Woolly Wednesday - boucle and friends

Join us for Woolly Wednesday at Spinspiration!

I did a fair amount of spinning in February and did some dyeing.

This is Paduck sawdust. I am working on the ratios for dyeing. I did up 4oz of East Friesan wool with this. It turned an orangey pink. I then took half and after-bathed it in an iron solution. It is an interesting pink/purple. I think I needed to use more wood dust to woo.l Next time!

This is a woolen spinning of a BFL and  mohair mix that I got at this year's Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival.

First skein of the same as above, I normally spin worseted and fair fine, so this was something new for me. It is very soft. I am thinking I will spin up all that I have of this and try weaving with it - first project one my loom?!  Maybe a lustery white/cream for the warp or a deeper blue....

Following instructions in an old Spinoff Magazine, I tried my hand at boucle. The wool is Polwort and tussah silk.  After the first plying(of three) I was certain I would regret this, but it turned out nice.  Due to running out of sewing thread to ply it with I ended up with 2 skeins, one 198yards long and the other with a copper strand (pictured) at 110 yards.

I made this one at a crafting retreat. I had nearly run out of wool (with me) use a little black left, so I spun it fine to make it last. When I ran out I bought (well more wool,) but also a yarn by Mary Maxim with sparkles and some mohair content.  I strung a bunch of large-ish glass beads on the commercial yarn and plyed it to the yarn I spun. I love the results.

I blended some wool I got for Christmas - a 3# bag O' crap from the Sheep Shed - I think it has some mohair in it but can't be sure.  I really like the colorway and as I had Lord of the Rings on while I was spinning it, I think it is a elven forest yarn.

I took some orange (I think it was suppose to felting wool, but it spun great) and mixed it with a cream wool and sparkle for this one.  A friend, who makes beautiful dolls, kept saying I made Rapunzel's hair.

My wonderful husband, who is clearly tired of me drying wool in the kitchen and bathroom, hung these hooks above the laundry sink (completely on his own) for me. The skein hanging there is the first boucle skein.

 I hope you are spinning up a creative storm! ~ Julia