dudleyspinner

Dudleyspinner Goes to KAWS Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed top

2011-04-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Kansas Alliance of Weavers and Spinners conference in Manhattan, KS this past weekend was great. This is my booth. I had a good time meeting many people and sharing all the fibery goodness. Next year the KAWS conference is in Emporia, KS and in 2013 Kansas is hosting the Midwest Weavers Association in Kansas City, KS
Deb

Hemp Fiber Is Really Green! Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving

2011-03-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

I recently got in stock a big shipment of hemp fiber, 21 kilos which for those of us that are metricly challenged is about 47 pounds of fiber. I have been playing around with some commercial hemp singles for the past few months, plying it and knitting with it to see what kind of fabric I can produce.
In the first photo is the last of the experiments. The photo is of a a three ply yarn that I finally got RIGHT! It has a beautiful drapy feel to the fabric and is getting softer with each washing. This is a place mat that I have been using for a few months. It is a soft ecru color, not a bright white.

The second photo is a close up of that first test.
The bottom photo is the whole piece. I made a two ply yarn and it skewed very badly, I did a two ply with a cotton yarn and did a seed stitch at the bottom. It was nearly straight.

I like the absorbency of the hemp with the cotton. Hemp is quite strong so for that fiber to be absorbent it needs to be used, a lot, washed numerous times and dried in a dryer to soften it up. Hemp will last for years because of this fact we don't see much hemp fiber in our clothing. Manufacturers need us to buy new stuff every few years, so making clothing out of hemp is not in their best interest. It is in my best interest. I would love to have a t-shirt that never wore out! Or a pair of pants, or a jacket. So since the cost of buying hemp clothing is pretty dear, I will be making some of my own. I have lots of fiber to play with and a couple cones of yarn to play around plying.
Deb

2010-09-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: Time for a Contest

2010-09-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Isola 1 is 4 ounces or 112 grams which I will be giving away in my contest.
Contest Rules
Leave a comment telling me what country you are from and why you need a little love in the form of a soft, cushy piece of Dudleyspinner tie dyed combed top. This 100% wool roving can be yours if your I find your reasons compelling. I have another piece of this same dye lot that is available in my store.

I am standing at the threashold of the twenty first century. I have struggled with a dial up internet connection for so long now. I am trying different methods of connecting to the internet. A 3g modem is being tested and so far, it's great. I just wish when you sign up for service they would tell you the whole cost. This is going to be about forty bucks more than the original advertised price. I will try whining and threatening tomorrow to see if they will wave the extra fees for a year. If not, I guess it will be going back and I will slog along with dial up until something affordable arrives in the boondocks. I love living in the country, but it does have it's drawbacks.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top Omaha

2010-07-24T11:42:00.001-07:00

I love the color of wheat fields in the spring. I just purchased a bushel of wheat to grind for baking bread. I can't find really good whole wheat flour, so I grind my own. I baked bread from this wheat on my birthday and now have a freezer full of half loaves of bread. We don't use it fast enough to have a whole loaf out at a time. So I froze them in halves. It is working well.

Thunderstorms give us some nice sunsets here in Kansas.

This is Omaha which is available in my online store www.dudleyspinner.com.

Dudleyspinner Tie DyeWool Roving/Combed Top: Hot Times Need Cool Photos

2010-07-23T01:38:00.000-07:00

I took some photos during a big snowfall in January. There was about 6-8 inches. It looks like a nice place to imagine being on a July day like today. Thunderstorms and high humidity are the norm for the past few weeks here in Kansas.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: Angelica Merino In My Artfire Studio

2010-07-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

I built my self a studio today. An Artfire Studio

Anita and Angelica are available from the new shop.

We have a water leak in the garden, so today Mike dug up the water line and fixed it. At least the garden is well watered. A little too well watered, the corn is falling down since the ground is so soft. A few roasing ears, some tomatos and green beans have been making suppers pretty wonderful. I love garden tomatos with some black olives and oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: Rock and Roll or Just Rocks?

2010-07-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

I got this frog for my birthday. I had always wanted to go to Yoder's Ornamental Concrete place in Burton and I did. Now I have these two concrete pieces.

I have the wind which I really like

This is the reconstructed rock garden. Mike did a good job arranging everything. It looks very nice.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: Angela Merino In My Etsy Store

2010-07-19T09:44:00.001-07:00

Wool, now that is something I can get behind. I just purchased a bump of 64's Merino from my Merino guy. It is quite nice and I can dye it without felting which is always a concern with a fine wool like this. I need to be a bit more gentle and careful. I think the trick is to allow the fiber to cool completely in the dyebath. Handling the fiber when it is hot is just silly. Why not let it absorb all the dye and cool off. When wool is hot the scales are all open and subject to felting, when they cool off and close, the wool is less likely to felt. Angela is available in my dudleyspinner Etsy store.

Now back to our regularly scheduled life. For the past eight days or so I was working for that organization that counts everyone. I am not really supposed to talk about it. The longer this goes on the stranger it becomes. I am really glad to be done with that except that I met some very cool people. I also met some very strange twitchy people that I hope never to see again. I did get to see some of the most spectacular Kansas landscapes, This is the Marion County Lake, just South East of Marion, Kansas. I spent some time in the Marion County Courthouse

This Eagle is in the main entry foyar I wonder how many people never notice it. It stands three feet high.

This combed top is Isola2 and is available in my www.dudleyspinner.com store

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: A Wedding Afghan, For Phil and Angee

2010-07-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

I am knitting an afghan for a wedding gift. The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi Shawl. I am making it large enough to cover most of a queen size bed. The yarn is all hand spun and quite a lot of it is alpaca which is quite soft. The brown is alpaca and silk. Then the latest rounds are from a local alpaca farm. They had some of their wool spun into yarn. I dyed some of this and knit a hat, which my lovable hound Hunter chewed up. So I frogged the hat and respun the yarn with some wool in the same family of colors and came up with this interesting yarn.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: Transitional Navajo Weaving

2010-07-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

I plyed this using ">Rosemary's Andean Plying Bracelet, simplified, but modified by me.
She uses a popcycle stick and a book to wrap the yarn around. I used this cute little tiny niddy noddy. It did work far better than a center pull ball for plying. I did let the yarn rest in the ball for about 2 days. That helped it to relax a little bit too, so it wasn't so kinky. I tend to over twist, but for this type of yarn, I think that is what is required. The yarn has to withstand some stress to repair the weaving and look right. I hope the color is close enough. It is hard to match the color of a 100 year old yarn. My yarn is so much more lively and shiney. I am not sure what you could do about that. Maybe a grey rinse? like dirty water. I may have to give that a shot.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: Rosemary's Andean Plying Bracelet

2010-07-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

I needed to ply a small amount of yarn that I am spinning for a gentleman to repair a Transitional Navajo Rug. I spun the yarn on the Schacht Matchless about 20 wpi. Then I wound it off onto a weaving bobbin I happened to have around and let it rest for a couple of days. Then I wound it onto this tiny niddy noddy I have. I think it is really a Christmas ornament, but I used it to make an Andean plying bracelet which I had read about in this blog. It worked like a charm, (bracelet) sorry, bad pun. I used Captain Jack to ply the singles. A few feet of it I Navajo plied. I will send all the yarn I spun, even the samples that are not the right color. He might have a use for them, much more than I will.
I just need to wash it and get the yarn sent to the weaver. The color is called Turkish Red. The sample that the weaver sent me is so dried out I thought it was hemp. It nearly flashed in a burn test. I guess when wool gets that old it is much more flamable. This has been a good excercise in matching a color. It was a little more difficult than I expected.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: There's Nothing Like a Near Death Experience

2010-07-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

To put things into perspective.

I was driving on Highway 50 today and had the front driver's side tire blow. It was so shredded that there was only a little frayed rim of rubber left on the battered wheel.

If you know anything about HWY 50 through Kansas it is one of the deadliest highways in the country. It is about 80% semi truck traffic between Garden City and Iowa Beef in Emporia so about every minit standing on the shoulder an 18 wheeler is whooshing by. And here I am on the side of the road after sliding 200 feet sparks flying, no doubt, on my front rim. I was in a little bit of shock and didn't quite know what to do. Lucky for me a very nice truck driver stopped and changed my tire. It had not really hit me that I have a doughnut in the trunk, I am trying to find a tow truck to come and get the car.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: It's A Wedding Afghan

2010-07-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

I am knitting this afghan for a wedding this fall. It is going to be quite large and match a rug that the couple has chosen for their new home.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving/Combed Top: How Do I Choose?

2010-07-05T02:37:00.000-07:00

These three combed top pieces were purchased together to be spun into one yarn for one project. This is a difficult choice for many people, myself included. Will these go together? How can I feel confident putting colors together in a way that is outside my comfort zone? These are important questions when you are making a large purchase of spinning fiber.

Why do I think these colors will go together? They are all from the same dyelot. I don't number each dyeing session, but I use a baby book to name them in alphabetical order. So most of the time the names are an indication with my dyed tops. So in this case Amanda, Alvina, and Anastasia were dyed with the same batch of dyes. I really only mix about 6 colors at a time starting with base colors of sky blue, lemon yellow and fuscia or magenta. These three colors are blended either in a jar or in the pot to make other colors. That gives the entire piece being dyed the same color value. What is value? It is the depth of shade, how dark and rich the color appears. These three pieces will go together in a pleasing fashion because there isn't one of them that is jarringly different, they all have the same tone. The colors are all fairly close to each other on the color wheel. Analogous colors are the colors next to each other on a color wheel. I call them the same family, so these three sisters Amanda, Alvina and Anastasia should live well together.

The past few days I have been having another discussion about Navajo plying. I linked to Stephanie, the Yarn Harlots blog where it said that Navajo plying is weaker. I did a google search for who said Navajo plying is weaker and this post came up. It no longer says that Navajo plyed yarn is weaker,it did when I linked it. It says now

spun yarn is not as strong as a regular ply

This blog post was actually the only place I had ever actually seen the statement in print other than disccusions where people are saying that it is weaker and explaining why it is. All this nonsense about changing directionality and how the knots are a problem.

Dudleyspinner tie dye roving, combed top, Who Says?

2010-06-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

Alyssa is available in my Etsy store

This past week I was drawn into a discussion about Navajo plyed yarn in Ravelry. I usually don't get too involved in the Spin Tech group about which plying methods or spinning methods are the best to use in a given situation. This thread asked Chain Ply Weaker? Really? There was the usually discussion of why chain plyed yarn is weaker, the change of direction, the spot where the loop chains back being weaker. Then one of the experts, i.e. that is one of the people who teach at symposiums and conferences starts saying that she is teaching with two other well know teachers and perhaps they can discuss this late at night and come up with a definitive answer. It just hit me as name dropping BULLSHIT!

Just because someone stands in front of a class and spouts their opinion does not make it fact.

I have been told by experts that I can't knit with singles yarn, so I just had to knit socks with singles yarn. I wore them for about 3 years before they developed a hole...I have several shawls knit with singles. They are being used daily and are still looking good. So that commonly held belief didn't hold up.

I have been told that Navajo plyed yarn is weaker, that it is not as good as a 3 plyed yarn. That you can't felt with a Navajo ply yarn. So I just happened to have a felted bag that I crocheted with N-plyed yarn that felted just fine. So that belief didn't hold up.

What are people making that it would make one iota of difference? I can't think of anything that I have made that I would pick up a hand spun yarn and think, oh no this is Navajo plyed, I better find some 3 ply for knitting this.
I agree that there is a difference in the yarn, but it does not matter in the knitting or crochet for anything I have made.

If anyone can enlighten me about where I should not use a Navajo plyed yarn please leave a comment. However, I can't guarentee that I won't look at it as a challenge.
Deb

Amabel Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving

2010-06-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is Amabel available in my Etsy store. I am getting back into doing some dyeing, slowly. It is getting hot and working in the laundry room is a hot sticky job. I have two new bumps of combed top to dye and a whole new class of dyes to work on dyeing hemp fiber. I am debating with getting a cone of hemp yarn to play with dyeing too. Fiber is a limited market, more people can be tempted by yarn! I would love to see a hemp bag knit or crocheted with bright bright yarn.
Deb

dudleyspinner tie dye roving, combed top ALI and Alice on Etsy

2010-05-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

I just added this new hand painted combed top to my dudleyspinner etsy store this is ALI. I added a few others as well, but this is the most photogenic of the bunch. I have been in Census training for a week and am starting the next phase of the Census to get all the people properly counted.

Playing with dyes and wool is much more fun than counting beans. Even if they are human beans.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving Combed Top

2010-02-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

When you live in Kansas you just never know when a wagon train will be passing through. I didn't have the heart to tell them they were headed towards Kansas City. But then again they could have been Bullwhackers headed for Bridgeport for another load. We didn't have time for an interview.
This artwork is on the Santa Fe Trail, just north of Hope on Hwy K-4.

I have spent the past four days preparing for the 2010 Census in Hope. Hope is a small town that is very friendly. "There is always Hope, In Hope" is the town motto.

We split up into pairs and went out to practice what we had learned all week. Virginia drove her car, I rode shotgun. When we got to this road, I said I would not drive down it. Virginia says "Oh what the heck, let's go for it, It doesn't look that bad." I was very glad she was driving.

We get about one fourth of the way down the road and the mud! It is just getting deeper and deeper. We can't go forward, so she backs up the quarter mile of mud road.

We have to document this victory.

Deb

dudleyspinner tie dye roving, New yarn in Etsy

2009-09-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

This is a fall color study yarn that I just spun in a 16-17 wpi for a falling leaves pattern scarf for someone. I am putting it in my Etsy store . The person that wanted it now is fearing getting laid off and may not be able to afford to buy the yarn, so it is available. I spun this with the falling leaves lace pattern in mind using a fractile splitting of the roving while I spun.
Definition of Fractile which is also referred to as a Quantile
it denotes the variate value below which lies a given fraction of the cumulative frequency; fractile is synonymous with the more generally used term quantile and the necessity for its coining is not clear Category: Mathematics

This means I split the roving once the full length, and then split each section repeating the color progression in reverse each time. This makes the color repeats very short so there should be very little striping in the knitted pattern. The colors will look like fall leaves showing through pine trees.

Spin Off just had an article in the fall 09 issue with eleven scarves using the same leaf pattern. It is very interesting to see how the different yarns appear when knitted. Fractiles occur in nature in every thing. The way a tree branches is a fractile. The symmetry appears random, but it is very logical. As I understand a fractile you split the line in thirds, then remove the center third and you have a fratile. This continues to be split in thirds, the center removed and then split again and again.

I find it very interesting that someone that was as mathematically challenged as I was in school finds mathematical concepts like fractiles, and Pi, facinating in spinning and knitting. So now I am a fiber artist and applied mathemeticion. Degrees are pending.

Dudleyspinner tie dye roving, combed top Contest, Bailout Schmailout! The winner IS:

2009-08-25T10:34:00.001-07:00

Hooterville is available in my web store
The winner of my contest is Dutch Moeder. I will be sending her the four ounces of fiber.

Yesterday I took a little road trip with my husband to Holmesville, Nebraska to visit a friend. Her mom passed away last week and she is back at the house she grew up in to take care of her Dad and get the house ready to sell. It was sad to think that it will very possibly be the last time I ever take a nap in Holmesville.

Taking a nap was a long standing tradition. At least once during every visit there would be time for a nap. Not usually more than half an hour or so, just a short little lie down and close your eyes and rest for a little bit.

So the passing of an era has come. We sat at her families table for one last meal, took a walk to the river and visited and laughed. Listened to her Dads stories and drove away. Good bye Holmesville. I think I will go take a nap.
Deb

Dudleyspinner tie dye roving, combed top Contest, Bailout Schmailout!

2009-08-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

KINGMARKHAM is available on Dudleyspinner.com
But you are saying I don't spin so what would I do with a combed top roving? Why would I want to enter this contest? Do you knit? do you crochet? Do you felt or thought I wonder what felting is all about? Create with Unspun Roving is a tutorial that I wrote a few years back. It tells you how to knit or crochet with unspun roving. So, now what are you waiting for? The government isn't going to send you wool for free, at least this session of congress won't. So get your wool while it is HOT! Enter the contest.
Deb

Dudleyspinner tie dye roving, combed top Contest, Bailout Schmailout!

2009-08-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Bailout Schmailout
It is contest time! I haven't done a contest in ages and it is time. The car companies are getting government bailout money. Congress wants new Lear jets. Everybody wants something. So here it is: I will give 4 ounces of Gnu York To the person that writes the best reason I should bail you out with wool fiber. Leave your reasons in the comments here and I will pick a winner on August 21. Make sure I can contact you by sending an email from my web page which is linked above. You MUST send an email to be eligable to win E-mail address
Deb

dudleyspinner tie dye roving, combed top Lawson on Etsy

2009-08-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is Lawson one of my latest additions to my Etsy store. I am getting some of the mountains of fiber photographed and put in dudleyspinner.com and Etsy.

The past few weeks I have been spending time on Facebook and Twitter and Plurk as well as Ravelry. I am dudleyspinner on all of those social network sites, follow me, friend me, I am glad to make new and old friends.

These social sites are fun most of the time, but there is the element of dealing with immature women that have not figured out that talking about someone instead of to them is not very professional behavior for a business owner. Some people just have the need to create drama where none exits. I have met these types before, and they are very often abused women with low self esteem. I try to remember that and not get drawn into the sick cycle. I am a very direct person and after having jobs that require confidentiality, I will not tolerate gossip. If I have done something that you feel is out of line, speak to me directly, not about me on Twitter or in another forum to your friends. It is just respectful and the right thing to do.

Maybe you have to be a little closer to mennopause to have enough testosterone to put on your big girl panties and treat each other like adults.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving Combed Top Isidora

2009-08-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have been getting some dyeing done and up on my web store dudleyspinner.com It is fun getting back to dyeing again.

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving Combed Top Holly Wood

2009-07-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Holly Wood is my latest combed top done in my signature tie dye style in a classic rainbow colorway. It is in my dudleyspinner store click on the combed top tab.

I started doing some dyeing again since it is finally cool enough here. I can't believe how nice this weather has been this summer. It is still green here in Kansas in late July. Awesome.

Milka Duno on Dudleyspinner.com

2009-07-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Milka Duno is a large hand painted combed top (9 7/8 ounces) that is in my store. The dark and subtle colors suited my mood for the past year. I have been in a dark place in my life for a while now and it finally feels like the sun has come out again. The reasons are a long story with realizations that are difficult to come to grips with. I am managing to finally put the past behind me and look to the future. I am currently rebuilding my web site. My old server was costing an arm and a leg to maintain, and the sales have been slow, well actually nonexistent for a while now. The economy free fall has definitely made buying wool a luxury that most of us can not afford right now. I am confident that the economy will be picking up and things will get better. If not I will just have more wool for me!

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top Watermelon Yarn

2009-02-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

Watermelon Yarn
This is a three ply yarn spun from one end of the dudleyspinner roving, then Navajo plyed to keep the colors together. I thought it was from the Crabapple Cove roving, but I am beginning to wonder, I think the color repeats are a little different,so it is the same colorway, just a different actual roving. Crabapple Cove is the town that Captain Pierce from Mash was from.
I used a little bit of the yarn in the afghan

It looks very different depending on the colors next to it. It is next to natural black and white, and a blue and turqoise yarn. It changes the appearance quite a bit.

This is Rainbow In Orange that is a Navajo 3 ply yarn in my store.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top/ Crabapple Cove

2009-02-19T14:40:00.000-08:00

This is Crabapple Cove a combed top hand dyed roving that I spun up. I spun it from one end, then navajo plyed the singles into a three ply yarn. Tune in tomorrow to see the finished yarn. It looks a little like a watermelon when plyed.
When a piece of roving is in my inventory for a while, I usually end up spinning it just to see how it will look when done. I think this yarn may end up as socks for me, if it stays in my inventory too long.

Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top My Afghan

2009-02-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

This is my new afghan that I knit in a feather and fan pattern from my hand spun yarns. I decided that a new afghan from some of my best yarns was needed. I am a little tired of patching the other feather and fan that has served the family for the past 10 years or so.

A close up of the afghan. It is warm and I love the alpaca stripes, so soft.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top Yarn, Yarn and More Yarn

2009-02-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

Jamaican Dream
This is a skein of singles yarn that I spun on the Ashford Tradtional. It was destined to be a pair of socks, but has only been admired in the current skein form so far.

This Blaze yarn is in three skeins. I spun this on my Ashford Traveller. The bobbins are small and I could only fit about 2 1/2 to three ounces on each one. This is a Navajo three plyed yarn.
It is about a worsted weight,

Tangled Up In Blue is spun from my dudleyspinner tie dye roving also and is named for the Bob Dylan song. Loved that song when I got to see Bob in concert. This is spun on the Babe Electric and then plyed on Captain Jack, the Ashford traddy.

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top Fulchester

2009-02-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

This is Fulchester a combed top that is in my store dudleyspinner.com
I am just getting back to dyeing and listing new combed top rovings in the stores. The crashing of computers and distractions of life have kept me from doing some of those things. The computer is now fixed thanks to my daughter and her friend that breathed new life into the poor ole creature. So I now have my workspace back in place.

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top Knitting Socks

2009-01-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of the detail of a sock that I am knitting. I have one finished and started the second. The orange yarn is handspun and the green which looks black is a commercial wool yarn.

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top Meet Hunter

2008-09-02T17:59:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody, I am Hunter. I came to to farm a couple of weeks ago and I really like it here. There are birds and squirrels to chase, and plenty of things to tear up, like sticks and any kind of cloth I can find. I am still a puppy so my teeth like to tear things up. I am one year old and weigh 75 pounds. My people make me walk on a leash and do dumb things like "sit"and "down". I just do them so they will give me treats, I like treats and my ball that used to have a bell inside. I finally got the bell out and ate it. It didn't taste as good as I thought it would but I did like chewing up the ball.
I have been helping my guy people paint the place that has the cars in it. He gets a lot of paint on me because I am a really good helper and stay very close. Can you see my white spots? I have to go chase something now, but I will tell you more news later.

Hunter came to my house
Hunter was a fool
Hunter got into the box
and stole a skein of wool
He tore it into litle bits
He shook it till it was dead
He got caught with the wool,
and got bopped upon the head

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Roses Carpet Bag

2008-08-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

I can finally show you my Roses Carpet Bag that is in the magazine Interweave Felt that is coming out on September 9, 2008

I added wool packs to my web store today www.dudleyspinner.com
This is my first project in a national publication and I am so excited for this issue to come out!
Deb

Handspun Hemp Blouse Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top

2008-07-17T21:23:00.001-07:00

hempblouse sm
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

This is a handspun hemp blouse I am working on. It is very difficult to get the colors right on this because it is so sublte. I am knitting this and am likeing the way it is turning out. I think it will soften up and be quite soft after a few washings.

2008-07-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Jim gets behind the wheel of the Nite Hawk race truck! He took his victory lap and lost his hat. It just flew into the bed of the truck and was easily retrieved. The former owners of the Toyota are glad the truck is getting put to such good use. Cheap Thrills. We are going to put the truck into the parade on Wednesday night July 23.

Cheap Thrills

2008-07-14T04:41:00.000-07:00

The Nite Hawk is Ready for SHOWTIME

2008-07-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Nite Hawk is ready for the figure 8 race at the Marion County Fair on July 25, 7:00 pm

If you want to come paint a bit on it, come on over.

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top

2008-07-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have been getting some new rovings in the Etsy store. Very happily, I am having a hard time getting any inventory built up! The roving keeps moving as fast as I put it in! This is a good thing, but now I need to dye some more and it suddenly got hot, like 90 degrees and high humidity. Summer is finally here, so I may need to move outside and do the dying. Get some black plastic bags and let the sun do the work. That could work.

My daughter came down for the weekend. It was nice to have her visit for a little while. Her dog Griffith is a pup still in many ways and was fun to watch him run. My old dogs don't run around any more. Like me they would like too..... but the old legs are slow.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving, Mystery Bag

2008-06-28T14:32:00.001-07:00

blur
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

This is the only photo of my Mystery Bag I can use. The Interweave Felts issue comes out in August 2008 and the bag will be featured in the special issue. I worked on the pattern and bag for four months to get the pattern and design to the specifications of Interweave. It was quite a challenge! The bag was finished and the staff at Interweave loved it. I am just waiting for the issue to come out now! Exciting for me for sure.

Geocaching with Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving (TM) Combed Top Geocacheing

2008-06-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

I was trying to find a benchmark near the railroad tracks. I did find the Santa Fe Trail!

There are a few places you can see the old tracks, there was not just one trail but several different ways to get from point A to point B

Don't get an Initial brand GPS! The screen on mine broke and they won't fix it or replace it. This was a gift and i didn't have the warrenty card if there even was one. My sister got this from QVC or Home Shopping Network. It was never accurate with the coodinates anyway. The Inital company does not stand behind its products! The screen broke while I had it in one hand and was tapping the screen with my thumb! This is not a quality product. They told me I was SOL and it cost about $200.00 for the unit!

This is Frontera

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Grand Funk Railroad

2008-06-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

These are some of the photos I took with my tiny Casio camera. I like this credit card sized camera. It takes awsome photos. We had a great time at the concert. Marion is a very small town and we got right up to the stage and danced. It was so loud you felt it in your chest. It was awsome.. they are a rockin band the American Band!
Deb

2008-06-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went out geo cacheing Last weekend. We found a benchmark marker. These are all over the place. For mapping. We found one marker and then did't find the cache we were looking for. We were on the bridge and heard the music in town so we ended our search and went to see Grand Funk Rail Road in the park in Marion. It was a great concert!
Deb

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Rainbows and Indy 500

2008-06-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Helio Castroneves

I have the dyepots cooking overtime! I am doing rainbow colorways as well as the dark Indy 500 series. I am doing blacks with jewel tones right now. They are beautiful but very hard to photograph. The black is almost irridecent with hints of greens and blues like ravens feathers.
Jay Howard

rainbow

ephebeblog

2008-06-05T20:58:00.001-07:00

ephebeblog
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

This is another of my latest dye run. I am getting back to normal, the month away from home was exhausting. I like being out in the country so much better than in a city. It wears me out to have so many people around all the time. I enjoy solitude and quiet. The dying is going well, I have been working on some really dark blacks for my Indy 500 series. I got some eggplant dye and it just makes black that is so rich and multi faceted.

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving (TM) Combed Top EPHEBE

2008-06-04T02:19:00.000-07:00

EPHEBE available on Etsy. I have had the dye pots cooking for a few days now. Getting back into dying after taking care of my father for a month. Being gone to the city for a month has just worn me out. Care givers are true angels. I am glad to be back home and getting back to my routine of dying and spinning and felting.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Spinning on Captain Jack

2008-06-03T03:55:00.000-07:00

I have been spinning some fine yarn to navajo ply for sock knitting. It will be self striping because I am spinning the whole roving without splitting to get a slow color change.

I started a needle felted project that is really exciting for me, It is a sculpture of sorts. I can't reveal too much until the idea has jelled a bit and taken some shape. It is slow going,,,,, Deb

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Spring in the Backyard Sunrise Thunderhead

2008-06-01T23:01:00.001-07:00

Sunrise yesterday was quite spectacular. The thunderstorms were coming in fast, I could hear the thunder in the distance while out taking these photos. Kansas weather is fast moving and exciting in the spring.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Spring in the Backyard

2008-05-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

It is spring and I am enjoying taking some photos around my yard. I live on a five acre spot that is quite isolated. I love not seeing another house from my front porch. For me it is perfect. The only sounds are the birds and the wind. Lovely.
Deb

Tie Dye silk hankies

2008-05-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

""
I have one of these beautiful silk hankies left in my Etsy store The colors are really truly tie dye looking. I thought they would be very nice if felted into a wall piece or some other creative use. When I spin them the colors are blended more than I like. By felting the colors stay in place and are clear and bright.
Deb

Teaching at Longmont Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving (TM) Combed Top

2008-02-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

This gentleman was game enough to try spinning with a drop spindle at the Handweavers Guild of Boulder Annual Sale in Longmont Colorado in December. He stuck with it long enough to spin a pretty nice yarn and was asking his friend about borrowing a wheel to use. He was laid off work and thought it would keep him busy. Good idea.
I got some spinning done while the electricity was out for 8 days. I can spin in the dark! I never knew that. It may help that it was some dayglow orange dudleyspinner roving I was spinning

I got a bump of hemp fiber to play around with. I got some really good color when dying this colonial blue. This is available on etsy

Toronto on etsy

Dorotea on Etsy

Hey Where Ya Been? Dudleyspinner's Tie Dye Wool Rovings, Combed Top, Unspun Roving Tutorial

2008-01-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

I submitted my Crocheted Felted Bag to Interweave Felts magazine. I am hopeful that my submissions of the felted bag pattern and the needle felted rose will be accepted for publication.

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving (TM) Combed Top

2007-12-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

this is the WOW table at the entrance to the Handweavers Guild of Boulder Annual Show and sale.

This is my roving that was on the table! Available on Etsy

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving (TM) Combed Top

2007-12-19T14:06:00.001-08:00

This is my shawl hand knit from my handspun, handpainted dudleyspinner Tie Dye Wool Roving (TM) This was at the fashion show at the Handweavers Guild of Boulder annual show and sale in Longmont, Colorado a few weeks ago.

These are three of my needle felted kitties. They sold very quickly!
When I got back to Kansas we had a spectacular ice storm. The power went out for 8 days so I have been spinning and keeping the home fires burning. It was a well deserved break after the show.

Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving (TM) Combed Top

2007-12-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

white wool shawl sm

2007-11-20T15:22:00.001-08:00

white wool shawl sm
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

This is my latest project to put up on ravelry. It is knit with my dudleyspinner handspun yarn. The yarn is a single ply about 18 wraps per inch. I really like this pattern, it is simple enough to not need a chart but it looks impressive! Lace is like that.

Dras Leona on Etsy dudleyspinner tie dye roving (TM) handpainted wool roving

2007-11-13T20:59:00.000-08:00

This is Dras Leona the new kid on the block in my Etsy store. I have been having a great time on Ravelry. Meeting new online friends and seeing the wild variety of knitting and spinning styles. Dyers and Indie artists of all kinds. It is just amazing what people are doing!
Dogpatch on Etsy
Deb

Fall Leaves and water dudleyspinner tie dye roving

2007-11-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

fallleavesandwater
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

Two weeks on the road, over 2300 miles of train travel. A week of sleep to recuperate. I used to be able to sleep on the train, not anymore. It was a great trip visiting family in Cincinnati, Ohio; Washington D.C. and Fort Wayne, Indiana. We saw so many cities, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Cleveland. In Cincinnati we visited the Real Pirates exhibit. It is a traveling exhibit so if it comes to your town go see it.
The train stations in DC and Chicago and Cincinnati are huge cathedrals of capitalism. Giant domed spaces with statues and art deco architecture.
The beautiful leaves at the lake were taken at the Gene Stratton Porter homestead and gardens near Rome City, Indiana. I miss the huge trees that really change color. Kansas has the grasses that change, but the trees just mostly turn yellow. Seeing the maples and beech trees change was just spectacular!
Deb

Birkie's For YOU!

2007-10-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

I got this brand new pair of Birki's yesterday. I was hoping they would fit, but no amount of wishing is going to make them fit. They are one size too small. The shoes are size 37 Euro and L6 M4 narrow foot bed. If you are interested in them email me!(dudleyspinner@yahoo.com) Cash would be good but a trade is always a possibility. If I got $25.00 for them I would be happy and you would be ecstatic they retail for over $100.00 around here.

Watching the news and seeing the Buddhist monks protesting, it reminds me of my experience with some Buddhist monks. This was back when I was very involved with protesting nuclear weapons and power back in the early 80's. I got a phone call that a group of Buddhist monks were marching for peace across America and could I feed and house a group of 40? I made a bunch of phone calls and got the local Mennonite church in my town to host them for a night.

We had a chili supper and I watched in awe as the monks took their bowl and poured water in it and drank the remains of the chili. This was repeated until the bowl was cleaned and stored away.

The next morning I made breakfast for them and had my daughter Meghan in her car seat just outside the kitchen door. She was about two months old and was entertained by people passing by. One saffron robed monk stopped and rubbed her bald head and pointed to his own. His grin said everything that words could not. We are alike, your daughter and I.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving Combed top on Etsy

2007-09-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Deer Meadows colorway of dudleyspinner tie dye roving is available on Etsy

Darunia colorway of dudleyspinner tie dye roving is availble on Etsy

It has taken a while to recuperate from my trip to Bethel, Mo for the World Sheep and Fiber arts festival. I finally feel like getting some new rovings listed for sale. These are two of the five I put up yesterday.

The next big show is in Longmont, Colorado. The Handweavers Guild of Boulder annual show and sale
2007 Annual Sale
Open to the Public - No Admission Fee - Free Parking
Boulder County Fairgrounds
at Nelson and Hover Roads, Longmont

OPEN DAILY
Thursday, November 29 through Tuesday, December 4, 2007
10:00am to 6:00pm
Extended Hours Friday, November 30
10:00am to 8:00pm

I will need to start getting ready for that as soon as I get back from visiting my Daughter in DC.
Deb

On The Road Again with dudleyspinner tie dye roving Handpainted combed top

2007-09-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

The pony express statue in Marysville. Very near the town there was a pony express station. The stations were about 5- 20 miles apart. The rider rode 75-100 miles. The mail made it from St. Joseph, MO to the west coast in 10 days. The record was 7 days, that was for Lincoln's inaugural address.

Valley in the hill country north of Fort Riley.

Sumac putting on a red show for fall.

Milo can also be yellow!
Deb

On the road with dudleyspinner tie dye roving, handpainted combed top

2007-09-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Down into the valley of Tuttle Creek Reservoir

Red milo fields it is close to harvest time

Historical marker at the turn off to a detour. The detour was about 30 miles out of the way. I think they closed a bridge. It was a nice drive, but I was ready to get home after 5 days on the road.
Deb

More World Sheep Festival-Dudleyspinner's Tie Dye Roving/combed top/ Handpainted wool roving

2007-09-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Walter from Whirlwind Ranch
"Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the rooster!" Does that say a little about Walter's personality? Yup, it does.

Linda and myself in Linda's booth

Nova in her Heaven Sent Homespun
Booth. The wool she is spinning is some of my dudleyspinner tie dye roving

This sun hat is crocheted around a base of spring steel. Cool and shady. I will have to experiment with this idea.

Deb

Needle Felted Rose by dudleyspinner tie dye roving/combed top

2007-09-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is me teaching the Needle Felted Rose Class. There were four students, two kids about age 10, Briget and Tyler did really well! Two women were also in the class.

The roses turned out great!
Deb

Best In Show! Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving /combed top Handpainted sliver

2007-09-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend at the World Sheep and Fiber Arts Festival at Bethel, MO I entered this needle felted wall piece "A Day In Ontario". I won Best in Show!

I am really shocked and proud to have won. This is me in my booth at the festival. It was so much fun to teach a class on Needle Felted Rose and get to laugh and hang out with my vendor buddies; Linda from Little Farm and Suzie from Susan's Fiber Shop

I met many new people and was even on TV, I was told. Channel 10 from Quincy, IL interviewed me and had me demonstrate needle felting.

Festivals are a lot of fun for me, but also alot of work, I am still unpacking and reorganizing, and will be for a few more days!
Deb

2007-08-19T00:09:00.000-07:00

The Inspiration

The Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving

The Socks
Deb

Crackton on Dudleyspinner.com Handpainted wool roving

2007-08-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

This is Crackton on www.dudleyspinner.com
It is another of those fictional towns, though I don't know the story behind that one. Crack is how Lime and Violet have referred to my roving though. It is just how they talk, not that there is anything addictive to soft fluffy wool roving. I added a link to the Lime and Violet daily chum site of the day on the sidebar. I am being featured in a week or so and am trying to get my site back up and chock full of irresistible wool.

Over the weekend I spent a day demonstrating spinning at Goessel Threshing Days. I forgot the camera, so just imagine lots of tractors, old, loud, putt-putt tractors.

Add some dust, although this is one of the greenest Augusts I can recall in my 30 years of Kansas life. Bierrocks, sausage, and verinikka, because the Mennonites always have lunch or Faspa.

I had people oohing and ahhing over my finished shawls and scarves and socks. Two girls sat and watched me spin for at least half an hour. My wheel Captain Jack loved all the attention. This is the first time he got to go. Listeners like the story of how he got his little wobble, and why he has all the beads and dangles. It was hot, but sitting on the porch of the Friesen House there was a nice breeze so it was a good day of spinning.

I was doing a little research on knitting with singles handspun yarn and found this scarf pattern.
http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/patterns/zigzag.shtml.
Deb

Cwmderi a Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving Combed top

2007-08-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Crystal Lake on dudleyspinner.com

Cwmderi is a fictional Welsh town name from a soap opera. It is pronounced Coom deri just like it looks! I have been using a list of fictional town and city names for a while now. It is so much easier than thinking ohh it looks like an English garden at sunset, sigh. And Call the roving English Garden at Sunset. Maybe I am lazy or maybe I am a genius, hard to say.
Deb

Rainbow Socks Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving Combed top

2007-07-15T14:09:00.001-07:00

Here they are! Just a few more toe rows to finish.

But DEB they don't match! Oh yeah, my theory on socks, horseshoes and grenades.
They are close enough.
The top sock has stripes that are much thinner strips of roving so the repeat comes sooner. The bottom yarn was thicker strips so the repeat is longer making a wider stripe. I am trying to figure out how the yarn will look knitted, and this is a good visual of what happens when you strip the roving and spin.
The down and dirty details.
The yarn is spun at about 20 wraps per inch. Needle size is english 14, which is a size zero U.S.

It is a singles yarn. The bottom sock is knit right off the bobbin. It would be considered an energized single.
I cast on 60 stitches
The rib is a knit 3 purl 1
I divide 30 for the heel flap
When the foot is about 1 1/2 inches shorter than your foot length, start the Round Toe.
It is a round toe, knit four, knit two together, knit four rows
knit 3, knit two together knit three rows
knit 2, knit two together, knit two rows
knit 1, knit two together, knit one row.
knit two together around.
It does skew slightly, but it seems to make them really hug my foot and feel like an Isotonor glove. I made the heel flaps extra long so they have a deep gusset. I have short feet with a high instep and a narrow heel. They are wide at the ball.
I have actually had my feet photographed. It was at the Goessel, Kansas Threshing Days.
I always spin barefoot and a woman asked if she could photograph my feet while I was spinning. So of course I was flattered and bewildered and said sure why not.
Deb

2007-07-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Lama Bama as roving

Lama Bama spun by Cara

Electra dudleyspinner roving
Deb

A Big Bobbin of Handpainted wool roving/combed top: Lizzie by www.dudleyspinner.com

2007-07-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is how the roving looks as a singles yarn. I plan to knit socks with this.
Deb

This ONE is MINE TOO Handpainted wool roving, combed top by dudleyspinner

2007-06-12T02:49:00.000-07:00

This is Lizzie one of my dudleyspinner rovings and I am spinning this one up too. I am having a blast spinning this roving. It is up to about a pound that I have spun up this past week. It spins so easy!
Deb

ALL MINE! Handpainted wool roving combed top by dudleyspinner

2007-06-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

I am keeping this dudleyspinner roving and spinning it fine for a shawl for me. I have most of this roving up for sale on Etsy, but I decided I really need to keep some for myself and spin it. It is very soft, but I don't know the breed for sure, probably a good deal of merino, but I can't say for certain. All I know for sure is I really like spinning it!

Deb

Meet Gladolia, Red Hatter, Handpainted wool roving, combed top by dudleyspinner

2007-06-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

This is Gladiola, she joined the Red Hat Society recently. Her hat has a white feather, her glasses are tiger tail beading wire. She has real human hair, done in a bun at the back
She is needle felted on a base of a candle holder. Below the feathery boa is a purple dress of course. She will be going up on Etsy as soon as the light is better for photographs.
Deb

Elana's Scarf

2007-06-05T23:20:00.001-07:00

This is Elana's scarf for the Lime and Violet Scarf Circle II. She arrived a few days before my spring issue of Spin Off magazine. I added the section of handspun gray angora knit together with a strand of ashes of rose colored jager wool (I have a cone of this wool that I won at a conference)

When my Spin Off came she wrestled my new magazine away from me, poured a cup of coffee with a generous shot of Baileys and read the article about knitting socks. I think she has sock envy now because she poured a cup of Baileys with a little coffee in it and read about spindles. This scarf has attained a definite uptown attitude with that angora addition!

Elana's Scarf
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

Deb

subtle stripe socks

2007-06-05T23:19:00.001-07:00

subtle stripe socks
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

This pair of handspun handknit socks are from my dudleyspinner roving spun at about 22 wpi. They are knit on size 14 needles.

subtle stripe closeup
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner

The socks are thin enough to wear with my Birki's that are snug. Not that I am wearing wool socks too often these warm days!
Deb

A Sunny Sunday Handpainted wool roving combed top by dudleyspinner

2007-06-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

CASTLETOWN is available at dudleyspinner on Etsy

I just got back from a walk around our property. It is so green it almost glows across the fields, watching the sun go down. All this rain has made it a beautiful spring.
Deb

Mid Life Crisis

2007-05-30T14:16:00.001-07:00

Mid Life Crisis
Originally uploaded by Carrie Patterson

I have interesting friends.

Once we were invited to a Mid Life Crisis Birthday party by our friends Neil and Euny. I think this was Neils 40th birthday or somewhere in that time frame.

We weren't going to be able to make it to the party. I call Euny to tell her not to expect us. The conversation went like this:

Hello
Hello are you having a mid life crisis?
A tenataive, Yes. How did you know?

Well you invited us to your party.
I am not having a party, but I am having a mid life crisis!
Who is this,
who is this?
Is this Euny?
No, you must have the wrong number!

What are the odds that a wrong number call would reach someone having a mid life crisis. Well it would depend on the day, but I think most days if someone asked me I would respond YUP its a crisis all right.
Deb

Felting With UNHCR Hand Dyed Wool Roving, Combed Top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day is traditionally a day to honor veterans of our military.

I would also like to thank those that volunteer, especially my daughter Amelia. She is taking an internship with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees in Washington D.C. This type of service is also a sacrifice and hardship. She has a small stipend as income and must do without many things.

What is the UNHCR? They have programs to help refugees around the world.
I found this article about women who are learning felting, a traditional craft. They will be making items for sale. This to help support themselves and families. Felt-making craft helps young Roma refugee women in Balkans state

Deb

Door to Door Sales a Hard Sell: Hand dyed wool roving, combed top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-26T20:29:00.001-07:00

Alpine Goat
Originally uploaded by young and with it

This is a story about a poor salesman who stopped at my house.
He parked the car under a tree in the yard.

It was hot, I was pregnant, big as a house and feeling a little irritable.

This salesman drives up and gets out of the car. I meet him outside, barefoot and pregnant. I ask what he is selling and he tries to be conversational. I am not in the mood.

I ask him if he has good car insurance. He says yes, why do I ask.

Because my goat is making dents in your car roof.

There was Daphne on the roof of his car, eating leaves off the tree he had parked under. The look on his face was priceless! He didn't stay around long enough to tell me what it was he was selling.
Deb

And The Winner IS: Hand dyed roving combed top, handpainted roving by dudleyspinner

2007-05-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

And the winner is.....drumroll please! Morandia! Send me an email with your snail mail address and I will send your roving to you.

Another day of rain and clouds here in Kansas. At least we are not being flooded here. I live on a hill, but there have been evacuations and levees broken in Hutchinson and in Kansas City. So we have gone from drought to flooding which seems to be par for the course of things.

I have been knitting a pair of socks that I am writing the pattern for, the lattice stitch seems to be my favorite stitch these days. It is easy and pretty lace.
Deb

Is That All There Is? Hand dyed combed top, handpainted wool roving dyed by dudleyspinner tie dye wool roving

2007-05-25T02:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight at midnight I will end the contest and choose a winner. You can still enter by telling me in a comment left here where you are from and how you found my blog.

This is me holding the vase that the mayor of Derry, N. Ireland presented to us as a gift from the city for our daughter Amelia working for the Derry Children's Commission.
It has the Guild Hall on both sides in Gold leaf. This is Donnegal pottery that was made for the city. It was quite an honor to meet the lady Mayor and have this presented to our family.
Deb

Mike's Chimnia Handpainted Wool Roving Combed top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-21T18:19:00.001-07:00

mikeschimina
Originally uploaded by dudleyspinner.

This is the latest addition to our yard. This is an old stove for heating a house that Mike got at the family farm auction a couple weeks ago. We will use it for parties. Like a chimnia or enclose bonfire. It is very well constructed of cast iron. The process of getting it into the yard is HERE
This was all out buried in a hedgerow at the farm and Mike was facinated by it. We had the concrete slabs out in the backyard. They put a chain around them and hauled them with the tractor and loader.
We haven't used it yet, but it will be used!
Deb

How You Got Here Contest Handpainted Wool Roving Combed Top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the entries to the contest. The contest is still open until May 25. To enter leave a comment telling me where you are from and how you got to my blog.

I see that many of you arrived here through Lime and Violet message board. I found this thread on the L&V message board the other day

Men in Kilts. There are no photos of Kiltboy in a kilt, but a few others worth looking at.

This week I am hoping to get my www.dudleyspinner.com site back up and running. Having the computer crash and loosing the whole site was just a big setback. I had so many pages and links that got lost. I will almost have to start from scratch. A daunting task. Which is why I have been doing the Etsy store for the past few months.

Tell Me How You Got Here Contest Handpainted Tie Dye Wool Roving Combed Top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-18T23:19:00.001-07:00

CONTEST RULES

Tell me where you are from and how you found my blog by leaving a comment. I am leaving the contest open until May 25. I will choose a random comment to receive a dudleyspinner roving. There is a list of countries that I have had visitors from, and it is amazing to me!

The Indy car series is done and up on the dudleyspinner etsy store
They are EXTREMELY bright, put your sunglasses on before you go take a look. There is Andretti, Danica, Brickyard and Indy.

I am a Hoosier and this weekend is the Indy 500. The inspiration is a flame paint job on a racecar. Blacks and red, oranges and yellows.

I have been downloading and listening to the Lime and Violet podcasts. The first episode they talk about being drawn into my booth at Estes Park as if by magic.

That just cracks me up! That booth was put together with spit and shoepolish! And clothesline holding it together! NO REALLY, here I am across from the Spin Off Booth and I am using camping equipment held together with clothesline feeling so out of my league. Thank Goodness I had all that lovley dudleyspinner fiber to cover it all up!
Deb

CREATE WITH UNSPUN ROVING ~ Handpainted Combed Top/ Wool Roving by dudleyspinner

2007-05-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

CREATE WITH DUDLEYSPINNER TIE DYE ROVING

dudleyspinner@yahoo.com

Available on Etsy

It is easy to knit or crochet with unspun roving. The results are well worth the effort. The fabric
you will make is very soft and warm.

Take a good quality roving that hold together well, my dudleyspinner merino blends are ideal for
this. If the roving is space dyed, look it over, decide how you want the color repeats to be placed.
If you split the roving many times, the repeat will be shorter, a few times, it will be longer. This is
the same principal that applies to spinning.
If you see that you have a color repeat that is fairly consistent, or it does not matter, pull the roving
apart at the same color. DO NOT CUT IT. Making shorter sections of roving makes it easier to
work with.

What you will be doing is actually the preparation part of spinning, called drafting. The
roving will usually be compacted in the dying process. Roving comes in a large roll, so even if it is
not dyed, the pressure of being in a roll will also compact the fiber.

Look at the roving carefully, you will notice there are two sides that are almost folded to the
center. Carefully pull the roving apart, along the fold, you will be unfolding it, making it about 4
inches wide. After you have pulled apart about a foot of roving, split it in half, lengthwise. You
want a long continuous piece of roving. Roll the split portion up gently, donÂ’t twist it. Continue until
you have completed the section that you have decided you want for your repeat. If you want the
repeats to be consistent, when you get to the end of your section, turn the roving around and go
back down the roving. You are making a thick yarn! Continue to split the roving until it is about
the diameter of a pencil. If you have left it thicker, put your hands about twice the length of an
individual fiber, apart . ( This will vary from roving to roving). Gently, stretch the fibers , easing
them into a long yarn like piece.
If they should come apart, overlap them, fluff the fibers out and gently stretch again.

Most of the time I will split a roving into 1/2, then 1/4,thenn 1/8, then 1/6. Each time it is
split, gently roll the fiber up, do not twist. If it is important to you, always start at the same end,
keeping the repeat in order.

When you have split the roving to pencil size, the last time you have split it, go ahead and
twist the fiber . This will naturally happen if you roll it into a ball. DonÂ’t work the fiber into the
final drafting too far ahead of using in your project. Only draft out a few yards at a time, then work
up. This gives a nice rhythm to your work and it is fun to see the color progression grow. If you
like an effect, keep trying to repeat it. If you think two colors from opposite ends of the roving
would look cool together, try it. YOU are in control and can use this roving any way you want.

Knitting or crocheting with unspun roving takes a little care, try to work loosely. Once
you have an inch or two worked it gets much easier to control, just be patient. This method takes a
little practice, but the results are well worth the effort.

Dudley! You Got Some Splainin' To DO -Dying Too~Handpainted Wool Roving/Combed Top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

The latest dye run was a special order for Medium Reality. The Indy Car series. The flame paint job on a 59 Chevy to be exact. The yellow god was very fickle and I lost my big dishpan that I dye on the stove with. It was a granite pan and got a hole. I like dying with a white dishpan on the stove to get the best seperation of color because the dye strikes with more control by me. The substitute pan is smaller so I have less canvass to paint on.

CHECK IT OUT

I just looked at where all my gentle readers are coming from. Germany, Puru, Austrailia, Croatia, Brazil and the USA. WOW that nearly spans the globe. Let me know where you are from.

CONTEST:
Leave a message in the comments telling me where you are from and how you found your way here. I will pick a random number and that person will recieve a dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving, I will choose one and post it here as soon as it is dry.
The contest will run until May 25.
Deb

Needle felted pincushion
Canada,
New Zealand
Uk
Netherlands
France
Taiwan
Turkey
Sweden
Singapore,
Japan
Finland
Belgium
Denmark
India
Malaysia
Mexico
Portugal
China
Italy
Switerland
Austriala
Ireland
Poland
Chile
Hong Kong
Norway
Argentina
Philippines
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Hungary
Israel
South Africa
Chech Rebublic
Iceland
Romania
Slovakia
Columbia
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Kazkhstan
Korea Republic
Kuwait
Malta
Oman
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Venezuela
Yemen

YOU BOUGHT HOW MUCH??? Handpainted Combed Top/ Wool Roving by dudleyspinner

2007-05-10T15:20:00.001-07:00

I went to the wool place the other day because I was out of the combed top roving that I dye.

I live in Kansas and the weather has been a little rough lately. What with the entire town of Greensburg being wiped out completely. There is flooding everywhere.

Driving in I crossed the Arkansas river which has gone crazy! It is nearly to the top of the levy on the side where the warehouse is! The flooding was on the other side of the river.

Something about devestation makes that wool seem very valuable and precious.

I was talking to Warren about the price of the merino and it has gone up two dollars a pound! So I panicked and got two bumps of wool instead of the one, I had been planning too buy.

When I got home I found a small bump of wool under the dying table that I didn't know I had! I thought I was completely out of white wool! This was about 5 pounds of roving, it is what is in the basket on the floor.

Let me explain how I could miss that much wool. We have been remodeling our bedroom for about 6 months, so I have no dresser or closet at the moment.

I have been using the laundry room for a dressing room too. So having a little bump of roving appear should not surprise me or you.

That is what 60 pounds of wool looks like my friends. I have the dye pots a cookin'

This is so I know where I am! Aren't they a hoot!

I am confessing that I have listened to very little of the Lime and Violet podcasts *hanging head in shame* I participate on the message board, but have only heard bits an pieces of the casts.

It takes 10 hours for a podcast to download on my turtle slow dialup. A strong gust of wind seems to mess with the connection and I have to start all over, so you can imagine what I time I have been having with thunderstorms nightly for the past few weeks.

I did hear the podcast about the rabid Huskers fans and this pompom could have been made for the knitting tailgate party.

Actually It is the acrylic yarn I use to tie the roving before dying. There is a use for acrylic I can get behind, four square!
Deb

Lime and Violet Scarf Circle II / Handpainted Wool Roving/ Combed Top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is my scarf beginning for the Lime and Violet Scarf Circle II. It is a lattice stitch pattern I wrote.

I found this ball of Noro at my local thrift store. This is why I can't stop going
to The Etc. Shop. I paid .49 for the ball of Noro Yarn. There is unloved GOOD yarn in them thar bins.

This is Kat's scarf beginning with the K, I added a section of lattice stitch in a vintage "Red Heart" wool in purple. Yeah, back when I started knitting circa 1965 Red Heart sold wool yarn. Everybody sold Wool yarn at the local dimestore. I also used a strand of handspun alpaca that is off white. I just knitted them together without plying. The stitch is Lattice Stitch.

Thelma And Louise Natural Raw Grey Wool
$1.00 per generous pound plus shipping parcel post.
The staple length is from 4-6 inches. The girls could be Hampshire, Suffolk cross breed. It is soft enough, it makes wonderful socks and hats. It is best suited for outerwear.
There are second cuts the shearer my brother in law Lloyd only shears these two pet ewes.
Talk about virgin wool, they have never been bred. This does allow the wool to get quite long, no lambing stress.

There is prairie hay in and on the fleece. This takes some work, but is nice when it is washed and carded. It dyes into really deep rich colors.
Deb

Deb
SOLD items on Etsy

Needle Felt Piece Hand Painted Wool Roving/ Combed Top by dudleyspinner

2007-05-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

this is a felt piece that I have been working on for a while.

What direction do you think it should go?

The felt is about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick and not really firmed up. That gives me options but I am not sure what to do with this piece.

It is about 9 feet long and 2 feet wide, but is not straight on the one side, more felting could make it straighter and thicker.
The felt is too uneven to be a rug on this slick nearly 100 year old pine floor.
What about window treatments? It would be very insulating. My husband works nights so having the room dark is a good thing. I was toying with the idea of cutting it in half and putting it on two frames like shutters for the narrow window in the room.

Leave a suggestion in the comments please.
Deb

The Scarf is in the Mail; Handpainted Wool Roving Combed Top

2007-05-01T00:51:00.000-07:00

LIZZIE is a Special Private Stock roving. I am dying up a small bump of combed top that I had been saving for a special project. I think it is merino, but I really don't know for sure. It is the softest stuff.

Why am I selling my "Private Stock?" Two words, ROTATOR CUFF, all the problems with that have changed some things and this is an adjustment.

The Scarf Is In The Mail

I joined a scarf circle on Lime and Violet message Board Of DOOM. I have my scarf started and ready to send on and one arrived today from England, I add six inches onto it and send it on to the next person.
Deb

Handpainted Wool Roving Combed Top BEDROCK by dudleyspinner

2007-04-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

BEDROCK from dudleyspinner's Etsy store.

On April Fool's Day I was thinking of where I was a year ago. We were stuck in Dublin. There was a transportation strike. The busses did not run that day. We spent the day touring around town. It was a good day. We were standing outside the Kimainhanm Gaol. Several busses had gone by without stopping for us. An old woman came up and I asked if she was going downtown and she told us that this bus does not go downtown so we needed to go a couple blocks the other way and catch the bus there.

My children give me a hard time about talking to anyone and everyone. This was one case where that tendency got us back to Isaacs Hostle where we spent the night before catching a bus back to Derry. A day later than planned. Getting back to Derry felt like coming home which was very strange. To feel like a city that we had spent such a short time in felt like home.
Deb

Handpainted Wool Roving Combed Top Blaine by dudleyspinner

2007-04-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is Blaine on Etsy

Boneville on Etsy

I got out my spinning wheel this past weekend while we were having a snow storm and did a little spinning. It is still slow going and I have to limit the time that I spin and be aware of moving the arm to the left instead of just pulling towards myself. That is to make the muscle movement more like the exercises I have been doing for the rotator cuff. It does feel like I am getting stronger every day!
Deb

Handpainted Wool Roving Combed Top Free form Knitting by dudleyspinner

2007-04-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Kurt Vonnegut
One of those writers that make you think for yourself.
The world seems a little less bright for a moment, with Vonnegut gone.
So it Goes.

Free form knit 365
the title says it all. A whole year committed to anything is beyond my capacity these days. It did make me pull out my UFO afghan tonight. That and the fact that a snow snorm is coming. I may need it to keep warm.
This afghan is freeform pieces that are built around unfinished objects.
You know a childs sweater in some blue mohair that got started when I was doing I don't know what. It is in here along with a few hats that I cast on the knitting needles and know I will never finish. I like to take the knitted pieces and crochet around the edge, then it is secured and can go any direction I desire.

Deb

Free form Crochet withHandpainted Wool Roving Combed Top by dudleyspinner

2007-04-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

Handpainted Wool Roving Combed Top Benson by dudleyspinner

2007-04-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

This is a shawl I knitted a while back. My daughter has claimed it and I didn't get it photographed until now. It is handspun yarns and knit in a feather and fan pattern.

Closeup of the pattern.

Benson is available on dudleyspinner Etsy

Berylon is available on dudleyspinner Etsy

Handpainted wool roving/ combed top Mitered Square scarf by dudleyspinner

2007-04-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

Phil let me get some photos of him with his scarf. This is a mitered square design that has a double decrease on either side of a central stitch. Having the scarf very long is the style he wanted. I like this style for a scarf because you can use up small amounts of yarns. This was knit with size 4 needles.

Bama is available from dudleyspinner.com

Bartertown is available from dudleyspinner.com
I am still using a list of names of imaginary towns and cities from books, movies. Some are funny, Bartertown for example, I guess Bartertown is from the Mad Max 3 Movie. I have not seen that one!
Deb

Handpainted wool roving combed top Barrelhaven by dudleyspinner

2007-03-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

This is a little roving on my dudleyspinner site.

Bare Egil is a bit larger both are avalable on my dudleyspinner site.

For the past three weeks I have been trying to get a checkout through paypal onto my site. This does not seem like an impossible task, but I have been having the hardest time getting it done. So at this point, just send me an email, I will weigh the rovings and send a request for payment. It may not be as simple as click click, but I am still fighting the codes, so it is the best I can do for now.

The rains have finally come and we are actually having spring weather, rain and flowers blooming. The dark days make me want to curl up with a good book. Diana asked what I was reading, Sacagawea by Anna Lee Waldo is one book I finished. It was interesting. Sacagawea is of course the young woman with a new baby that led Lewis and Clark across most of America, which was not America at the time. Up the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains, then to the Pacific Northwest. What a journey.
Deb

Dudleyspinner Handpainted Tie Dye Roving Combed top

2007-03-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

Altus is new on my site dudleyspinner.com

I am still having a give Ebay the boot sale. Everything is 20% off. I would rather give the money to my customers as savings than to Ebay who I have had some major security issues with. So take a look.

Today a woman got some roving to spin into yarn for her secret pal exchange. So she is not breaking her yarn diet and gets to spin some great roving in the process!
Deb