I have successfully made a color saturated neutral.

Nested in a mountain of other neutral tones, you don’t see it right away,

   but look at where I started …

Primary and secondary colors all in exact equal amounts …

carded three times on the blending board  …

then drawn out into tasty wool sausages !

If you check out my Primary triad blend here ,  I’ll say that the secondary triad blend experiment was much the same, nearly indistinguishable from the primary , and theoretically should be the same for any color triad on the color wheel .  Tertiary triads too, and lighter values of the triads; as light blue for blue, pink for red, aqua for teal, peach for orange, etc.

In this experiment,  I used two triads together ;  primary + secondary ,  for my ultimate color-saturated neutral, and I must say this blend was really fun to spin … the colors are all there. 

I’ve got my color-saturated-neutral base recipe, a base for my own color palette of ‘slightly earthy heathers’ , as I’ve never been drawn to vivid hues when buying yarns.  From a color-saturated neutral I can base everything, light or dark, and with color intensity varying.  I’m looking forward to developing more recipes ~~ watch this space!

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Techy stuff …

• Equal amounts of each of primary: red, yellow, and blue , and/or secondary: purple, orange and green.
• Layered very thinly one color at a time, alternately.  I mean really a lot of thin layers … using  this technique,
• Lifted batt, layered again, total of three times.
• Drew off rolags.
• Colorway blend:  “Color Saturated Neutral” .
• See ALL color blending experiments & recipes archived in Tweed Chronicles

I am deep into the study of color saturated neutrals.

What is a color saturated neutral? Well, when I blend equal amounts of the primary colors together, the affect is at first glance, a seemingly dull clay color ,  as I posted previously about HERE.

In this experiment I added to the primary triad mix, one secondary color – green,    integrating all of the colors on the blending board with this technique ,  bringing the whole color balance leaning a little bit toward the green … a weathered sea grass green.

primary colors + 1 secondary (green)

first blended batt

second blended batt

I then added some un-dyed natural white to give it some texture and depth.

third blended batt, adding white

Colorway reminds me of the pampas grasses which grow along the Pacific coast.

While enjoying some spinning on my Ashford Traditional wheel (( a resonating gratitude to  “L” who wishes not to be mentioned ))   I have decided that perhaps Tweed Chronicles is a new love which causes only happiness …

And the studying of color is making me look deeper into the surface,  and imagine how the colors are found the same way in nature.

Next I am pairing primaries with secondaries, and finding super color saturation in what is an alarmingly gorgeous & complex neutral. Watch this space!

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Techy stuff …

•  5g each of (near primary) red, yellow, and blue — plus green,  merino roving = 20g.
• Layered very thinly one color at a time, alternately.  using this technique: Blending for tweed simplified
• Lifted batt, layered again, total of three times. Lifted bat, and sectioned into strips of about 3.
• With 15g white cormo roving, divided into 3 sections.
• Layered very thinly white, then color blend, alternately.
• Lifted batt, and layered again, loosely.
• Drew off rolags.
• I’m naming this colorway blend ” Pacific Coast Grass ” .
• See ALL color blending experiments & recipes archived in Tweed Chronicles

Back into Tweed Chronicles I have found once again rhythm in myself, perhaps a melody too. I have been thinking about the color wheel, and the basics I learned decades ago, and so I am applying it now to natural fiber ~~~ easy enough!

In fact, my whole color blending Tweed Chronicles has little to do with wool breeds and fibers,  almost nothing to do with spinning technique ( I am only a fair spinner)  …  but nearly all pure color theory, and blending technique.   I am a colorist perhaps, above all.

I am merely attempting to relive the high points of discovery that must have happened with folk centuries ago in the tweed mills, of a bygone era. I am all about the bygone era I think, feeling that deep tap root into human creativity that runs timeless and wild.

Putting the primary colors together in a kind of color triad, is something that normally I would never do, for I am not in the least fond of primary colors, or even secondary.  But the complex blends of colors are made of of the basic colors, and so I am working with the  primaries & secondaries in a tweed experiment that I hope works just as I am conceiving it in my mind, as I lose myself to sleep at night, dreaming the magic of heathered tones.

The best time of day is when the sun shines through the window bright enough to bring to life the best work of my imagination. Couple that with a delicious cup of coffee, and who would want anything more of the morning?

Well now, its off to the charity shops to see if I can find some good chairs!   Aside from this recent color blending euphoria, I am feeling a bit too tender and not wanting to cooperate with the holidays this year.   Scotty, beam me to January.

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Techy stuff of what I did …

•  5g each of (near primary) red, yellow, and blue dyed merino roving = 15g.
• Layered on blending board very thinly one color at a time, alternately.  I mean really a lot of thin layers … using technique Blending for tweed simplified.
• Lifted batt, layered again a second time, then a third. Lifted bat, and sectioned into strips of about 5 or 6.
• With 15g white cormo roving, divided in as many sections as the color blend.
• Layered very thinly white, then color blend, alternately.
• Lifted batt, and layered again twice.
• Drew off rolags.
• I’m naming this colorway blend ” Primary Triad + white”.
• See ALL color blending experiments & recipes archived in Tweed Chronicles

Lingering question of the day:  Which one of you generous people sent me all of the Cormo wool? Was it Laurie? Rose? Adele? Lynette? (I am so sorry I lost track, but I’ve been rather hollow in my head!) From the bottom of my heart~~ thank you~~ it is absolutely dreamy!!!!