Tartan Cushions

I've been spinning my fine Clun Forest 3-ply for a little while and thought I had better actually do the maths to see how much yarn will be needed to make two tartan (sample) cushion tops.  Turns out I have slightly overachieved - as the skeins I now have will give me enough plus about 100 yards, so plenty to allow for the extra required to dye, and work out pattern amounts.  I do plan to cut down loom waste by using waste yarn and only allowing a little extra of the hand spun to take care of the edging.

So today has been a pencil and paper day to first work out the amount of yarn (total of about 410 yards) and then the various amounts of the colours to produce our 2oopi design tartan (you have to like the B52's to get the significance of the name - but it's right in keeping with the move to the Tennessee back country).

2oopi design (with a mistake at the second colour - now corrected)

The colours come from the Prentice crest, the design was done on a great Linux software package called Arahweave. 

I now have the appropriate amounts to wind into smaller skeins ready to dye and will probably resort to commercial wool dyes this time for convenience - once we get back to the US I'll be starting to explore more natural dyes.

While finishing the final singles for this yarn, I realised I seemed to be spinning only very fine, higher twist singles recently and couldn't actually remember soft and fluffy yarns.  Easy solution, I very quickly spun a small sample of Clun Forest at (maybe - I haven't measured it propery) Double Knit weight 2 ply.  Took no time at all, and I'll make more/enough to help finish the current rug project I am doing. It has a lot more white in it.  I'll blog separately on the design and plans.

The two CF yarns side by side

Enough project work for today though - we are soon to head out for a walk to town and watch the latest Star Trek movie in 3D - a nice 'wrap' for the weekend.