Stripes

Fractal Spinning

Posted on January 31, 2013 by ThePaintedTiger

I wanted to take a minute and show off my spinning. I’m making yarn for our SAL/KAL on Ravelry. I started with this 4 oz braid of Targhee in Forest. It is specially dyed so that each section of color is a bit larger than the previous, planning for a triangular shawl.

For a Fractal yarn, you want to make a two ply with one ply being more stripey, and the other ply less so. In my final yarn, I’ll have the full repeat of colors within the larger repeat….so in the pale green section, it’ll ply with the all the colors from pale green to darker greens, to tan, to brown. Then the same progression against the medium green, then the dark, etc, etc.

To do this, I first split my top in half (well, as close as I could).

Next, I took one of the halves, and split it into 4 parts, in a series of thicknesses.

$Forest Targhee - splitting one half for fractal spinning$

So now I have five pieces of top. A 2oz bit (top of picture), and 4 bits that are parts of the other 2oz.

I’ve been spinning the smaller bits, smallest to largest. Here’s my progress after the third, I’m about to start the fourth.

I’m spinning short forward draw, with my miniSpinner set at about 10 o’clock, aiming for a softer yarn that I usually spin. I’ll ply it up more firmly. Worsted-ish is not my favorite way to spin, but the mS likes it, and it is a pleasant way to spend the evening….I put on a podcast or start an old TV show on my laptop, and just happily spin away for an hour or so.

I’m going to get started on the 4th and largest of the fractal bits of the half, and am snuggled up against the cold (7 degrees F out….wasn’t it 60 degrees just 2 days ago?!?!!!) with my cat on my lap. Winter may be cold, but it is a great time to get a lot of spinning done.

Edit to add…..see the resulting yarn and the beginning of my shawl.

Posted in spinning, Tutorials | 3 Comments

Studio!

Posted on January 27, 2013 by ThePaintedTiger

It all started with a piece of countertop. I’ve been wanting to move all the dyeing into our laundry room for awhile, so we stopped by the Habitat ReStore, and picked up a sink and some countertop. The piece they had that worked had an L that I didn’t need, but I figured I could just trim it off.

Except I kept looking at that countertop while waiting for time to put it in, and the more I looked, the more I liked it as is. Eureka, the countertop would go in my cramped studio space instead, and I’ll try something else for the laundry room. What follows are my gory before and glorious after pictures.

East Wall - Before

East Wall - After

On the surface, this isn’t much change. Note the new storage bins on the right. I also tucked some stash in here, and the bulky machine moved over a little.

South Wall - Before

Here’s the crux of the matter. This table in the middle with bins underneath just took up lots of space, as did the table in the back with the winder, and the loom in the lower right, that doubled as a photo booth. Oh, and store inventory, too. Both tables went away, and the big bin contents went into the smaller but taller bins. The loom gets to be a loom, and there’s the new countertop! I took apart my big black shelf, and it perfectly fits underneath.

South Wall - After

The New Countertop!

West Wall - Before

Here’s the final disaster corner…..the table with winders went away. My ball winder doesn’t have a permanent home anymore, but is easy to attach to my stool when needed. The skeiner lives on a cart, so I can pull it out when needed. My drum carder moved back into the studio (also on a cart). The big white cabinet is in pieces waiting to go to Goodwill. The books and magazines went on the deep shelves under the countertop. And with the extra room, I was able to put together all my wire cubes, so all the dyed inventory is in one place, and I have a convenient shipping station.

West Wall - After

North Wall - After

It’s still a little cramped, but as long as I take a few moments to put things away when I am finished with them (I know, I know, what a concept!), then there is a goodly amount of open space, and I can get to all of my equipment. I’ve been making good use of my knitting machines and my poor neglected Kombo Loom, and I’ll have some projects to share with you soon.

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Stripes and Gradients

Posted on January 23, 2013 by ThePaintedTiger

Hope you are all keeping warm, it has been quite the cold snap here. The paper tells me it hasn’t been this cold for two years! Anyway, staying inside has its perks….I’ve had time to work on a long time project…..making rainbow self striping yarn. Once upon a time, I made a rainbow stripe, but the stripes were only about 2 rows wide, and it was extremely labor intensive to make. I’m proud to say I’ve finally figured out how to make a wide striping version (about 8 rows per color), and in a method that is a bit more efficient. I present to you, Tropical Rainbow Stripe:

Plus, I made it on our newest sock yarn, Journey. It is a lovely round bouncy 4ply of 75% Superwash Merino and 25% Nylon. It shows off these bright colors marvelously.

Speaking of stripes, I also have a few skeins of Grand Old Flag up. Both yarns are eligible for our Stripey Sock KAL on Ravelry.

And on to fiber…..I have a couple of colors of Targhee that escaped the last update…..Raspberry Mocha, and Campfire.

I’ve also been working hard at dyeing up this bump of Superwash Merino wool. The stuff just does not behave and stay in the bag….it just keeps growing, and growing, and growing!!! So the best plan is to dye it all up! Most of these are gradients, which I love to make and use as they are so versatile. Spin straight and chain ply…..or split in half or thirds and ply those together for blended transitions. Or split unevenly and make a fractal! (Have you seen our Fractal SAL/KAL on Ravelry? You can still join with any gradient from TPT.) Anyway, on to the wool!

First, I needed to replenish the rainbows. I have regular Rainbow and Tropical Rainbow.

Next up is more Raspberry Mocha, and a lovely complex blue I call Out of the Deep.

I have a little nature hike with Cascade, VerdiGris, and Autumn Splendor.

And finally a trip to the kitchen, with Vanilla Spice, Cinnamon Spice, and Citrus Splash.

I’ve been keeping busy this week dyeing club. It’s a nice perk in the winter to have your job produce heat and moisture when the house is cold and dry!

Posted in Fresh From the Dyepot | 1 Comment

Tiger Club Reveal – Dawning

Posted on January 11, 2013 by ThePaintedTiger

Ah, December Tiger Club….a finish to one year, but a kick off for the new. In honor of the transition, I chose an idea of hope…..a new dawn. This is the inspiration photo, from which I took the colors of inky navy, saturated blue, blue-violet, an orange-pink, and a pink-orange.

As you know, I’ve been steering more toward stripes for yarn in the shop, and Club benefits from my experiments! Here I went with wide stripes on Panda, a blend of superwash Merino, Bamboo, and Nylon. Love the shine.

And for the fiber, I made a gradient on a blend of Merino, Bamboo, and Tussah Silk. It is delicious!

Out of my club yarn experiment, I’ve perfected the long stripes in many colors, and I’ll soon be bringing them to the shop……for example, here is a mini version of what will be Tropical Rainbow Stripe. The lucky folks at Phat Fiber and the Des Moines Sticks and String will be getting these little treats.

In the meantime, watch for a fiber update coming soon, I have a couple of colors of Targhee and a bunch of Superwash Merino to list. And Tiger Club is open for January subscriptions until the 15th.

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Spiced – November Tiger Club Reveal

Posted on December 14, 2012 by ThePaintedTiger

Ah, November…..fall is in full swing, with the Holidays swiftly approaching. From the kitchen come delicious wafts of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and pumpkin everything. Tiger Club was treated to a little something from my dye kitchen, inspired by all this yumminess. Spiced is a rich warm brown color, applied in a semisolid manner for subtle movement in your project.

The sock yarn is a new one for The Painted Tiger. Journey clocks in at 463 yards, is a blend of superwash Merino and nylon, and has a nice twist to it that lends shine and strength. Journey will be next up for striping yarns in the shop, so watch for that in the future.

The fiber for this month is Superwash Merino. Sometimes good ole plain vanilla is best, and this fiber shows off the many shades of warm brown so well. I hope you are able to enjoy some relaxing spinning with this during the Holidays.

Thanks for checking out the November club reveal! Like what you see and want to get in on the December Club? Limited spots are open through Saturday, Dec 15th. Want to purchase club as a gift? Simply use their address when signing up, and I can do that for you. You can tailor the length of their gift by deciding when to unsubscribe, which you control. Questions? Do ask!

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Sugar Coated Mitts

Posted on November 16, 2012 by ThePaintedTiger

I have this tendency to tackle huge long term projects, so it seems I get nothing done at all. To revive my interest and confidence, I decided to do a little project with the bits of Targhee I dyed as color testers for October’s Tiger Club. This will also give me a chance to show you a little photo tutorial about plying using a ‘bracelet’, also known as Andean plying.

I had about 1.2 ounces, a poof of each color. I opened the top into a flat strip, then split the piece in half, and set one aside. The other half, I divided again. The idea….to make two mostly matching skeins, and I’m going to make a two ply yarn that preserves most of the striping without being obsessive about it.

I spun each quarter color in order, then reversed color order. You could spin the two repeats separately, but this is such a small amount I didn’t want to have leftovers (not obsessive, remember?).

Then I wound a plying bracelet (sometimes called Andean Plying). Since the kids are around, and the phone continues to ring and ring (I think all the other companies are making up for the election being over!), I used a little hardback book and a popsicle stick so I would not be trapped. I also tend to cut off the circulation to my finger if I use my hand. Anyway, hold the end in the middle, then come up and around the stick, down and around the back, then up and around the other side of the stick. Continue until all the singles are on there, and I knot the two ends together so they don’t escape.

Then slip your hand under the yarn on the back of the book, and wiggle it down onto your wrist.

And gently pull out the popsicle stick. Pull the ends, and they will orderly peel off.

And then rinse and repeat….

Here’s my finished yarn…..it came out quite even for just eyeballing, and the lengths of the two skeins are only off a few yards.

I then sat down with a ruler, a piece of paper, and my calculator. My yarn ended up about 14wpi, which is the same as most of my sock yarns that I have experience with, so I skipped the swatch.

I figured out where I wanted the top opening to end, distance to my thumb, distance to my wrist, and how quickly I’d need to decrease to make it happen.

I knit these top-down on my knitting machine, so that I could use every last inch of yarn. They turned out pretty well, I think, although I have ideas to improve the pattern, and may dye and spin a little more to put thumbs on these (the poor things are cold!).

And now the kids want some! They were quick and fun, so I think I can honor that request. In the meantime, I’m queuing up my next big project. There’s 8-10 hours of car spinning coming up, plus hanging around with my parents who live in front of the TV. 🙂

Posted in Knitting Projects, spinning, Tutorials | Tagged Andean plying, fingerless mitts, handspun, miniSpinner, plying bracelet, spinning, targhee, Tutorial, wool | 1 Comment

Fresh from the Dyepot – Targhee

Posted on November 13, 2012 by ThePaintedTiger

I feel like a kid in a candy store, dyeing up this luscious Targhee top. It is soft and springy and such fun to spin. Great for socks or anything else you want to bounce back.

Anytime I have a new fiber, it has to pass the Rainbow test.

Out of the Deep was inspired by a song we’ve been singing in choir. Dark and mysterious…..

Koi Pond is a favorite here at TPT…..and look at the shawl Irieknit on Ravelry made with the same colorway in a different fiber…..

Ok, I admit it, I dyed this batch of Forest for myself. I’ll also be making the No Fuss Shade Loving Shawl as part of our Fractal SAL/KAL, and I’m a sucker for green and brown. I dyed this with a triangle shawl in mind, increasing the amounts of each color. I’d love to see your interpretation of this compared to mine!

I so enjoyed how Autumn Splendor came out on Tiger Sport that I decided to try it on the Targhee, and wow, is it cool! This is also my Phat Fiber offering for November.

Xanadu is just plain fun, and much more vibrant than my camera would allow.

And a nice bookend to the collection, Tropical Rainbow.

Hope you’ll try this lovely fiber, you can browse the Targhee and other fibers in the shop.

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Sugar Coated – Tiger Club Reveal

Posted on November 8, 2012 by ThePaintedTiger

For October’s Tiger Club, I wanted to go with a seasonal theme, but in an unexpected way. Traditional brown, orange, and yellow combined with bright blue, green, and pink to give us a candy coated treat.

My inspiration was Smarties, a candy that is like M&M’s, and are available in Canada, parts of Europe, Australia, and South Africa. On a fun note, in the UK the orange ones are filled with orange flavored chocolate, and in the past there was a tan one with coffee flavored chocolate!

To show off the fun colors, I chose Tiger Tweed as the yarn base, as the plies of regular and superwash merino take the dyes with different intensity. I dyed in-the-round, so these colors will stack and swirl.

The fiber is a new one for The Painted Tiger, and it is here to stay. Targhee is a breed developed in the United States from Rambouillet (French Merino), Corriedale, and Lincoln. It is a dual purpose breed that is adapted to the dry western graze lands. The wool is fine, dense, lofty, and quite elastic, making it suited for fine and light knit and woven fabrics with good shape retention. (Paraphrased from “In Sheep’s Clothing” by the Fournier’s)

Our Targhee is grown and processed right here in the USA, and I’m proud to be dyeing it. Look for colors available in the shop soon.

Spots are open in Tiger Club right now for November’s Club. My fantastic members are so loyal that spots are limited….I added several sock spots and a few fiber spots to allow new people to join. So if you’d like to try, please stop by the shop. Subscriptions close November 15th.

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Judith…..

Posted on November 2, 2012 by ThePaintedTiger

I am sure that many of you have heard already, but the building housing Judith MacKenzie’s studio burned down over the weekend, which included many wheels, looms, books,woolies, and much of her life work. There is a website to donate if you would like to help get her back on her feet (there is insurance, but we all know how long that takes). There will also be an auction, and I’ve already seen some of the amazing things that are being donated. TPT will be offering something.

I waited to tell you about the website to be sure it is all on the up and up, and turns out that it is all legit. But please, if you are torn between donating to Judith or donating to a cause helping those out east….please help those out east.

Link to the information and donation site.

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Fiber Friday!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by ThePaintedTiger

It is time for Fiber Friday, I’ve been working hard and have a bunch of new eye candy for you!

First up is new lace yarn. You will find 20/2 Spun Silk and Zephyr 50/50 Silk Merino. The deep blue Abyss color is featured in the new book by the Ladies of Mischief!

Next up are fibers….Tussah silk, Polwarth, and variety of other things….Merino/Yak, Alpaca, Merino/Silk, and Superwash Merino.

And finally I have a large sock yarn update. I’ve brought Tiger Cub back, and there are 38 colors….all for only $22 a skein. Plus I have a skein of tiger stripes, and one of autumn stripes. Check them out!

Hope you have great plans for this beautiful fall weekend. Happy spinning and knitting, Tiger Fans!

Posted in Fresh From the Dyepot | Tagged fiber, hand dyed, silk, wool, yarn | Comments Off

Fractal Spinning

Studio!

Stripes and Gradients

Tiger Club Reveal – Dawning

Spiced – November Tiger Club Reveal

Sugar Coated Mitts

Fresh from the Dyepot – Targhee

Sugar Coated – Tiger Club Reveal

Judith…..

Fiber Friday!

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