Process...

I have been wanting to get back to handpainting roving and was shocked when I realized that it has been a year (!) since my last effort. I did do some natural dyeing this spring, but I wanted to get to that serendipitous feeling of painting rovings, playing with color and then seeing what happens when the now colored fibers are spun. Let me tell you it is always one surprise after another, especially when the colors don't turn out the way one thinks. Here, side by side, are the latest. Falkland fiber on the left, Merino Seacell on the right. Same color dyes, applied in different methods. With the Falkland I used longer lengths of color, with the Merino seacell shorter. It continues to delight the way the different fibers take the colors. All along I planned on plying the two together, to get a lace or fingering weight.

So here we see the transformation of the Falkland into a singles on the bobbin. A bit subdued, as color merged into color and yet the longer lengths of color are evident. I started out with approximately 4.5 oz of each fiber, and when I split each roving in half vertically I ended up with a 2 oz piece and a 2.5ish piece. The 2 oz. half of the Falkland got spun up first, then the Merino Seacell; as you see I still have the joy of spinning the other half of the roving, another skein to go.

As I watched colors blending in the plying I let my imagination follow their lead and I kept imaging a carved jade screen on an old chinese garden...I wonder if I can find a pattern that could bring that out, I do remember seeing something on Ravelry recently, oh if I can find it again!
If I counted correctly I was able to 4oo yds out of the 4 oz of fiber. Not quite lace, but it will do.