Dyeing to Tell You About the Llama!

I went to my first ever spinning group meeting on Monday night! It met at Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill this month, and Anne had a huge bag of raw llama fiber to give away!

I loved sitting around in a bunch of spinners, some of whom were spinning, some knitting (like me), some crocheting, and some just visiting. I've never been to Blackberry Ridge so it was fun just looking at the beautiful yarn, and all the samples hanging on the walls. I bought this pattern to knit for JoAnne.
Immediately I washed the llama, which was dusty, and decided to dye it at the same time.





Microwave dyeing seemed expedient, so I put the wet llama in these containers, added some Country Classics Dye (which I get for $5 a color from Susan's Fiber Shop) in Tomato Red, with a dash of Maize, and some Pumpkin poured over the top for good measure. The llama was multicolored ranging from cream to beige to camel to begin with, so I didn't do any fancy painting or pouring or anything. Then I microwaved it for 15 minutes and let it cool on the porch.


After a good rinse, I spread it on the porch to dry, and in spite of a rain last night (oops) its nearly dry now. And so gorgeous and soft! Next I get to fluff it up, remove guard hairs, and vegetable matter, and eventually....SPIN IT!!

Stay tuned for the fluff, hopefully closely followed by the yarn itself!