Stripess

Some months, I just know what I want for colors, but still need to tie it together with a name and an ‘inspiration’ picture…..and this month I was stumped. I wanted to play with vivid colors of Violet, Magenta, and Scarlet, and I think it came out really bright and fun. After some image searching, this creatively lit jellyfish picture came up. Maybe jealousy is often thought of as green, but my ‘Jelly’ is passionate about it, and that calls for red! I couldn’t pass on the play on words, so there we have it!

The wool used this month is Superwash BFL. It’s a bit longer in staple, so do get your hands a bit further apart for spinning. The superwash can make it slippery, so if you are having trouble I would suggest spinning from the fold.

The yarn is Silky Sock, a blend of Superwash Merino and Tussah Silk. It is just right for socks, as remember nylon was created to be a cheap replacement for silk. It would also be great in a fun shawlette, cowl, scarf, or hat. Or combine it with some other yarn for a fade!

Tiger Club has a few limited spots open for March club, which I will start dyeing on the 15th. Sign up now and join the fun!

December, a time of getting together with family and friends; enjoying and making memories.  I wanted to give a nod to the season without using the stereotypical colors, and I think this picture fit the bill nicely.  I didn’t want the orange, as that leans the colors toward fall, so I swapped it for the warm gold of the lights.  Listening to Christmas radio brought the line I used for the color name from ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, and it was perfect.

Our yarn is a new one, Silky Soft.  It’s a blend of 85% 19.5 micron Merino and 15% mulberry silk.  The skein comes in at a generous 490 yards, hovering between lace and sock weight, making it perfect for shawls or other lace work.  It also is 2 ply, which will help your lace holes stay open.  For this colorway, I created a long blended gradient.  Each color was allowed to overlap and blend into the next, so you will have areas of solid and areas of variegation.  It’s a cool effect, and I look forward to seeing Clubber’s projects!

Here’s a skein of the gradient laid out to show the color changes.

The combed top this month was a lucky special I managed to grab (and I’ll be looking to see if I can grab some more!!) It is a blend of 80% USA Targhee, 10% Rayon Bamboo, and 10% Mulberry Silk. The blending was not complete, leaving ribbons of silk and bamboo to shine on this top, making a lovely effect. I’d suggest spinning from the fold to keep these fibers together.

Sock Club has been filling up fast, but I do still have a couple of spots, plus some fiber spots.  If you’ve been looking for a club to stretch you into colors, dye methods, and fibers that you may not normally use, please join us!  Sign ups continue through January 15, or when the clubs are full.

I really had a lot of fun with Tiger Club this month. Some of my dyeing made it into Spin Off magazine (Winter 2017, article by Devin Helman), and the wool happened to be Polwarth. I love the wool, but hadn’t really used it recently since I could get US grown Targhee, which is fairly similar fiber. I got a chance to try a new source for fiber, though….and they had Polwarth sourced from the Falklands….it is super white, and since there are no natural sheep pests in the islands the wool is pesticide free. I decided to use bright clear colors to show off the whiteness, and threw in black for contrast. It reminded me of the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty….the ever changing color of Aurora’s dress, and the brooding black evil of Maleficent. The fiber made its own resist when packed into a dyeing pan, creating great shades of the colors.

For the yarn, I decided the best counterpart to the Polwarth would be Journey. It is also bright white, and has a great structure of 4 ply, and the superwash qualities will slurp up the bright colors. I wanted to experiment with some ‘messier’ dyeing techniques, as speckles and ‘imperfect’ color are the in-thing right now. A hot pour later, and I got this….I think it is a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing how it turns out in projects!

Are you interested in joining the fun?  Technically Tiger Club is closed for December, but drop me a line in the next couple of days and I could squeeze you in.  Otherwise, Tiger Club will open again on January 2.  I hope you all have a lovely Holiday season!

America the Beautiful, from sea to shining sea there is a lot of beauty here.  October’s Tiger Club is a fantasy on the song, I made a rich purple mountain majesty color, and some amber waves of grain, and mixed them up with rich pine forests and clear teal blue sky.

The perfect yarn for this month is Targhee Sock.  Targhee is a breed that was developed in the United States specifically for the conditions in our Western states.  It’s part Merino, so has that soft hand you are used to in a sock yarn, but it’s a bit more durable as each fiber is a bit thicker and longer.  It’s blended with nylon, has a good hosiery twist, and 4 plies.  Another benefit of the superwash Targhee is how it takes color…..yum.  I did a hot pour technique on these, to allow the colors to mingle and break.  They just turned out great, I think!  The long blocks of color should make a swirling stripe on socks, or try your hand at Planned Pooling in the Round…..or Faux Ikat on your loom!

Wensleydale is really tops for shine, so it was an obvious choice for these colors.  It’s dyed in the round, so the colors stay in order (unless you have an 8oz braid, those switch in the middle).  I kept the color segments long so you should have less mud, but you still make like to strip this down before spinning for clarity.  Or take the whole thing apart and re-organize it how you like….you are boss of your fiber!  Keep your hands further apart for this long stapled wool, and try a soft spin and use the ply to add structure for a beautiful lace yarn, or get daring and try boucle.

If you want in the fun, Tiger Club will be open through November 15th.  Due to the Holidays, Tiger Club will not open in December so that I can dye and ship ahead.  So join now, or wait until January!  I can arrange gift memberships, just use the contact form on the website.  Thanks!!!