The Day After….

Today is the Day After my Birthday.  We are recovering from eating and cooking all sorts of things yesterday.  The Llama ladies seem to be settling in nicely and mostly getting along with the Live Stock Guardian dogs. Glenda has been particularly pissy this last week or so with the LGD as her due date for her cria is May 15 so her hormones are showing.

Hand Painted Cheviot Roving

I was ran over by an alpaca about 5 weeks ago which sprained a wrist, broke a bone in my hand, knocked ribs out, shoulders out and other damage.  I have not been on the computer much with my hand injuries or doing a ton of spinning.  The alpaca is no longer on the ranch, nor will it be ever!

I have been dyeing Cheviot rovings, Merino Rovings, Various yarns in fun boucles to keep myself busy.  The Cheviot roving will be used to create more art batts like I did several months ago as I need at least 600 more yds to go with the yarn I have now to weave my sweater coat.  I have the warp all dyed and ready, half the weft dyed and spun, and all the Teeswater Long Locks dyed and ready for the cuff and trim bits.

I think that the Cheviot roving will make some interesting art batts and the rest I am thinking of weaving into a rug on my peg loom.

I did just get an 8 ft Triangle loom, easel and other bits so I can make numerous sizes of triangles as well as rectangles.  We have not set it up yet as I am in the middle of crocheting

Mystery Yarn

a poncho and then a shawl and then the loom will go together.  It isn’t something I want sitting around not being used.  I can’t really put it together in our little cabin until I am ready to use it.  The cabin is only 12×18 so which corner would I put an 8 ft Tri Loom in out of the way? haha

I did make other art batts, hand dyed and hand spun them into yarn to go with the sweater coat.  But the art batts did not turn out the correct color for the sweater coat.  Right now I have about 750 yds all spun up and the twist set with enough art batts to maybe spin up more for a total of 2000 yds.  Not sure what to do with this yarn as this was unexpected.  I haven’t even been able to come up with a name for it.  It is Merino, Silk, Milk, Angelina, Bamboo and a touch of Cheviot.  what do you think I should call this yarn?

New Art Batts Created by Alba Ranch

I have carded up almost 60 art batts for the shop.  Sold some at the Colorado Springs Distaff Day in January and the rest have been recently added to the shop.  They are really great colors and it was hard to list them and not spin them myself.

Melisa's Carded Art Batts

To celebrate what a good girl I was in not spinning up the for sale batts, I did card up some a few nights ago just for me to spin.

 

Melisa's Carded Art Batts

 

 

Here are a few photos.  feel free to drool away.

 

Melisa's Carded Art Batts

 

 

 

These batts are made from Hand Painted Cheviot Roving using Greener Shades Acid Dye for color.  There is some wonderful Corriedale x CVM in a natural extreme dark brown, white fine Merino roving, stark white Milk Protein, golden Honey Tussah Silk, and two colors of Angelina.  I splashed out on all my favorite luxury fibers and can’t wait to spin these batts.  I keep seeing a wonderful 2 ply Double Knit Yarn that I might crochet into a wide and long open lace shawl, maybe make a set of arm warmers that will lace up from my wrists to my elbows and if there is still more left over maybe a scarf?  hat??  full ensemble?

Melisa's Carded Art Batts