Stripes

A bit of a riff on that old adage “April Showers bring May Flowers”, I present Red Umbrella. I chose a nice strong red, and then added the shadow of black next to it….both to get some of the maroon color in the suggested palette, and to prevent purple. I then mixed up a bright cheery royal blue and a moody Navy blue.

The yarn is Safari, a great 75/25 SW Corriedale Wool and Nylon blend in a sturdy 3 ply. I dyed this in a double reflected pattern, which should mini spiral stripe on socks (depending on stitch count and pattern). The blue areas were dyed in an opposing hot pour, so they’ll randomly alternate throughout.

The fiber is Shetland, a lovely wool that feels softer than it’s medium micron count, and takes the dye beautifully. I dyed this in a down and back variegated pattern, feel free to re-engineer the colors to do what YOU want them to do!

Thanks so much for being a part of April’s Tiger Club! Tiger Club is open for new subscriptions through May 15th!

It’s been unseasonably warm the past few weeks, and the neighbor’s hills are covered with Muscari, commonly known as Grape Hyacinth. Typically they are purple, but I’ve chose these blue ones, and brightened the whole palette up to be very spring like.

The fiber is Hoof and Leaf, a blend of Whiteface Woodland Wool, Ramie, Llama, and Bamboo. The fibers take different amounts of the dye (or none at all), adding interesting shading to this simple colorway. The staple length of these fibers should be comparable so you can spin from the end, but you may find you have better control spinning from the fold. I dyed a blended gradient to give you the most options for working with the colors.

The yarn is MTBN Sock, a premium soft yarn of SW Merino, Tussah Silk, Bamboo, and Nylon. Since the colors are analogous (next to each other on the color wheel), I was able to be more free in color placement, and chose a hot pour method, allowing the colors to blend on the yarn. It should knit up fairly randomly, or at least any patterning won’t last long.

Happy knitting and spinning, and thank you for being a part of March’s Tiger Club!

I don’t know about you, but I could use something fun and bright! This Flamingo Floatie brought a big grin to my face!

Finn, or more properly Finnish Landrace, is the fiber for February. Most notable of the breed it that they tend to throw ‘litters’ of 3-7 lambs, and are thus used in crossing some of the newer breeds of sheep to improve lambing numbers. The wool is on the fine side of medium, with high luster. I like this spun worsted to bring out the shine, but it’ll be happy with a woolenish spin, too. I know you are probably tired of hearing it….but make these colors do what you want!

Soft Sock is the yarn, 90/10 Superfine SW Merino and Recycled Nylon. I dyed this in a double down and back for stacking or spiral stripes, and let the yarn resist itself to bring in the blinding dapples of the sun. These will definitely be cheerful socks!

Sorry for the late reveal, we had a package wander around the country and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise for the club member! When looking through possible picture inspirations for August’s Club, I just loved this combination of grey, teal, orange, green, and brown….a stormy last hurrah for summer….and an extension of our beach theme…hey, summer doesn’t hold a monopoly on the oceans! I also had some rugged yarn and fiber that looked like it could stand up to these conditions.

The wool is a blend of sheep from the eastern United States, with a measurement you may not be as familiar with….Spin Count….of 56, hence Domestic 56s. Translated into our more familiar microns, it’s 29.5, a good sturdy medium wool. It’s great for felting or turning into projects where you expect some wear….think boot toppers or pillow covers. Or you can plan a lined project, it’d make a lovely hat or mittens. I did dye this in a gradient style, but remember you can tear this up and reorder it however you like. The staple length is 2-3 inches, so it is compatible with most preps and spinning styles….you could comb or card, and it would be happy spun worsted or woolen or anything in between.

My sturdiest yarn is Safari, a blend of superwash Corriedale wool and nylon, and one of my personal favorites. I dye this in a long down and back pattern, using a crowded pan, some scrunching, some hot pour, and finally a bit of speckle. There’s a lot going on, and the yarn did a great job absorbing and resisting for a great organic look.

I was able to make a swatch of this one, and the results were pretty interesting. The section furthest to the right was 72 stitches, with a gauge of about 8 stitches per inch. You can see it is decidedly puddling. The middle section is 64 stitches, and the left is 60. Both of those look pretty similar, mixing the colors up more. I prefer 64 for my socks, and I’m happy with this outcome.

Stay tuned, I’ll reveal September’s Club tomorrow. If you’d like in on the fun, I have limited spots open in all Tiger Yarn and Fiber Clubs through October 15th.