I must stop.......

.....buying fleece, hand-dyed roving and yarn - yes I really must!  Instead of getting out my purse I should really get out my dyes.

I have far tooooooo many fleeces, but I am in the process of buying a Bowmont shearling - well that's OK because Bowmont fleece is is softest and makes beautiful yarn suitable for the most delicate skin.  I promised faithfully to Mr S that I would only buy one fleece this year - the Polwarth Cross.  I then bought two Shetland fleeces, one a silver grey and the other deep deep brown - they were an absolute bargain who could resist, and the Bowmont well I have been after one for ages................ he is very understanding and has a stash of wood...........................

When it comes to roving and yarn I see something that I fancy and ooophs there another addition to the stash which I could have reproduced myself at a quarter of the price.  So rather than going shopping today I have been dyeing/copying some colour combinations that had caught my eye whilst browsing the web.

A couple of months back I bought from a fellow raveler some Southern Cross Fibre because I do so want some of this fibre.  It's the exclusiveness that is intriguing, not that I really need anymore of the squishy stuff!  The colours are quite spectacular, but there is a three year waiting list and I really can't be waiting for years just to join a club which would commit me to buying every month.  So I have been trying to match the colours....

This is Tequila Sunrise in a Texel fibre - wouldn't have chosen Texel myself, very hairy and the resulting yarn is not the next to your skin sort of yarn. 

If you break it down there are three colours in this - Red, Orange,Yellow and some left undyed.  The red goes from very dark to pinkish and the yellow and orange blend to give an apricot colour and yellow runs into the white and becomes very very pale.  This was one of the first yarns that I spun on Patience.

Another colourway, another SCF, that I also got from a detash was Burke

In this one there are four colours in addition to the bits left white, dark brown, dark blue, pale blue and tan - the top one is the original and underneath My Burke! Needs more white but otherwise not too far away from the original..



This is my take on Jelly Beans -  I fractal spun mine so the colours aren't so defined but not as wishy washy as the photo shows, but the actual dyeing was easy so I may do another and spin it in blocks of colour.

So next time I reach for my purse I must make myself stop and think could I do that, and if the answer is yes then take a good look and wait until I get home!   Undyed fibre is between £2.40 and £3.00, more for a luxury blend, and dyed tops anything from £9 to £15 and above........ no contest