunks of time.
And she mostly rolls her eyes at me needing something more for fiber crafting! But she bought my spinning wheel for me one year for my birthday, and I was surprised that she was interested in the stand for the loom. But her reasoning might answer your other question. “If you get this, will you stop swearing at your loom?” I am a very new weaver, and I really struggled with warping my last project, nothing would stay clamped. Naturally I said it would, and I will try to behave. 😉
I have a rigid heddle loom, 24 inches wide. I hoped I would weave things beyond scarves, but that is a long way off!
Sarah, most excellent! I aspire to get to woodworking, but now we will have to wait until a new shop is built. The things I think would be cool to make beyond buttons & niddy noddies… etc. !
There is a great Master Crafts video I have watched probably 30 times, without exaggeration, all about a 6 week intensive weaving course for rank beginners, taught by a master weaver: https://youtu.be/pkqhppD4_AU
maybe you’ve seen? If not, you’l love it hopefully!
I have not seen it, but will check it out!
A has done a lot of building in our house, of course, but she also made us a wonderful platform bed with big drawers under it, and she is working on bookcases in the loft. Plus picnic tables, benches, etc. But now she has little time. She did make me pickup sticks for my loom, lady Christmas. I think she thinks she will do more when she retires. 😉
A is certainly talented. As I always say to Jeff about when he retires — thats when my work begins!
Lol! She IS talented, but slow, which we hope changes with that elusive retirement. 😉
What will change in your world when Jeff retires? Besides having him present all day?
These little fluff-rolls look gorgeous.
Gretchen, yes, shaped like puff pastry buns, and every bit as pleasing to the appetite. xx
Beautiful colors! I’ve never seen this style of blending before, so pretty! I bet it makes a beautiful spun yarn.
Thanks! I hope you try it!