yarn sources
It’s now 6-0 for the deep red wrapping since Peg, Leigh, Valerie and Neki Desu have also cast their votes in favour! Meanwhile, deborahbee is wondering where my yarns come from so, although I usually record yarns as I buy them, I thought this might be a good time to give a roundup of some of my favourite sources.
Generally speaking, I don’t dye my own yarns. I am much in awe of those who do – have you seen Leigh’s recently completed range of handspun cottons, for example? – but I just don’t enjoy it.* What I do enjoy is combining yarns to make richly coloured warps, and this has become much easier over the last couple of years as I have gradually built up a stash. To make warps like this I don’t need a lot of any one yarn, but I do need a wide variety of yarns.
The core components of my stash at present are
- 2/16 mercerised cottons from The Handweavers Studio. These are my staple yarn, and I have gradually accumulated a lot of different colours – the last time I tried to take a photo, many of them rolled away and I was left with these. They are sufficiently fine that I can use two strands per end, and hence mix up the colours even more, and still have 24 e.p.i. in a twill, say. The best way to order from Handweavers is to write them a letter – emails can disappear into the void, but a letter usually brings a parcel by return of post.
- Pure silk by Debbie Bliss, which is really a knitting yarn but is so glorious even in the tiniest amounts that I have become a hopeless addict. I buy this from Twist Fibre Craft Studio, which means I can go in and touch it, but I do try not to drool. Twist also do mail order and, as I have recently tested, phone-up-and-despatch-an-emergency-order as well.
- Another chunky silk, Traub’s NM 9/2, which is available from Fibrecrafts and can be ordered through their website. There are sometimes problems with the supply of this, but again a little can go a long way. It is not glossy like the DB pure silk and needs to be sett a little closer, maybe 18 e.p.i. I also have several colours of Traub’s wool yarn (again from Fibrecrafts) but I am not as keen on wool as on silk and cotton, mainly because I don’t like to wear it myself.
- A fine (2/70) silk from Uppingham Yarns who also take web orders and despatch them very efficiently. I tend not to use this on its own, because I don’t – at the moment – do very fine weaving, but I love to use a strand or two of different silks in combination with the 2/16 cottons.
- For unmercerised cotton (which I’m not using that much at the moment) I turn to William Hall in Cheshire and buy Borgs’ 2/16 Bomullsgarn, although they call it 16/2. You’ll note the absence of a link there: William Hall doesn’t have a website. Don’t panic, though, the contact details are available here. Go on, order a full set of sample cards: you have to pay, but (a) you get your money back when you order and (b) you will read them over and over for hours of yarn pleasure, and no-one will mind your drooling.
These main yarns are all available in the UK, but there are two new-to-me yarns from the States I’ve been stocking up on this year and they are
- Jaggerspun Zephyr, the luscious 2/18 merino-silk blend which is completely seductive. I’ve managed to buy little bits here and there, but for a really good overseas delivery service I recommend The Mannings.
- The tubular spectrum cottons by the Lunatic Fringe. I’ve ordered by phone but I see they now have an online shop – woohoo! I ordered these when I was visiting the US so I haven’t tested their international shipping powers yet, but I daresay it won’t be long. Their 10/2 mercerised cottons are the greens which are on the loom at the moment (the warp that is; the wefts are by Traub and Uppingham as above).
Of course, I also have the yarn-magpie’s tendency to scoop up any brightly coloured skein I happen to see and stash it away for the moment when I desperately need a pink-and-turquoise slub silk. You never know.
* Having said that, I’m just about to start the latest Online Guild workshop on warp painting and ikat, run by Kaz the curiousweaver. Did you see her ikat purses in WeaveZine? Well, I have to try it, whatever pain it costs me.
“yarn sources” was posted by Cally on 4 Nov 2008 at http://callybooker.wordpress.com
I’m not a weaver but I do knit lace with Zephyr. I buy it on pound cones from Sarah’s Yarns (sarahsyarns.com). The delivery is fast and reasonably priced. She does 2oz balls as well but as I suffer from running-out-of-yarn anxiety I like the security of the big cone.
Dyeing yarn is very rewarding (also saves money….grin!). But with your way, you get those lovely unexpected surprises you don’t get when you are as controlling as I am.
I’m sure you’ll have a fun time with the dyeing. Dyeing my own fiber for spinning, or yarn for weaving, is pure fun for me. (Aside from not being able to get a true black, that is.) It’s fun to work with the colors, and even more exciting to see it all come together on the loom.
It’s funny – there are many people who love dyeing but I just haven’t discovered the appeal (yet). Even when the results are pleasing, I find the effort way out of proportion to the satisfaction! Specifically, it is not so much the quantity of effort as the type of effort I dislike; for instance, in dyeing waiting time and clearing up time are much bigger elements than in weaving. Isn’t it a good thing that there are people who don’t feel this way?
Caroline, I’ve been taking a peek at Sarah’s Yarns and I am so wishing we had a Sarah over here!
I absolutely love Ikat! I recently finished my first Ikat project (and really, my first weaving project) and I have to say, Ikat is my new love. I really thought I was going to dread painting the warp and dyeing all of my skeins, but I really became quite comfortable with the process and have a new found love for dyeing. Though I completely understand a preference for buying lots of colors- I have that habit too!
Ooopps…misspelled my own name, I must be getting sleepy in the middle of the day. By the way, I just started reading your blog, and am finding it very interesting and very informative. I look forward to more!
what about the joy and challenge of adding a tiny bit of dye to shift the color the way you want it? It’s empowering!!
Thanks for the link.
neki desu
I really must get around to joining the Online Guild – I’ve been saying that for the last couple of years. Ikat is very, very high on the list of things I intend to try soon. But then, I love the creativity of dyeing.
Cally, combining yarns to make richly coloured warps is a skill on it’s own. This is what I would like to experiment more with – I’ve mainly turned to dyeing because of a lack of colour availability in Australia. I don’t like messy things and dyeing can become like this but I persevere and delight in what it can do for my work.
I’m just about to listen to your essay on Weavecast – on my mp3 player – can’t wait.
Thanks
Kaz
thank you so much for listing your yarn sources,its so helpful. I have recently ordered from Halls and want to get to the handweavers studio in London (I hate spending on postage!)Im going up to Bradford in a fortnight to stay with son and family. I’m tying it in with a Texere open weekend so I’m hoping to find some goodies.I think I would like to find a dying workshop, at the moment I’m nervous of it as a recnique, but the potential for colours would be exciting.