Memento Vitae

20s, absolute slut for hand crafts. spinning, weaving, knitting, ceramics and so on. Australia 🌻 Click the pics for better quality

[tyrhinosaurus]

I'm knitting a Shetland hap!

This was cast on sometime in February I think, so now 4-5 months progress.

The blue was gifted to me, and the white was bought to match. The green I bought as a white and dyed, and it's my favourite part.

The stripey waves are *chefs kiss* , and it's 2 rows away from starting the border!

Pattern is from the book, Heirloom Knittings Shetland Hap Shawls Then and Now by Sharon Miller.

[tyrhinosaurus]

Knitting the edging!! Scalloped 〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️🌊

(corners don't align. It's fine. It's completely fine. Don't worry about it. Committed to the bit now. Imperfect and finished is the motto)

[tyrhinosaurus]

I'm knitting a Shetland hap!

This was cast on sometime in February I think, so now 4-5 months progress.

The blue was gifted to me, and the white was bought to match. The green I bought as a white and dyed, and it's my favourite part.

The stripey waves are *chefs kiss* , and it's 2 rows away from starting the border!

Pattern is from the book, Heirloom Knittings Shetland Hap Shawls Then and Now by Sharon Miller.

[tyrhinosaurus]

Working on some hand dyed cheviot wool braids, from Waratah Fibres. The purple braid is finished now, going to finish the yellow and then ply them both as 2ply from centre pull balls.

Love the colour combo, but not sure what they're destined for yet

[tyrhinosaurus]

Finished singles!

[tyrhinosaurus]

Working on some hand dyed cheviot wool braids, from Waratah Fibres. The purple braid is finished now, going to finish the yellow and then ply them both as 2ply from centre pull balls.

Love the colour combo, but not sure what they're destined for yet

[tyrhinosaurus]

106gm braid of Blue Face Leicester and Mohair, dyed by Waratah Fibres

Chain plyed, 270m

Approx 5ply weight I think

[tyrhinosaurus]

Finished "Jumanji" merino skein!

100gm, approx 380m. So approx fingering weight, maybe edging towards sport.

[tyrhinosaurus]

I picked up some new fleeces!!!

Have I finished all my other fleeces?

(shhh that information is classified)

Dark brown fleeces (top of photo):

2x bags off the same sheep, each 1.1kg. so 2.2 kg of dark brown/dark grey border Leicester. Very soft handle, gorgeous colour. Some weathering in the tips. I've started cleaning the first chunk, it's come out beautiful with some detergent in cold water. Staples approx. 100mm long, sound, very little VM!

It's getting cooler here, and I started well past midday so not much sun to help the drying. Luckily I'm very clever and the oven has a warmer :))

Grey fleece (bottom of photo):

Also border Leicester, also 2.2kg. similar qualities I think, strong and weathered tips, beautifully soft handle.

Piebald fleece (middle right of first photo):

A giant bag of corriedale. I was so surprised by the colours, I half expected it to be Jacob, but that would be a new one for me in this country. It's 3.25kg, and very very soft, almost like merino.

White fleece (middle left of photo):

A merino X Charollais, as I couldn't find any Charollais tops this time. It's little, only 0.5kg and the grower warned it's a stinky sheep. But I enjoyed my first foray into the breed so much, keen to explore further.

[tyrhinosaurus]

10min of double speed wool combing of English Leicester fleece. Original audio

[tyrhinosaurus]

Practicing my combing with success!

English Leicester fleece, from this post- this is the really clean and non stained section.

Combs are the small wool combs from Petlyn, with the classic tines.

Combing spray is diluted conditioner and hair oil.

[tyrhinosaurus]

Current wip

Soft merino braid, dyed "Jumanji" by the Felting Ewe

[tyrhinosaurus]

Adventures in felting!

Needed more soft mats to protect the dining table, so finally got to use my new olive oil felting soap and work through a little more of this merino stash.

I made a carrot and beetroot, the partner made a fish 🐟

Logically I know they shrink so much during the process, but omg I made them as big as my bubble wrap sheet could handle and they still look tiny now!

[tyrhinosaurus]

@dangerphd

Before and after photos of beetroot and carrot!

So shrinking probably 50%, maybe a bit more?

They're still wet rn, I'll weigh them when dry.

Hope that helps :) felting bags and bowls is on my list too, would love to be tagged if you try it out

[tyrhinosaurus]

@dangerphd

Carrot is 38gm

Beetroot is 41gm

[tyrhinosaurus]

Adventures in felting!

Needed more soft mats to protect the dining table, so finally got to use my new olive oil felting soap and work through a little more of this merino stash.

I made a carrot and beetroot, the partner made a fish 🐟

Logically I know they shrink so much during the process, but omg I made them as big as my bubble wrap sheet could handle and they still look tiny now!

[tyrhinosaurus]

@dangerphd

Before and after photos of beetroot and carrot!

So shrinking probably 50%, maybe a bit more?

They're still wet rn, I'll weigh them when dry.

Hope that helps :) felting bags and bowls is on my list too, would love to be tagged if you try it out

[tyrhinosaurus]

Adventures in felting!

Needed more soft mats to protect the dining table, so finally got to use my new olive oil felting soap and work through a little more of this merino stash.

I made a carrot and beetroot, the partner made a fish 🐟

Logically I know they shrink so much during the process, but omg I made them as big as my bubble wrap sheet could handle and they still look tiny now!

[tyrhinosaurus]

Wash day!!

More details and pics under the cut!

I got 6 skeins here, all of them washed in warm soapy water, then temp shocked (moved between warm and cold water 2x), rinsed and wrung.

Snapped them a few times between my arms and hung them up outside.

First skein:

Dyed wool braid (corriedale 60% , cheviot 29%, bond merino 11%) by Ethereal Medusa, purchased from Cat and Sparrow

Chain plyed

Second Skein:

Same as first, different colours!

Also chain plyed

Third skein:

Dyed braid of Merino wool 50% and mulberry silk 50% by Glenhaven Knits

Biggest improvement from washing and setting, so much more balanced!

Chain plyed

Fourth Skein:

Lil 50gm ball of Finnish wool roving by Fleece Flock and Fibre

Really love the feel, it not course or scratchy at all, and so light.

2 ply

Fifth and Sixth Skeins:

(image limit reached :( sad)

One ball of Charolais roving split into 2 skeins, also bought from Fleece Flock and Fibre. It's amazing stuff, my first time with this breed. The skeins are 2 ply, and so bouncy and squishy! Heaps of elasticity!

Going to be keeping my eyes open for more of this.

[tyrhinosaurus]

Charolais skeins that didn't fit on the main post!

[tyrhinosaurus]

Wash day!!

More details and pics under the cut!

I got 6 skeins here, all of them washed in warm soapy water, then temp shocked (moved between warm and cold water 2x), rinsed and wrung.

Snapped them a few times between my arms and hung them up outside.

First skein:

Dyed wool braid (corriedale 60% , cheviot 29%, bond merino 11%) by Ethereal Medusa, purchased from Cat and Sparrow

Chain plyed

Second Skein:

Same as first, different colours!

Also chain plyed

Third skein:

Dyed braid of Merino wool 50% and mulberry silk 50% by Glenhaven Knits

Biggest improvement from washing and setting, so much more balanced!

Chain plyed

Fourth Skein:

Lil 50gm ball of Finnish wool roving by Fleece Flock and Fibre

Really love the feel, it not course or scratchy at all, and so light.

2 ply

Fifth and Sixth Skeins:

(image limit reached :( sad)

One ball of Charollais roving split into 2 skeins, also bought from Fleece Flock and Fibre. It's amazing stuff, my first time with this breed. The skeins are 2 ply, and so bouncy and squishy! Heaps of elasticity!

Going to be keeping my eyes open for more of this.

[tyrhinosaurus]

New spin!

50/50 blend of Merino/mulberry silk, approx 131gm, dyed by Glenhaven Knits.

It's shedding silk onto *everything* XD

[tyrhinosaurus]

So close to finishing this braid!

[tyrhinosaurus]

Finished skeinnnn

Haven't weighed it, but braid was sold as ~130gm

I got 373m of chain plyed.

Super silky soft

[tyrhinosaurus]

New spin!

50/50 blend of Merino/mulberry silk, approx 131gm, dyed by Glenhaven Knits.

It's shedding silk onto *everything* XD

[tyrhinosaurus]

So close to finishing this braid!