Just about as pink as you can get!

One of the wonderful spinners I met at Yarn School in September was Kari Cohn a.k.a. UpTheMudCreek in Ravelry. Shortly after, she started her Think Pink project on Etsy. At about the same time, I got a bundle of pink dye from Africa and it was just appropriate to put these two things together and the results are these batts put on sale by Kari on Etsy here and here.

Pink Peppercorns (sold)
Pink Spice (still available)

I also had a recent swap with YarnWench: a box of trims from Filature Houard for a box of the YarnWench's fabulous, fabulous handdyed tops. In addition, Lynn also got a batt of Pink Spice. Here is the resulting yarn.

The dye powder used is very unusual. First of all, it's olive green when dry. I found it in Marrakesh last year and I shared it with Laurence. It's so powerful that a smidgen is more than enough to dye two pounds of wool. However, Laurence said the one her father got for her in Madagascar was better so I sought colleagues who might possibly go to Madagascar. Finally I found one who would have no problem going to the market.

I've always suspected that this mysterious dye was manufactured in India, but the kind from Madagascar turned out to have been ground super-duper fine. Thus, it's not noticeable when the dust gets to your clothes and your skin.

So, my colleague who had been carrying the plastic bag of dye had no idea what was in store for him when he washed his face at the end of the day. There, staring at him in front of the mirror in his hotel bathroom, was himself in shocking pink!

Rhinebeck in the New York Times

Read article here.
Photos I took to follow...

Back from Stitches East

Stitches East doesn't sound exciting when one is only a week away from Rhinebeck (5.5 hours by car). However, since Baltimore is only 45 minutes away, why not?

I bought a rubber stamp with a spinning wheel and a sheep by Magenta and a book: the 1994 hardcover edition of Fancy Feet by Anna Zilboorg. The book was priced $18.95, but the shop owner offered a 10% discount since the book had shelf wear. The exact same book is for sale on amazon marketplace from $45 to $100. Now the paperback edition published in 2001 is also available at the marketplace with price ranging from 249.77 to 386.46. Hard to believe, but it's true!

Unusual Spinning Wheel found in Japan

Here is a photo taken by Majacraft's Glynnis Poad of a curious-looking spinning equipment at the Tokyo Spinning Party. It has no wheel and you use a stick which you push on the spindle shaft to make it run. There is no bobbin or flyer either; instead, it has a quill. Glynnis reported at the francophone Forum du Filage that it's simple and quite fun to use. However, the fiber has to be pre-drafted because one can only hold the fiber with one hand as the other is pushing the stick.

Speaking of quills, Glynnis added that Majacraft will be coming out before Christmas with its own quill which will work on all its spinning wheels.

This is an old Japanese postcard I came across...

...and I was delighted to see it in contemporary setting. Photo provided by Glynnis.

It looks like an Indian charkha that my friend, Sandrine, sells at her online shop, Alysse Créations.

Yarn School 2007: We Came, We Spun, We Dyed!

Photos taken by students at Harveyville Project in Harveyville, Kansas, may be viewed here.