Dyed Coopsworth Locks

The locks are in! About a week ago I ordered some Coopsworth locks from the Sheep Shed Studio. My plan is to play around with lock spinning.

This morning I separated out two, 4oz handfuls to dye. I was going to dye in solid colors, but at the last minute I changed my mind. I'm anxious to start spinning, so instead of waiting (for me) to make up several colors, I decided to make a mixed pot. I ended up blending vermillion and bright yellow for a striking jumble of dark red, orange pink and yellow. This is definitely one of my favorite combinations.

I have to say, I've gotten spoiled by my milled roving. I had forgotten how much fun it is to pick VM out of fleece. *laugh* You can come across some interesting things in a sheep's coat! I did my best to pick out the bits and pieces without pulling apart the locks too much. There are trace amounts left, but that's kind of the nature of raw fleece. You gotta love it!

So now I just have to wait for it to dry out in the sun. With a high of 91º predicted for today, it shouldn't take too long. In the mean time, I'm going to overspin some comercial merino so I have a core for my locks. I'm getting excited! I'll be taking more pictures as I go and maybe even a little video.

Oh, P.S. ~ I dyed 8 whole ounces, so I'll be sharing some of these locks on Etsy. Once they're dry I'll be listing them and I'll come back and link you up. :D