quick preview

I am still working on the fabric project - but I also spun up a few smaller amounts I had dyed last year. one of them was soysilk, dyed with cochineal... it's a fine two-ply - and I hope it's enough to knit a small shawlette, but if it isn't, I have more soysilk to spin, one darker, but a similar colour, one a blue tone that might fit.
the second skein is a natural green cotton, which I boiled with some washing-up detergent. the sample I spun some time back turned out a darker green, but I used soda at the time, so I have to give it another boil to see if this made the difference or if it's the fibres I used....
the white skein on top is spun from baby alpaca, a gorgeous soft fibre, which I have a kg of - and will use some of that for a larger lace shawl. when I have spun more than just the one skein:))

 I also started on one of the new sock yarns - this has two plies, one in red (more burgundy) and the other one multicolour, which makes for softer colour changes than some of the normal multicoloured sock yarns. I wanted a reasonably simple pattern, because I started this on the train (to see the dentist:)) - and will take it on the train again next week. this is from "think outside the sox" - only 4 rows of patterning, 2 k rows, and two slip stitch rows, one k, one purl - simple to remember and no printed pattern necessary:)) the rib is a bit different, too - it's worked in rows and will be finished with a crochet edge later....

and this is the preview - of the mystery project I am making from the fabrics:)) I can't show more just now - but I am nearly finished, just in time:)) I hope to get the rest done today - most of it will be done with the machine, though the base is entirely sewn by hand....
this made me realize that I haven't done any of that for a long time - might have to dig out the fabric remnants after all:))

bounty hunting....

I am making progress with my mystery textile project - but I have to take a break every now and then, or my sewing finger will "complain"! I can show you the basic materials I use though:

I think it's self-explanatory?

 when I ordered the fabric I also bought some yarns. the grey packs on the left are for a Harry Potter style sweater, i.e. like the one he wore in the last film. the pattern looks a bit like a rib pattern, just knit/purl stitches, straight up with a zipped up collar. what a change from the rainbow coloured sweater I made several years back. teenage boys apparently want to blend in rather than stand out:)) the rest is sock yarn and some cotton, for dish cloths and double knit potholders...

this is the result of my paper spinning test. I plied it with two (commercial) threads in linen/cotton and it's not as hard and abrasive as I first thought. of course now I see nice paper everywhere. I bought some crepe paper and this purple mulberry paper - and ordered some rainbow crepe paper just today... do I have an addictive personality????




well, if I do - I think hoarding materials must be one addiction. I went to the recycling center to hunt for more cotton fabrics in natural white. I have collected some, which I am going to use for a patchwork sofa cover. I found another one - this time with a woven pattern, looking nice, but impossible to photograph (the larger one in the middle). I also found some other fabric, each at least 1 meter if not bigger. some are cotton or at least blends - but no labels, so I don't know the material with some of them. the one on the bottom left has a white on white pattern, looks like patchwork fabric to me.



and then I stumbled across a large bin full of scraps. must have been my lucky day. usually I don't start digging around, because it's a huge mess full of tiny scraps and cut-offs. but for some reason I started pulling on what looked like a few pieces of white cotton.... which I can always use for stamping on, marbling, dyeing etc.! after about 20 minutes of digging I pulled out all of the cotton fabrics on the left. some patchworker must have emptied all the stash into this bin, there was even some pre-cut and one printed pattern with it:)) most of the pieces are quite large, about 20 x 20 cm or more - a good addition to my stash, useful for so many things! I also found some "mother-of-the-bride" fabric for more paper yarn - even though it's not real silk.... (flowers on beige ground, black/purple dots etc.) now I just have to decide whether to wash it all - or just assume that the patchworker before me was thorough and already did all of this before cutting...  and think about a few new projects:))