Hand Spinning and Dyeing Inspired By My Garden

Welcome to my first blog post. I hope to keep you up to date with all the goings-on at The Spinning Barn and share my ideas and thoughts and basically anything that I have found interesting that I hope you will too. And of course I would love to hear your comments along the way. I hope you enjoy reading the blogs as much as I enjoy writing them.

I have always felt very strongly that the wool from my gorgeous North Ronaldsay sheep should remain as natural as possible when I spin it, however I have recently started to be aware that there really is only a certain amount of fawn or grey garments one can realistically wear. During one of my social spinning groups recently we were all enthralled by the vibrant colours that one of our members had dyed herself so I decided to bite the bullet and immediately ordered some dye powders fully intending to just give it a go but not really expecting to enjoy it. Well I am the first to admit when I may be wrong and I am pleased to admit that my mind has somewhat been changed and I now find myself thoroughly enjoying the whole dye process and seeing just what colour combinations I can come up with. My kitchen often radiates the aroma of vinegar and my poor husband is never sure whether I am cooking up more chutney or just another batch of wool but he always checks before sneaking a taste! My first inspiration came to me when I was enjoying a much needed cuppa in the garden and had the time to notice those vibrant colours of pinks, purples and blues dancing in the sunshine. So that set the scene for my first experiments into dyeing, and my Summer Garden colourway, and I have to admit that I am hooked and finding a new lease of spinning life. So what of my fawns and greys then I hear you ask. Dont despair. These amazing little sheep have been with us since the Iron Age and I shall certainly be championing their delights but who knows, I may just slip in a little bit of embellishment to jazz things up.
So tell me, what are your favourite colours to spin? Are you a devoted naturals or dazzling dyed lover?