For May, we stayed in Alaska, but veered inland to take in Denali National Park. This is Wonder Lake, and I was captivated by the dusty blues and purples with that kiss of pink on the snow topped mountains. To finish this colorway out, I added a sagey green, and a murky green-brown to tie in the pines and moose. For both yarn and fiber, I chose a blend of BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) wool and trilobal nylon. Also known as Firestar, this nylon lends a subtle sparkle to both yarn and fiber, like the shimmer on the water of this lake.
Our fiber is BFL blended with Rainbow Firestar…..the colors of the nylon lend extra subtle shading to our gradient. I dyed this in blended style, encouraging each color to blend into the next in random ways. Spun worsted, this will make a lovely smooth and drapey yarn, if you want more loft and stretch, try spinning semi-woolen by spinning from the fold or making rolags (either fauxlag style, just rolling a bit you’ve pulled off, or going full on with carders or blending board).
The yarn is Shimmer, also a blend of BFL and Firestar, this time it’s plain so the colors are clear, but perhaps a bit more sparkle. I dyed this in a down and back, so I anticipate this making spiral stripes on socks, but of course all will depend on your stitch count, gauge, and pattern so if you don’t care for what the yarn is doing, try changing one of those things up a little and see if you like the results better. You could also try your hand at planned pooling, either in the round or back and forth for a scarf, or even faux ikat on your loom.
Thanks for joining me on May’s journey! Tiger Club is closed for June as I will be on vacation and am dyeing club a bit early to get ready. However you are welcome to drop me an email through the contact page on the website if you’d like to be on the waitlist.
