Carding and spinning for graduated yarn

 Wish I could say I carefully planned this but I didn't.  Started with a crowded crockpot with Navy Blue and Forest Green Ciba Washfast Dye and 16 oz. of Romney Lambswool and 8 oz of Alpaca.

The thrice accursed crock pot would not heat up, so I dumped it into my big pot and heated it outside, lost most of the colour variations.

I wanted a very dark blue green so I used lots of dye.  And got a nice dark colour.  Did not exhausted the dye bath, which I hate, so I went looking for more fibre to dye and found another lb of the Romney and weighed out more of the alpaca. Got a batch with much lighter colours.

 Out of the pot and dry,  the wool took the dye best, the alpaca is lighter in both batches.

Another picture of my basket, with Queen Anne's Lace.
















Ripped the slightly matted fibre apart with coarse cards,  channelling my inner Norman Kennedy.

Then I drum carded 30 grams of each shade,  then carded again dark on one side and light on the other.  Dized it off in 60 grams roving nests.  60 grams is about as much as I can get on my drum carder.

Spun singles, and plied.

Love my Ashford Country Spinner 2.  Ended up with giant skein dark to light to dark. 224 Grams.  

Notes for next time,  don't just put the 2 shades on either side of drum carder blend in the middle more, the graduation quite abrupt.  

Norm Kennedy is one of the four vastly skilled fibre artists on a video called How to Card Wool, Four spinners, four Techniques, Interweave press