Got my Weavolution auction wool last weekend. It's a huge amount - 3.5 pounds according to the auction, I haven't actually weighed it myself, or even unpacked the box except for one ball. It's very nice stuff, it feels like fine singles handspun. It's kind of white/gray with some darker guard hairs sticking out.
Since the auction was kind of iffy about the exact compositon of the yarn, I decided to try handpainting it, trying it out with my Procion dye painting. So I wound off 2 ounces. I did an initial water and Synthrapol soak, and then a water and vinegar soak. Then I painted the skein, wrapped it up and steamed it in the crockpot. And this is how it turned out:
It's much softer now, and if you look at the photo big, you can see how fuzzy it is too. Next I'm thinking I will Navajo ply it to see if I can get it to the point of knitting weight. I'm very pleased!
Tokolo pattern magnets update: I ordered a set of magnets from wargo-nippon.com almost three weeks ago. They do ship to the U.S. by USPS Priority mail according to their website. But I haven't seen a package yet. I've inquired with customer service...
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2 comments:
I really like your painted wool skein. How long did you steam it for? I have only done cotton with Procion and then don't use steam at all, just leave it for a day. I've gotta give wool a go!
I steamed the skein for about 2 or so hours in the crockpot on High setting. That is, I turned it on and went away for two hours, so it was heating up during that time too. I'd say 2-3 hours on high is adequate. Also, you have to soak the wool in a water and vinegar solution. Soda ash will not work with protein fibers. After I pulled the wool packet out of the crockpot I just let it cool down at room temperature before I took it out of the Saran wrap.
Susan
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