Stripes

For June, I wanted to use Superwash BFL and a high twist SW BFL sock yarn, both of which I know take great deep colors and have a bit of luster to them.  I wanted something a little out of my comfort zone, and I love this combination of red, black, steel blue grey, searing green, and beige.

As mentioned, the fiber is Superwash BFL.  It has a little longer staple, and a great sheen.  It’s perfect for about any clothing use.  The mottled look will blend together in spinning.  Strip it down narrow to keep the colors more pure and shorter, spin across the full top for longer and more blendy colors, or take it apart entirely and do what you want.  Take a look at the article “Challenge Accepted” by Maggie Casey in the Summer 2017 edition of Spin Off…you’ll see a somewhat similar top, and six ways it turned out!!

The yarn is Bengal Tiger Twist….same great construction of fan favorite Tiger Twist, but using superwash BFL wool instead of Merino.  It’ll make the yarn sturdier, and the colors just shine!  The dyeing method is controlled chaos, so it will likely pool some, but then change up.  Each skein had to be dyed individually, so you truly have a one-of-a-kind.

Want to join the fun?  Tiger Club is open for new subscriptions through Saturday, July 15th.

Coming up to summer, I like to have a summery shawl project for you.  This picture is fabulous, and I found a great new yarn to try.

Sumatran Tiger Sock yarn takes its name from the smallest species of Tiger…..and this yarn is right on that thinness border between heavy lace and really light fingering weight yarn.  It’s 490 yards per 100 grams, made of 100% silky soft superfine superwash Merino (yup, that’s a lot of ssssss’s!!).  I dyed this in a single long repeat through the colors, each color about equal, each color block overlapping its neighbor somewhat.

The fiber this month is Shetland, just because I usually offer it in the fall….and by no means should this great fiber be restricted to fall colors only!  I dyed the fiber as ‘there and back’, so divide in the middle for an easy two ply, or spin the whole thing as is and live daringly by plying from a center pull ball.  Be sure to join us for Tour de Fleece….info is on our Ravelry group.

We’re taking a little vacation this next week, then I’ll be in the thick of dyeing for June’s club!  Want in?  I’m taking new subscriptions through the 15th (or when spots fill up, whichever comes first).

Yes, I realize it’s June!  I’m catching up on a lot of things, so bear with me!

For April, I wanted to go all denim and leather, useful colors for anyone.

Safari is the perfect yarn to go with the rugged theme, as it’s the toughest yarn I offer….75% Corriedale Wool, and 25% Nylon.  I have yet to wear out a pair.  I like to do stripes on Safari, so I went with wide stripes of denim blue and rich leather brown, with paler shades of the same on each side, and a nice creamy tan in between.  It’s not busy, so you can use a stitch pattern and expect it to show up.  Or try some fair isle!

The wool isn’t rugged, but it’s from Big Sky Country in Montana.  Targhee was bred especially for conditions in the Northwest.  I’m always pleased to offer American grown and processed wool and yarn when they are available.

I’ll get a post about May’s yarn up soon, in the meantime, Tiger Club is open for June, and spots are going fast.  If you want one, go here!

Purple is one of my favorite colors, second only to green.  Due to a commission from PLY Magazine, I had an excuse to purchase some Gotland.  The deep natural gray of this fiber lends itself to amazing overdyes, and I wanted to see what a deep purple would do.  Yum!

I mixed up two different ways to get purple all together, knowing the component colors would strike at different temperatures. I folded the fiber and yarn gently so that it would create it’s own resist, and poured over the color. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Oh, and that yarn? It’s a new one to Painted Tiger, a luxuriously soft blend of Superwash Merino, Yak (!!!) and Nylon. It’s spun to smilar specs as our Journey yarn, making it practical as well. I used up all my supply for club, but I’ll be ordering more soon. I want to do gradients on this!

Are you interested in joining the fun? I do have openings in yarn, fiber, and combination clubs at this time!! Click over to The Painted Tiger Yarn and Fiber Clubs.

Late January, and those pesky resolutions are tossed aside – because the grey days of winter call for some serious carbohydrates!  These delicious fudge chocolate cupcakes with bright sugar flower sprinkles on them are just the thing.  I had a lot of fun with this color, painting on the bright colors, then tieing so I could overdye the brown.

The yarn is Tiger Sport, and I’m sad to say this is the last of it.  Ah well, yarn comes and goes, I’m sure I’ll find something else great!  Need to extend the yardage?  This would be a great yarn to do solid heels and toes in any of the colors….or even stripe them!

The fiber is a beautiful soft 19 micron Merino.  This stuff is so cottony….it took the brown more like milk chocolate!  It is always interesting to see how different materials take the exact same colors.

Are you interested in Tiger Club?  Drop me a line through the shop, I’ll double check my spots and see if I can’t find one for you!