Swatch-o-rama

One week ABS (After Black Sheep), and I have made a start on processing my new acquisitions.

First- The Fleece.

I really love the fleece. I didn’t realize it when I bought it, but it is two different colors.

Here are two different sections before washing-

And here it is washed (silvery black in the back, blackblack in the front)-

I guesstimate that it’s about 65% silvery and 35% blackblack.
Clem (my drum carder) and I have decided that the thing to do is blend the two colors to ensure I have enough of one shade to make a solid colored sweater jacket for The Man.

So, I ‘ve begun to card, spin and  knit to plan for the project. (I love doing samples)

Here it is blended-

On the wheel-

And swatched-

I’m thinking of something like Ann Budd’s Cambridge jacket.

The processing is going pretty fast, but I am taking an extra step and trimming the ends of the locks.

The blunt ends on the locks makes me think that perhaps the sheep was coated. And what’s strange is that there is a weak spot just where the tips change color. Kind of like you would expect on a Shetland or other primitive if you sheared ahead of the “rise”. But this is Romney/Corriedale, so I can’t figure it out.

I didn’t want the little  ends break and end up being neps, so I’ve just snipping them off.

This has already gone too long,, so I’ll save my one other fiber acquisition for next week!

(PS. We finally decided on the girl kitty.)