New tools (or toys?)

Delving deeper into dyeing yarn has been a painful experience! On my back, that is - winding skeins and balls by hand is not only time consuming but doesn't agree with my easily aggravated back.


I made an agreement with myself that if my last 2 skeins of dyed yarn sold, I would buy some tools. They did sell :) So I now have a yarn swift.


And a ball winder. Watching the swift and winder working together for the first time is like magic!


I bought them from Petlins and their service was perfect.


I'm really pleased to see my yarn re-skeined, it shows off the colours better and gives a more even wind, hence a tidier appearance.



Oh, did I mention these 2 hanks are available for sale? You can head to my Madeit shop if you're interested. 

I'm hoping to have time to dye some new skeins over the next few days and I may just be drawing inspiration from the Limestone Coast and redback spiders! Sound interesting?


2 comments:

Vicky said...

Congratulations on your sale, Kelly! Your new tools look like so much fun. Do you spin and weave, too? I couldn't believe how cheap looms and spinning wheels are on EBay. I guess it's like my bargain treadle sewing machine - there can't be much demand for them.

How do you dye the different colours? They look so pretty. I'm intrigued as to what Limestone Coast and Redback spiders will look like!

God bless, Kelly:-)

Kelly Casanova said...

I would love to spin Vicky, but I try to restrain myself from more and more and more hobbies! I'm sure I'll end up spinning though - I'm quite fascinated.
I was actually offered a free spinning wheel years ago and turned it down due to lack of space, now I think to myself "surely I could have MADE space!"

To dye different colours I use the handpainting method. Lay out the skein after soaking and either paint on dye with a brush or squeeze it out of a bottle, then squeeze it into the yarn. You do that in sections with alternating colours, then heat set. When it's all rinsed and dried you reskein it and voila - beautiful colours :)

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