Ashland Bay

From cashmere to fine silk, Ashland Bay, the largest wholesale fiber and yarn company in North America, has 175 luminous colors to inspire the fiber enthusiast.

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Two New Yarn Bases for Our Favorite Fiber Enthusiasts

Spring has finally begun in Portland, and we are excited to introduce 2 new yarn bases! Our first yarn, Caplina, is an updated version of our Peru yarn. We have swapped out the fine count alpaca for baby alpaca, tweaked percentages and tightened up the twist to create a beautiful 4-ply, sport weight, alpaca yarn that is 992 yds/lb. Caplina is available in skeins and on cones. This is the perfect yarn for a lightweight, but warm, spring sweater.

Caplina - 45 % Baby Alpaca/40% Merino/15% Silk 

After many requests for a light fingering weight yarn, we are excited to introduce our second new yarn, Trillium. This yarn is 19.5-micron super wash merino and nylon. This beautiful, 4- ply, 2,046 yds/lb yarn is unbelievably soft. Trillium is available in skeins and on cones. Trillium is meant for shawls, lacy socks, baby garments, and more.

Trillium - 80% 19.5 SW Merino/20%nylon

Both products are on our shelves ready to be shipped! 

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Dyed Top Division Under New Ownership

As Ashland Bay customers now know the sale of the Dyed Top division of Ashland Bay is now complete! We are so excited for the new owner of this part of the business, Foxglove Fiberarts Supply. Most in the fiber arts industry already know Cindy Howard-Gibbon, the owner of Foxglove. Cindy, Jill, and I are all excited for the renewed emphasis that Foxglove will bring to the dyed top product lines.

Both Jill and I have mixed feelings about leaving this segment of the business. It's where Ashland Bay started, and we still have customers today that we sold "dyed Colonial Top" to in the mid 1990's. There is nothing we can write that could adequately express our gratitude to you and the privilege we feel for allowing us to be a part of your business for the last 25 years. Change is always scary but also necessary. We at Ashland Bay can rest easy knowing that the dyed top business is in good hands!

We are also excited for the ability this sale gives us to focus on our current product lines of ecru wools and yarns. We have been working behind the scenes on improvements to our business processes that will be in place shortly!

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Tea Time

Previously on the blog we have talked about Color Uh-Ohs and given tips on Dyepot Double Dipping. Today I wanted to share another method for toning down regrettable color choices. Step 1, relax and make a cup of tea. Literally, make a cup of tea to re-dye your yarn or knit project.

Whenever I dye yarn or fiber, I like to use the brightest colors available. While they are bright, cheerful and lovely to look at, the colors don’t always work for a particular project. This happened to be the case when I was dyeing Ashland Bay’s Polwarth / Silk (60/40) top.  As I was spinning the top, I loved watching the bright clear colors draft through my fingers and onto the bobbin. Plying the yarn was equally as visually stimulating. I was thrilled to watch the colors blend together as I knit the yarn into a scarf. And as soon as I wrapped this beauty around my neck, I noticed the sea sick tone this lovely piece of art cast over my face.

Out comes the tea.

The first step to over dyeing with tea is to soak the garment or yarn in soapy, hot water. (In an ideal world, I would have yarn left over from my project to test a few different tea strengths.) I use Nestea unsweetened ice tea mix and mix it directly into the dye pot. Once the yarn or garment is in the pot with tea mixture, I slowly raise the temperature. Once I am satisfied with the color saturation, I then add vinegar to set the dye.

Now, the part that everyone has been waiting for, the before and after photos. As you can see from the above, the color of the project to the right is much more subdued.

Above is another tea dye example. The photo is of a sock blank hand painted. The photo on the right is after that same blank was pot dyed in tea. As you can see, over dying with tea is a fun and easy way to readjust a dye project gone awry! 

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New Products: June 2017

NEW YARN: Paulina

100% Superwash 20.5 micron merino

Available on approximately 2.3lb cone AND 250 gram skeins

545 yards per pound

3.5 stiches per inch

NEW SPECIAL BLEND: USA Targhee Wool / Bamboo / Silk

80% 25 micron USA Targhee / 10% bamboo / 10% tussah silk

The USA Targhee wool in this blend was brought to the UK for processing. 

Available in 22 lb dye bumps

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Blog about Blanks

At first glance it is not intuitively obvious why one would paint a piece of knitted fabric (also called a blank) and then unravel it to knit a new garment. But upon closer inspection, there are many unique and intriguing color effects that can be achieved with this method. Think gradients all in one skein!

There has been resurgence in the knitting market of hand dyed sock blanks. My first experience with sock blanks was when Nancy Roberts taught a class at SOAR in 2001 in Park City, Utah.  First we knit the blanks on a knitting machine. Next, we painted the blanks. Once the blanks were dry, we unraveled the blanks and used the yarn to knit socks. The real magic happens when you see the color movement on both socks are perfectly paired to each other. It was great fun and a new avenue to creatively experiment with color! The only drawback was that using the knitting machine was labor intensive.

Fast forward 15-ish years, and now commercially produced sock blanks are available! Independent dyers are applying their unique dye techniques and colorways on these fun products.

Encouraged by several of our customers we looked into producing a sock blank out of our most popular sock yarn (Willamette) and have them knit in the USA for a 100% USA product.

We received 2 different knit samples. Each blank was 4 oz and approximately 435 yards per blank. I decided to take the samples for a test run to figure out which product would be best for our customers.

Sample #1 

These blanks were a continuous knit with waste yarn knit between the blanks. I cut along the waste yarn and painted the blank with large horizontal stripes. I was not trying to have the 2 socks match. If you do want matching socks, you will need to fold the blank in half and mark the center at the fold and paint them the same color sequence and size.

The knit on this sample was tighter than I would have liked to see but I still hand painted only one side of the blank in the interest of time in consideration of production dyeing. Because of the tight knit, there were lighter spots on the yarn where the dye did not penetrate.

Another time aspect to consider with sample #1 is that I had to spend time picking out the waste yarn before I could cast on my stitches. Once I cast on, I enjoyed knitting this right from the blank and it becomes addictive to watch the color transitions as they appear on the sock.

 Sample #2

This sample was a single sock blank without any stitching to keep the ends from unraveling. No need to take time to cut the blanks. The knit was much looser than the first sample and it laid out nicely on the dye table with minimal curling edges.

I decided to paint the striped vertically on this sample and again I only painted one side. Because this sample did not have the waste yarn, I wanted to make sure that the blank did not unravel during the dye process. In the photo above you can see that very little of the yarn unraveled. Success!

Once the blank was dry, I started casting on with the loose end. No need to pick out the waste yarn. Time saver! I also did not find any white spots - no need to paint both sides. Time saver times 2!

Hands down, sample #2 was the best choice for production dyers. We are so excited that we are officially stocking Willamette yarn blanks! These blanks come in a pack of 10. Each blank is 4 oz and approximately 435 yards per blank. We can’t wait to see the photos of the beautiful colors created by our independent dyers with this product!

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New Merino Colors!

We are happy to announce we have four new colors added to our solid colored 21.5 micron merino line. These contemporary new colors are not only lovely to look at, but they also spin and felt with ease to create the most beautiful projects. We would like to introduce Forest, Graphite, Dusty Rose and Mulberry. They are unpacked, on the shelf and waiting for your orders! 

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Behind the Scenes: Commercial Dyeing

Several years ago we had the opportunity to visit our suppliers in England. While many of our customers are well versed in the dye process, I thought it would be fun to share some of our photos of the commercial dyeing process.

The picture below shows the bales of combed top, ready to be opened and sent to the dye house. These bales are between 650 – 1100 lb of combed top.

Within each bale are 10 kg, approximately 22 lbs, dye bumps baled under pressure.

This massive dye vessel dyes 9 bumps at a time. This is would be approximately 200 lb of wool. Once the top is clamped down on the base of the vessel, water and dye is injected under pressure to insure that the dye reaches all the wool.

The freshly dyed wet bumps are then sent through a radio frequency dryer to be dried. The bumps are then opened and are re-combed.

These bumps are then press packed into approximately 600 lb bales ready for shipping to our warehouse. Here is a short video clip of us unpacking a bale of dyed wool. It gives you an idea of the amount of pressure applied to these packed bales!

The dyes used for Ashland Bay’s dyed top meet the international Oekotex standards; types I and II. You might want to visit the Oeko-Tex website for a full explanation of their standards. The dye house also follows strict environmental code. The British equivalent to EPA is located just below the mill and they check on a regular basis!

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New Yarns Resolutions (see what I did there?)

New years resolutions always sound like a good idea. Eat healthier, move a little more, finally get organized. And then, here we are, one month in. If any of you are like me, I had noble aspirations to decrease my clutter by using some my mounting yarn stash (if for nothing else than to make room for new yarn).

Today on the blog, we are sharing the most beautiful cardigan pattern for anyone with a little Ashland Bay Dakota yarn sitting in their stash. (For those of you without Dakota, fear not, suppliers are listed on Ravelry.) This pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry, written by Emma Welford with photos by Lindsey Topham. 

In the words of the pattern designer, ‘Tualatin is a classic cabled cardigan. It’s worked from the bottom up in pieces and seamed for a stable and long-lasting layering piece. Drop shoulder construction helps avoid the fussy process of setting in a curved sleeve cap while keeping the overall look and feel of the garment more casual.

If you have little experience with seaming, Tualatin is a great way to work on your skills since all the seams are straight! Knitterly details like a hi-lo split hem and a front cable trim that travels around to meet at the back of the neck make Tualatin stand out from the crowd.’

Hop on over to Ravelry to purchase this pattern today!

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Targhee Yarn – Footwear for the entire household!

From our finest spun to our bulkiest yarn, I really love Targhee wool! I love the story, I love the softness, and the bounce of the wool.  AND I especially love the versatility and durability of the knit fabric.  With such a wide range of applications, why not knit socks for the entire household?

Sock Pattern for Human Feet

For the first pair of socks, I started with our fine fingering weight Targhee yarn named Kalispell. This yarn is designed as a sock yarn with 90% Superwash Targhee Wool and 10% nylon for additional durability. This yarn has a little extra twist for stitch definition that also adds durability.  There is a lace panel on the front of the sock and a seed stitch seam runs up the back.

I named this pattern Lace and Vine. Best of all, the pattern is available for free!

Sock Pattern for Furniture Feet

For the second set of socks, I chose our bulkiest Targhee yarn, Montana. This set of socks was actually knit for our kitchen chairs.  This summer we had the oh-so-fun project of refinishing the hardwood floors. Our kitchen chairs left hundreds of tiny scratches on the hardwood. After some well spent time Pinterest-ing, Megan found this pattern on Ravelry by Harpa Jónsdóttir for felted furniture socks!

I used our Montana Targhee bulky yarn with size 11 needles in place of roving yarn which the pattern called for. For obvious reasons, they were a quick knit. Next, I popped them into a lingerie bag and machine washer with a heavy load of towels.

I knit a set of natural colored ‘socks’ for a desk chair and 4 sets of dyed ‘socks’ for the other kitchen chairs. They work beautifully, and the best part is when a chair is pulled away from the table, there is not a sound. Ahh, the floors are protected.

Everyone will agree that socks take a beating in shoes, boots and running around the house. These furniture ‘socks’ have been in constant use for over 6 months now and do not show any signs of wearing out. You gotta love Targhee wool for the incredible durability plus against the skin comfort . 

What is your favorite thing to make with Targhee wool?

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DIY Felted Santa

We wanted to kick off this Christmas season with a simple DIY felted Santa Clause. Combed mohair top is easily transformed into ringlets for this project. Keep reading below for the simple steps to needle felt a Santa Claus with a glorious mohair beard.

Materials:

1 oz of combed mohair locks

2-3 oz of wool for wet felting a ball (Santa’s head)

Felting needle and sponge

Small amounts of black, blue, vanilla, red wool for eyes, mouth and nose

Empty yarn cone

Red, Black and green commercial felt squares

Directions:

Step 1: Using your favorite wet felting technique, make a 3 oz ball with the wool. This will be Santa’s head, so shape accordingly.

Step 2: While the head dries, start making the ringlets from the mohair locks. Gently pull mohair fibers from the combed top and run under water to dampen the fiber. Wrap the lock around a dowel leaving one end unwrapped. (This makes removing the lock much easier.) Once the mohair has dried, remove the locks by carefully unwinding. Repeat this process until you have a good collection of ringlets.

Step 3: Once the head is completely dry, start needle felting the beard onto one end of the head. As you remove the locks from the dowel you will have one end that is straight and flat. Use the flat end to attach to the head. Gently use your felting needle to poke the ends of the lock into the felt ball, repeat poking until the end is firmly attached to the head. (I needle felted a little hair at the top of the head, although it is not necessary as the hat covers the hair.) Again, using your needle felting technique described above, add the eyes, nose and mouth.

I agree at first glance he looks more like Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean than a Santa. But a hat and a body will do wonders!  

Step 4: For Santa’s hat and coat, I used commercial felt. For Santa’s hat, measure around the head and cut out a cone shape. Needle felt mohair to the bottom of the hat to form Santa’s hair. Next, needle felt the hat with hair to the head and finally felt a tiny pompom on the end.

Step 5: Next up, Santa’s body. Cut another piece of the red felt big enough to cover your empty yarn cone. With the felting needle and mohair locks felt around the widest end of the cone to make a white fur rimmed hem for the coat and glue the felt onto the cone. Cut out a rectangular piece of black felt for the belt and glue it onto the body. If you like, you can cut out a felt square for the buckle (I used green). And if you really want to go the extra mile, you can cut out 2 arms and felt mohair for the hands. Once the arms are complete, simply glue them onto the body.

At this stage you are just putting the pieces together. Attached the head to the body and voila you have a Pere Noel !

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New product: Top Comber’s Silk Noil

Attention spinners, felters, paper makers and art batt producers: we just received a shipment of a brand new product that we think you will really love: comber’s cultivated silk noil top. These noils are the last of the short silk fibers that are combed out of the cultivated silk top during the top making process. The results are a very silky, short staple fiber.

To show you just how special this product is, we wanted to share a few pictures of the new Comber’s noil and all the amazing things you can do with this product. We also thought it would be helpful to share a few pictures of the Comber’s top in comparison with our standard Silk Noil. The Comber’s noil not only looks different, it feels different and spins up with a very different look.

Raw Top Form

The comber’s noil is on the left and our regular silk noil is on the right. The nepps have been combed out of the comber’s noil leaving a silky and very lustrous top.

Spun Form

Spinning the two different types of silk noil also yields two distinctly different yarns.  The comber’s noil is smooth and shiny and the silk noil is highly textured and has a more matte finish.

Art Batt Form

The short staple length of the noils allow quick and even blending with wool for art batts. Also, batts with comber’s noil spin up into a smooth silky yarn.

Spun from Art Batt Form

The regular noil again spins into a highly textured yarn.  The comber’s noil is on the left of both photos and the regular silk noil is on the right.

Dyed Top Form

Now add color! Silk is one of the most magical fibers to dye and these noils are no exception! These noils go into the dye pot silky and lustrous and come out with color that is rich and vibrant.

Felted Form

Here are two great examples of the comber’s silk noil used in felted projects. The felt was created with silk gauze, thin layers of 19.5-micron merino and pieces of the comber’s silk noil on the top layer. The original felt was divided into 2 pieces. One was dyed with indigo and eco printed, the other piece was eco printed on the natural color.  The comber’s noil gives the felt an iridescent shimmer.

As you can see, the creative uses for this comber’s silk noil has unlimited possibilities. Order yours today!

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Create Color Gradients with Ashland Bay Multi Colored Merinos

Really, who doesn’t love a good color gradient? In 2016 you can’t set foot in a yarn shop or fiber festival without visually experiencing the full spectrum of ascending shades and hues. Having a flair for the eccentric, I decided to create my own spin on gradient yarns using Ashland Bay’s Multi Colored Merino line. A few years ago I posted to our blog about plying 2 different multi-colored yarns together. While I was spinning these yarns, I came up with the idea to create a color palette that followed a gradient from one color to the next.

After pairing every combination I could possibly think of, I decided that Amethyst & Borealis was the winning combination that eventually will be knit into a pair of fingerless gloves.

To create my gradient, I spun 4 different skeins, each yarn being 3 plies.

Skein 1: 3 plies of Amethyst

Skein 2: 2 plies Amethyst and 1 ply Borealis

Skein 3: 1 ply Amethyst and 2 plies Borealis

Skein 4: 3 plies of Borealis

Above you can see my gradient in action! Stay tuned for pictures of the knitting progress!

In just a few steps you can create your very own color gradient using Ashland Bay’s Multi Colored Merinos. Do you love spinning and/or knitting with color gradients? What are your favorite colors to work with?

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A striking difference

We know that superwash treated wool and non superwash treated wool accept dye differently. The superwash treatment process results in wool that does not shrink when washed, and as a bonus, it also provides additional dye sites on the fiber itself resulting in a stronger depth of color in comparison to the non-treated wool.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So here are a two examples that show the difference in dye strikes between yarns with different fiber content.

Example #1

From left to right: 100% Superwash treated Merino (La Grande) 75% Superwash Treated Merino/15% nylon/10% Tencel (Umpqua) 50% Superwash Merino/50% Tencel (Crystal Creek) all dyed in the same dye pot.

We leveled the playing field by comparing yarns that all had superwash merino as one component. But what happens when we add cellulose fibers, in this case Tencel, to the wool yarn blend?

All the yarns in the above photo (La Grande, Umpqua and Crystal Creek) were dyed with acid dyes. Acid dyes are used to dye protein based fibers such as wool, mohair, silk and alpaca. They do not dye cellulose fibers. As you can see from the image, the cellulose fibers do not take the dye but rather reflect the light giving the yarn an incredible sheen.

Example #2

At this time Ashland Bay carries two yarns that are blended with Tencel: Crystal Creek and Umpqua. Each yarn base has a different percentage of Tencel. Tencel adds incredible shine and drape to the yarns. To visually demonstrate how the combination of superwash wool blended with Tencel affects the dye strike, I took a pair of skeins, one Crystal Creek and one Umpqua, and dyed them in the same dye pot.  In the image above within each set of colors, the Crystal Creek (50% Tencel) is on the left and the Umpqua (15% Tencel) is on the right.

As you can see from both examples, when the percentage of supewash wool in the yarn decreases, the depth of shade also decreases but as the percentage of Tencel increases the luster level increases. Less color, more shine!  The intensity of color and reflective sheen is proportional to the respective percentages in the yarn blend. 

I encourage you to experiment with different fiber blend yarns and you will realize the endless possibilities for creative adventures. Not sure what fiber blend to try next? Give us a call!

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Glitter and Glam: Introducing Ashland Bay's Newest Yarns

Ashland Bay’s newest yarns are a result of our recent trip to Peru. We are thrilled to introduce Newport, 92% superwash merino / 8% silver lurex. Lurex is a continuous filament introduced in the plying process. Two of the four plys of this yarn have the lurex embedded in it. The lurex remains silver after dyeing the yarn, lending itself to a sophisticated and elegant visual. It is also amazingly soft to the touch. 

Recently, we have received many requests for a fingering weight single superwash merino, therefore meet Abiqua. This yarn is very chic with understated simplicity and luxurious hand. Abiqua is wonderfully soft and knits into a lightweight fabric perfect for warmer weather. 

Both of these yarns are available in cones and skeins. The skeins are packaged in 10- 115 gm ( 4 oz ) skeins. The cones are approximately 2.3 lb each. Be among the first to try these new yarns! Available to ship today!

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Experiments in Mock Dyeing

Preface: Two things to know about me before we dive into this post.

I love the texture and simplicity of a garter stitch.

I have a degree in Biology with a mind for running experiments.

My love for the garter stitch runs deep. It is extremely versatile; you can knit vertical stripes from side to side AND horizontal stripes knitting from bottom to top. You can even use either side as the right side, depending on the look you are trying to achieve.

I recently ran across a sweater pattern that was all garter stitch. The weight of the knit fabric was light enough for a perfect summer cardigan.  I immediately thought of stripes and wanted one of the stripes to be the natural color of the wool. I chose our Clackamas yarn as it is lightweight and drapey, perfect for this project.

Off to the dye pot went half the yarn and the other half, I conditioned in hot soapy tap water. (If you want to learn more about why conditioning your yarn is important, click here.) I hung the yarn to dry.

I was a little surprised to find that although both skeins started out the same length, after the yarn dried, the dyed yarn skein was noticeably shorter than the undyed yarn.  I thought conditioning the yarn would have adjusted the twist to match the dyed yarn. As an experiment to remedy this situation, I decided to treat the undyed skein to a trip in the dye pot without any dye. Viola` the skeins are now the same length. The hotter water in the dye pot caused the twist in the undyed yarn to tighten more and match the twist of the dyed yarn.

Next, onto the needles with the yarn! While knitting in my beloved garter stitch, a thought crossed my mind (an added benefit of garter stitch is you can think while you knit and put your hands on auto pilot). Is there another advantage in doing a mock dye to a undyed yarn in regards to protecting the undyed yarn from absorbing dye cast off from the dyed stripe when the garment is washed? 

This is where the scientific experimental part of my brain kicked in. I decided to use black and white yarn to test the bleed potential of using an undyed and dyed yarn together. The next logical step was to dye test yarn black, mock dye ecru yarn and condition a yarn sample in tap water and soap. For this test I used our Rainier yarn. I then knit 3 swatches.

The left swatch pinned with the orange marker is mock dyed ecru yarn and black stripes.  The middle swatch pinned with the green marker as the control, dyed black stripes knit with unconditioned yarn. The blue marker is tap water conditioned ecru yarn and dyed black yarn.

I washed the swatches in the hottest soapy tap water. As you can see from the photo below, there was residual dye from the black released into the water.

However, after letting the swatches dry none of the residual dye bled onto either sample. I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that my undyed yarn will not absorb residual dye during washing.

 What about you? Do you like to experiment with your knitting?

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OUR TRIP TO PERU - COMMERCIAL SPINNING

Please join us in the last installment of our Peruvian blog series, inspired from our recent trip to Arequipa. We have covered traditional Peruvian fiber processing and weaving and commercial processing of alpaca. Next, on to the spinning!

Clean locks are picked open in preparation for carding and combing. Below, is a photo of an industrial picker that mechanically opens the locks.

Next up, the alpaca is carded and then put into top. In the photo below, fibers are being processed into top, moving from the left hand side of the image to the right. The fibers are lined up parallel to each other in preparation for worsted type spinning.

At this point in the process the top is too thick for the spinning frame. It needs to be drafted and made thinner into pencil roving. In the photo below, the alpaca top in the barrel is processed through the machine which reduces the sliver weight of the alpaca in preparation for spinning. The reduced top is then fed onto the vertical bobbins.

In the photo below, you can see a close up of the filled bobbins with the alpaca ready to be loaded for spinning.

Once the bobbins are filled with the reduce sliver weight top, the alpaca is then drafted into singles by the machine pictured below.

The yarn is almost complete! One of the final steps is to the ply of the yarn. In the photo below, this machine can take up to 6 cones of singles (in the photo they are making a 4 ply yarn) and ply them together. It does that by drawing the singles together, twisting them and finally winding the newly plied yarn onto cones that are visible on the top of the machine.

The final, optional step, is to wind the yarn onto skeins. In the photo below you can see the yarn is going from cone to skein in preparation for the dye process or to be packaged and sent to Ashland Bay for our lovely independent dyers.

We hope you enjoyed our three part series on fiber processing of Peru, traditional fiber processing and weaving, commercial fiber processing and commercial yarn production.

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OUR TRIP TO PERU - Commercial Processing of Alpaca

This blog post picks up where we left off with our last post…in Peru! Previously we shared what we learned about traditional Peruvian techniques. (If you missed that post you MUST see the photos of the amazing tapestries!) Then we gained insight into the commercial aspect of processing alpaca.

First, the alpaca fleeces arrive at the mill in burlap bales. The white fleeces are separated from the colored fleeces at the farms but are not skirted (aka cleaned by removing the obvious guard hair, dung tags, and dirt). The women in the photo above are opening up the fleeces and skirting them.

The colored fleeces also arrive in burlap bales and first must be separated by color.

The fleeces are continually sorted by color and quality, all by eye and hand. The different qualities of alpaca are baby alpaca, FS (fine spinning), and adult. The colors are sorted into 32 different shades according to the photo below.

The individual colors are then baled and stored until they are scheduled to be scoured.

Washed and dried, the alpaca is then press packed for storage until needed.