It's Spring... but really doesn't feel like it at -16c this morning.

More snow last night and a balmy  -16c this morning.

This week I finally dyed the Pickwick cotswolds locks.

 I love how they turned out.

I finished weaving 3 scarves but 2 got kidnapped before I could take good pictures.

My sister couldn't resist...

 and ran away with both... lol

Only the experimental one left.

Now back to the loom... 

A full pound...

I just finished spinning a full pound of Tussah silk.

Quite a nice pile.

I don't know yet what this pile will become yet. Each of the 4 skeins average  100 grams and 400 yards each.

Silky as silk

100% pure Tussah silk

This is how the fibers are looking right off the bag, nice and soft sliver.

This is how it looks while spinning.

It's really not looking much like silk with all that fuzz, so I was a little nervous at this point.

Then I plied it, washed it.

I got this result.

The skein is very soft with a nice shine still a little fuzzy to my taste, about 100 grams, 400 yards.

Still it is very nice, I will spin what I got but I guess I'll have to go with bombyx/mulberry to get the results I really want.  Anyways it was a fun experiment I will probably dye some later when the weather will warm up, I can't open any windows at the moment.

Great photographer

If you like wool then you might love these.

photos by Ian Lawson

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-31129807

The first, the fourth and the last are my favorites.

Tell me your favorites.

Even more Merino/silk

Dawson from Ashford.

I like this colour blend it gives a heathery denim yarn.

This is how the sliver looks like.

This is the 2 ply yarn resulting from that sliver.

First skein, 250 grams/662 yards.

Skein #2 250 grams/642 yards.

Skein #3 250 grams/400 yards

Skein #4 250 grams/586 yards

Here they are all together.

A beautiful pile of very soft yarn.  It's been keeping me busy, it's really worth the resulting yarn I think this is absolutely lovely.

More Merino/silk blends...

Another blend from Ashford Merino/silk

This one gave me this result Navajo ply

Then this nice one

gave me this result 2 ply

314 yards of nice yarn.

Then I did try this one

very nice as sliver but didn't turned as pretty yarn.

a little fade...

This one was more a nice surprise

I like this one very much, 222 yards.

Now I got few skeins to play around...

The fiber was very nice to draft and spin this is very good quality but getting quite expensive lately as most dealers raised up their prices dramatically for the new year.

Softies...

Merino and silk are such a pleasure to spin. This is the result from the fiber I posted last time.

This is only 34 yards... but soooo soft.

Navajo ply.

I didn't have much time to post as my brother was sick again... 

Next fiber...

more left over merino/silk 

turned into this...

238 yards of beautiful tweedy soft yarn.

I have some stitch markers too

large ones and regular ones too

Now back to some Pickwick locks to be washed...