Sailboat batts

So here's my next batch of batts. I had trouble coming up with the right colour combination but I love how they turned out in the end. I think I have about 100g.

First of all I had a medium bright blue braid that was a bit dull. Also it was kind of compacted and dense so it was going to be hard to draft. The best solution for this is to divide the roving lengthwise a few times then pre-draft if you need to. But putting compacted fibre through a drum carder will fluff it right back up (you do have to pick it apart a bit).

So I turned that blue braid into the first batt. Then I had a pale minty green braid that I turned into the second batt. I had over-dyed some of the blue with dark brown but when I tried blending the three colours, the results were disappointing.

So I picked a small ball of yellow roving that I had on hand and blended that with the medium blue and pale minty blue batts. Adding yellow to the bright blue was a great way to make it harmonize with the minty (more turquoise) blue. It looks kind of white in the photo... it's just so pale the little tint of colour doesn't show up very well.

The fibre I used for these batts was all merino. I'm starting to be able to tell the difference between fibres. Corriedale  in a braid sometimes feels just as soft as merino. But after putting batches of each through the drum carder I can feel that the merino is softer, and also tends to "cling" a bit more. It's hard to describe but I think it's just that the fibres are more delicate. I find I have to be a bit gentler so as to prevent tangles - just turn the handle of the drum carder more slowly and put less fibre in at a time.

I'm calling this colourway Sailboat. I'm not sure why I keep naming my fibre when I'm planning to spin it myself but I just like to do it...