Hand Dyed Merino Roving ~ 27 Colors and Counting!

Well I didn't blog very much during the second half of this week. Usually, when you don't see me posting, it's because I'm busily working on stuff. This week, the "stuff" was dyeing Merino roving. At the end of 2010 I set a big goal for myself. It's one that I haven't realized just yet. My goal is to have 40 shades of hand dyed Merino to choose from at Wind Rose.

The first step toward this goal is to actually get all 40 shades dyed and in my Merino Section at Wind Rose. This is proving to be a long process. By the end of 2010, my inventory was at an all time low, so I had a lot of dyeing to do. The weather this winter has been slowing me down. It's not that I can't dry my roving inside, but I prefer drying it in the sun. I feel that this creates a superior product. The freezing temps we've had are making trouble.

This week we had a nice warm up, so I had to take advantage of it and dye some fiber. There are quite a few new colors in the shop: Earthen Rose, Violet, Precious Peach, Gypsy Wine, Golden Brown, Turquoise, Teal and Sandy Beach. I shouldn't actually call them new. They are part of my regular inventory. It would be more appropriate to call them back in stock.

Along with all of these colors is the one I have pictured here. I'm calling this little guy Nutty. It's a variegated chestnut with soft, warm swirls of light and dark chestnut brown throughout. I'm going to be honest with you, I was going for a solid chestnut, but every so often, the roving seems to have its own opinion about how to take the dye. I was about to add this fiber to my personal stash when I changed my mind. Personally, I love variegated colors because they are so much more interesting to spin. They have more depth and are more visually appealing. If I feel this way, I figure there may be a few other spinners out there who feel the same. It's one thing to have roving with patches of white where the dye didn't take. That's not so nice, but to have light and dark shades of chestnut brown blended together, I think that's kind of pretty!