Faux dyeing

Ah, the day after Christmas and a day off work.  Time to dye!  I had some faux cashmere that I have been wanting to dye so today was the day. 

This stuff is amazing!  It takes the dye like no other fiber I've seen...vibrant and rich!  It's silky soft and blended with other fibers gives it not only softness, but strength. 

  

Here's wishing all my friends a happy, healthy and safe new year:)  2012 holds amazing things to come!  XXOO

Balls, balls and more balls

I am up to my ears in balls....dryer balls that is.  These are 100% wool, felted balls.  They are perfect to use for dryer balls.  You just toss 5 or 10 (the more the merrier) in your drying load and they cut your drying time by 25%...more if you use more balls.  How does this work?  Well, it fluffs up your clothes allowing the air to circulate more efficiently thus cutting down your drying time.  And, this is the best part, you don't need to use dryer sheets.  I don't anymore and I live in the high desert.

I know what you're thinking...what else can I use these balls for?  They are the perfect dog toy...they love em!  And the more they slobber on the balls, the more it felts and the more dense it gets. The wool soaks up the slobber so the ball doesn't feel slimy.  I hate slimy dog toys:(

Oh and you can use them for juggling balls for all you jugglers out there. And kids love 'em too!

What else can you do with a dryer ball....leave a post if you please.


GET YOUR DRYER, JUGGLING, DOG, KID BALLS HERE



Yarn Eye Candy

Beaded spiders??

I thought I was done with festivals this year, but there is a festival at Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City that I really wanted to do.  It's a charming historical farm and I thought it would be a fun show.  So I talked to my friend who does a ton of shows all year and she said the show was closed and had a long waiting list.  Well I called the person in charge anyway and sent her some pictures of my yarns.  She called the next day telling me someone had cancelled and I am in!  Woo hoo!   I've gotten into more shows this way:)   If you're in the Salt Lake area come on by and say hello.

http://www.wheelerfarm.com/

I thought I would give a plug to my friend who makes these amazing beaded spiders.  Yep, you heard me right....beaded spiders.  Check 'em out.

http://twistedspiders.com/

Happy Holidays:)

It's been a while since I've blogged, but for some reason the darn program would not let me post!  So finally I get it working.  I have done a few shows around town and the picture shows just a sample of the yarns I have spun.  I would have to say I have spun at least 100 skeins of yarn.

I did a three day show a few weeks back and spun for three days straight.  A couple days after that my right leg and ankle started to hurt.  Shin splints, I believe.  Who knew?

The last show I did was at a local cultural center.  I absolutely love the small, homegrown shows.  I even met a "lost boy of Sudan".   He was part of some 20,000 misplaced children during the war in Sudan and they sent them all across the US to start a new life.  My booth neighbor was a young man from Ghana that started a company to help the women out in that country by providing them with income from selling their woven baskets in the US.  Man and are they nice baskets.  I bought two and they will sit beside my couch to hold my many fibery delights and I will look at them fondly knowing they were made by hands of a true artisan.

So, one of the things that sold like hotcakes at the shows are my new dryer balls. Yes, dryer balls. They are a solid wool ball that you throw in the dryer with your wet clothes.  They fluff up the clothes as they dry letting the air circulate, cutting your drying time by about 25%.  They eliminate the need for a dryer sheet and clothes are more wri

nkle free.  I use 10, but I think you could use as little as 5.  But the more you use the better the results.  Check my Etsy in a couple of weeks for more amazing dryer balls:) 

I've been busy destashing, as my husband is having trouble walking through our small basement...oops.  Little does he know he's making room for more stuff...shh don't tell him.

I'm getting busy for Christmas, shipping gifts, yarns and batts.  I have some amazing fleeces waiting for me to wash and dye them.  I have the most amazing merino fleece!  It's virtually has no VM, is very fine, crimpy and cards with no noils.  That is gonna be something special.

So if I don't talk to you all before the holiday, I wish you all a very, merry, happy and healthy holiday:)  I love and appreciate you all!



Thick, thin and coily things

 Just got done with a Utah fiber fest and did quite well!  Lot's of folks interested in spinning and sold a ton of my yarns.  It makes me happy that the labor of my love is going to good homes;)  On to the next show....I signed up for a local craft and holiday show in Salt Lake. It's one of the biggest shows of the season here. What was I thinking!!  I am spinning like a crazy woman to get inventory for the show. Luckily a friend of mine who raises alpacas, knits and spins will share the booth with me.  Between all the washing, dying and spinning I finally made two videos....one on spinning thick and thin yarn and the second how to make coils from the thick and thin yarn. 

Enjoy the videos and when you make your thick and thin or coils I would LOVE to see your work! 

Cheers,
Mary

How to spin thick and thin yarn

How to spin coiled yarn

How to dye groovy tye dyed top

I dyed my wool top with this really cool technique that I would love to share with you. I used wool top superwash, just because I had to "man handle" the fiber a bit with this technique. Here is how it will look when it's done.

The first thing you will do is weigh out 4 to 5 ounces of top superwash.

Next, make it into a tight chain. Here is a video that shows you how to do that.

Next, pre wet the chain in luke warm water with a splash of vinegar. Soak for about 30 minutes.

Prepare a dye pot with orange (or blue) dye.

When the fiber is pre soaked, put the chain in the dye pot. Turn the heat to just about boiling then turn the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes or till all the dye is exhausted and the water is clear.

Take out the chain and put it in the sink to cool a bit. You could even run cold water over it because it's superwash! It's won't felt! When it's cool enough to handle, take apart the chain.

Now here comes the trick. Re chain, yes I said re chain, the fiber.

Make a new dye pot with yellow (or green) this time.

Put it in the pot and simmer for 30 minutes till all the fiber is exhausted and the water is clear.

 

Take apart the chain and hang the fiber out to dry.

 You can use any colors you like, it's best to go from dark to light.  You can also use more than 2 colors to get a more groovy look.

Here are some beautiful thick and thins spun from this type of top.

Thank you for visiting and become a groovy "follower" of Camaj.

Click here to visit my Etsy shop for wonderful yarns, luscious batts and instructional videos on how to spin art yarn.