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Nubiwan
Warming Up
80 Posts |
 Posted - 09/06/2008 : 9:58:16 PM
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I ordered some batts on etsy recently and it occurs me that if there was a way to blend rovings I could likely get the same effect as the carded stuff.
The blended colors are what I am after - I am trying for a heather effect.
Any tips? |
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KS
Seriously Hooked
862 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2008 : 05:44:29 AM
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You can blend them by either carding the various rovings together or combing them.
You pull fiber length pieces of the roving off & treat it as you would raw fiber.
You could strip your roving into thin strips & hold 2 of them toghter when you spin, but that wouldn't blend the colors as much. You're more likely to get a striping effect. Samples are the best way to tell if you like the effect.
KS |
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eepster
Seriously Hooked
USA
704 Posts |
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Shelia
Permanent Resident
USA
2314 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2008 : 2:18:26 PM
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If you do't have hand cards, you can still create somewhat blended rovings.
Pull your colors/fibers into 6-8" lengths of roving or top. Carefully spread them out sideways into rectangles, making them very thin. They should be about 8-10 inches wide, or more if you can do it. Stack the thin rectangles on top of each other until you've used all up. Then you would roll the "sandwich" of fibers up, and the direction would depend on whether you started top or roving, roll side to side for top and top to bottom for roving. Once it's rolled up attenuate the rollout, pulling all of the layers together as much as possible. You can pull it out aas much as you like, if you're normally a pre-drafter then draft out to your preferred thickness.
This method creates fiber that is pretty well blended. The thinner the rectangles in the "sandwich" are the more blended the final product will be.
Have fun!
Shelia
www.letstalkstash.blogspot.com
ravelry name - sheliaknits |
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KathyR
Permanent Resident
New Zealand
2969 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2008 : 5:43:02 PM
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Try to get hold of a copy of Deb Menz' book, Color in Spinning. Perhaps your library will have, or be able to order, a copy. I'm sure you will find the information you require there as well as much, much more.
KathyR
If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.
My Blog
http://www.flickr.com/groups/kr_members/ (Roselea Fibres) |
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LindaTX
Warming Up
59 Posts |
Posted - 09/18/2008 : 8:48:36 PM
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| This information is just what I was looking for. Linda |
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stseraphina
Chatty Knitter
USA
166 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2008 : 09:51:50 AM
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If you want the Noro look (long stripes that blend into one another) try this. Pull off 20" lengths of roving that you want to blend (I usually use at least 4 colors), open them out and lay them side by side, slightly overlapping, on the carpet. Take a 1/2 wooden dowel and lay it at the bottom of the rows of roving - perpendicular to the stripes. Now roll the whole thing up as tightly as you can - once I get it started, I roll using the free ends of the dowl for handles and push really hard. When the whole thing is rolled up tight like a big cigar, you have a puni. It is very solid. starting about a third of the way down one end, start tugging it gently into a roving. Work your way up and down the puni until you have a long, long multicolored roving, roll it into a ball. Voila! You wil have areas of solid colors, areas of where two colors blend, and you'll have those marvelous long stripes.
Kris
What came out of my dyepot this week? Sock yarn? Laceweight? Silk? Come and see my yarn! http://www.flickr.com/photos/28988137@N04/
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KS
Seriously Hooked
862 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2008 : 11:11:00 AM
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You could get the long stripes look without that much effort. Just spin lengths of one color & when you get near the end of it, join the next one, drafting the 2 together for a bit. You could do it with rolags or roving, using whatever spinning technique you like.
KS |
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stseraphina
Chatty Knitter
USA
166 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2008 : 2:49:19 PM
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The cool thing about the puni method is that the stripes blend at the borders. I've tried the "add one color of roving to the next" technique too, but it has a different result. I just finished some yarn for which I used fall colors - red, orange, gold, green. I got not just those four colors in my yarn, but the colors where they combine as well - red, red/orange, orange, orange/yellow, yellow, yellow green. If you did this with similar colors, say all in the same neck of the woods color wise, it would be really incredible!
Kris
What came out of my dyepot this week? Sock yarn? Laceweight? Silk? Come and see my yarn! http://www.flickr.com/photos/28988137@N04/
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Nubiwan
Warming Up
80 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2008 : 12:18:43 PM
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Update - for anyone interested, blending with a carder or hand-cards gives a quite nice effect.
It's fairly easily controlled - AFTER - you do a little practice to learn how to card - doesn't take very long to learn if you have some fiber to practice with. Plus - with carding - if it doesn't work 'right' the first time just recard the stuff till you like the results. |
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Can you blend colored rovings?
