Blue Barn Fiber: Milk Fiber Base

Happy Friday! I have some great news! I will be trying to blog every Friday! So, come back every Friday for a new review! Some weeks, though, I might not be able to do a review. I am still working out things with some more shops. It does take time for the shops to dye the fiber, package it, and mail it to me. Oh the mailing! That is horrible! Have you ever bought something that you needed in a few days, and it seems like it takes forever to get the purchase? This is exactly how I feel with this! I was barely able to spin this sample up for you guys! I got it on Tuesday, and had to take pictures of all the fibers I got from the Holly, and then I started spinning the fiber that night... I skipped Wednesday because I was too busy working on my sock yarn blanket... I am up to 8 squares in 5 days! So anyways, I was busy spinning this fiber all last night, that is why the photo is so bad. The photo is more blue, when in real life, it is way more dark purple. Anyways, let's get onto the blog post!

It is so amazing to have a chance to work with someone who is so close to me! She has her own farm in Hayden, Idaho like 40 miles from Sandpoint, Idaho (where I live). She is practically my neighbor! It is such a pleasure to work with someone so close to me! Holly has given me the chance to review some of her Milk Fiber. I personally have not spun any of this Milk Fiber before, so it was so fun trying something new to me! 

As always, I made sure to get a special interview of Holly herself!

What is your favorite thing about the milk fiber that you sell in your shop?
My favorite thing about our milk fiber is how soft and silky it is. It has a lot of the same qualities as viscose bamboo and cultivated silk, but it’s much more affordable than silk. An extra bonus is that it takes dye better than any other fiber I’ve worked with -- it sucks the color up and turns out vibrant and gorgeous. Ok, one more bonus! It’s considered a “green” product, which is very important to me because my husband and I are environmental enthusiasts. There’s no formaldehyde in it (unlike some wool, which is actually cleaned and whitened with this dangerous chemical) and it doesn’t harm the environment. Another cool thing about it is that it’s naturally anti-bacterial, so it’s a very clean fiber.

Have you spun up any of the milk fiber? If so, how did you do it?
I try to spin my own fiber whenever I get something new in (the exceptions to this is the more expensive fibers like yak and qiviut) because it lets me describe how it spins to our customers. I use my Ashford Traditional wheel for all of my spinning needs. My favorite way to use milk fiber is by mixing it with other fiber like merino or bamboo for a hint of silkiness and a ton of softness. It’s one of my favorite types of fiber to spin.

How soft would you say the Milk Fiber is?
Extremely soft.

What would you recommend to make with your handspun from the milk fiber?
You can really make anything from milk fiber, but clothes would probably be best since it’s so soft and it would be wasted on something like a rug. Underwear, pajamas, shirts, undergarments would all be perfect because it absorbs moisture really well and keeps skin clean and dry.

What is your favorite colorway you have dyed in this fiber?
My “Sleeping Beauty” roving. It’s 100% milk fiber and is dyed teal, dark blue and purple. It’s one of my favorite color combinations.

What type of dye do you use for your products?
It depends on the product and what colors I’m going for. We usually either use all natural herbs and spices or Greener Shades acid dyes, which I swear by! Greener Shades is really special because it’s a relatively eco-friendly dye and it reacts differently with firestar than any other dye I’ve tried (I don’t need to use acid to set the dye on firestar with this particular brand of dye).

How many people besides you are working in your shop?
My husband and I run the business alone right now. Dying fiber is really an art form (as is spinning), so I wouldn’t want to just hire a random person to do it. Each thing we sell is like a little painting!

Do you raise any of the animals that you use for your shop?
Not currently, but we are in the process of looking into adopting some angora rabbits. Our dream is to buy a farm out here and have our own fiber animals including some tibetan yaks, alpacas, sheep, goats, and maybe even a camel or two.

Where do you buy your fiber from?
Several different places! We purchase a lot of our sheep wool and alpaca fiber directly from local farmers as well as friends we meet online all over the country. A lot of farmers just don’t have time to clean and process their wool, so we take it off their hands, do all the hard work, and resell it. We also resell fiber and yarn from Ashland Bay and can offer anything that they have as well.

How do you get your inspiration for your colorways?
A lot of it just comes to me from the colors I use in my own paintings. When I feel low on inspiration, I look at different photos of nature and grab colors from different scenes around the world. Nature is very colorful and has a knack for finding the perfect combinations! 2 great examples: Japanese maple trees and tide pools.

Is there anything else you would like to add about your shop or fiber?
We work very hard to not only do business in an eco-friendly way, but to also only buy products that are obtained in animal-friendly ways. We would rather you go through us than purchase fiber from a competitor, so if you see a slightly lower price from someone else, let us know and we can do our best to match their price! This might not be possible 100% of the time but we’re definitely flexible whenever possible.

Before:

After:

My Review:
Since I got 2 different colors of milk fiber, I decided to ply them together. When I first got the fiber, I was in love! It was oh so soft! I started spinning right away! I thought it was going to be hard to spin, since it was a long staple length (5 inches) and I was right! It was much harder than I thought it would be! I have never imagined it to be so hard! I think what my problem was, that I was drafting too close together... After a little while, the spinning got easier. I am very proud of how my yarn came out! Very cool!  I don't know the weight of this sample, but I know it is somewhere around 1 oz. This fiber is incredibly soft! This fiber took me way longer to spin than most fibers I have ever spun before. I think the main reason for this is because I have never spun a long staple like this before... But, I will get better at it with time! I ended up not being able to spin all the fiber for this blog post, but you can see my finished yarn above! I ended up getting 17 yards 2-ply and I really do like how shiny the fiber is. The colors are more like the first photo, not as blue in the second photo.

Thank you, Holly, for the chance to review you Milk Fiber! It has been a pleasure spinning up something different than what I am used to!

If you have a chance, you should stop by Holly's store (information below) and browse. Be aware, you may have several things in your cart, like I do!

You can contact Holly:
Ravelry:  Nimily
Etsy: Blue Barn Fiber
Website: Blue Barn Fiber
Facebook: Blue Barn Fiber

Daybreak Dyeworks: Heinz 57 Base

Dawn, from Daybreak Dyeworks has sent me a 1 oz sample of her 57 Heinz Base top with my purchase! It was a lovely lime green! I have to be honest, right when I opened my package, I might have squeed a lot! I got it right out of the braid, got my spindle (which luckly didn't have anything on it) and started spinning right away! I split the top into halves and spun it that way! Dawn is a very good friend of mine, so I am pleased to be doing my first review on her studio! I will be doing her other bases too!

When I saw this top, I got it right out and spun it right up! It was my fastest spinning project! I started and finished 1 oz of her top in 1.5 hours! So happy to get something new in the mail! This sample was an extra in my package! It was just a little sample! I will be posting pictures in the next few days, when I have time, but while you wait, here is an interview of Dawn!

1. How did you pick the Heinz 57 breed to use for your shop?
I came across Heinz 57 breed not soon after I first began dyeing. I was looking for something inexpensive to sort of "practice" with. I was a little leery at first because I'd never heard of this breed before, it's not even in the Fleec and Fiber Sourcebook! But I figured the worse that would happen is that the finished yarn would get knit into some felted coasters or something. Surprisingly, the finished yarn wasn't rough at all! Now, don't get me wrong, it's not merino, but I think it would do great as a hat or outwear.

2. How do you get inspired for new colorways?
Inspiration comes from anywhere! Sometimes a photo I've come across, sometimes a memory, sometimes a phrase... But if I'm in a rut, or just want to experiment with combinations, I'll visit Design Seeds, which is almost like dyeing from a given prompt. And you can't count out those happy mistakes!

3. What is your favorite colorway you have made for the Heinz 57 top that you had in your shop?
So far, my favorite colorway I've made (that has made it to the shop) is "Dainty" which was spun from Heinz 57. Its quite variegated, but all the color variations came from one color breaking into its other counterparts.

4. What do you think is the best item to be made from the handspun yarn from the Heinz 57 top you carry in your shop?
I think this breed of fiber would be great for winter hats and durable outerwear pieces. It has a lovely, rustic look about it would probably look great in fair isle also.

5. How soft would you rate this yarn?
On a scale of 1-5, probably a 3. I'd say it's a step down from Corriedale. It does soften a bit after you soak it though, and a good tip is to add a bit of hair conditioner in the water you soak your finished skein in.

6. Have you spun up some of the Heinz 57 from your shop?
Oh course! Quite a few of the skeins from my shop are spun from Heinz 57, and this is my favorite skein (to date) spun from this fiber.

7. What type of dye do you use?
I mostly use dye solutions made from food coloring, but I also use natural dyes, it's a much more time-consuming process though. I like to use food coloring for the brighter, more saturated colors, and natural dye solutions for more neutral tones.

8. How many people do you have working for you in your shop?
Technically, it's just me, but my husband is in charge of the shipping and receiving, and I like to think of my oldest daughter as my general manager and personal assistant, lol! I began using food coloring to dye because I was most comfortable using that around my kids, who are ALWAYS around and helping. Even though I do most of the leg work, it's fun that we can all be a part of things in some capacity!
Besides all the wonderful things she has told us about her shop, I have some other things to add!

Dawn is a very nice and kind lady, she puts all her time into dyeing for her shop. It is such a pleasure to be doing my first review with her! She is so nice and kind to everybody in all the forums on ravelry! I got my purchase really fast! It may have been the fastest package I have ever gotten! She is absolutely amazing! Her tops and rovings are very special and 1-of-a-kind! She is going to be doing a custom order for me soon, so if you are not interested in any of her colorways, you can just convo her on etsy and tell her what you want! She is a very nice and kind lady to work with! She has made this experience very fun to do! I totally recommend her! If you don't spin, no need to worry! She has hand-spun yarns all ready to be shipped to you!

Thank you, Dawn, for the picture of the fiber. I was too eager to get it spun last night! You are awesome!

Before:

Colorway: Green Smoothie

 After:

2-ply

29 yards 

9 WPI (Worsted Weight)

My Review:
I spun the Heinz 57 sample in a 2-ply. I was not trying to get a certain weight, so I just spun as it came out. It  turned out to be a 9 WPI (wraps per inch). I got 29 yards out of this in a 2-ply. Dawn later contacted me to tell me that she only sent me a half oz instead of a whole oz. So, I will be able to play with more of this fiber! When I get it, I will be trying to get a thinner weight instead of a thicker yarn, which I got here. I honestly have no idea what I will be making from this sample, but it will be knitted for sure! The Heinz 57 yarn is in between corriedale and merino for the softness. I don't think it should be near skin-contact. It would be lovely as a beret styled hat. I think I might have to get more of this fiber in this color so that I can spin some up for a beret! This fiber was a pleasure to work with. It was a very different fiber than what I am used to, though. It was great to try something new. Dawn sells this fiber for cheap! Totally recommend her! You would think that this fiber would cost much more than I would think it would be.

If you are able to get your hands on this fiber, I would totally recommend it! It is one of my favorite fibers to spin now that I have tried it! 

A special thanks to Dawn for working with me on this fiber! 

If you want to find more about Dawn:
Ravelry: dlyn1124
Etsy: Daybreak Dyeworks

Welcome!

First of all, thank you or visiting my blog. I hope you like it. I will be having spinning reviews up soon! I do not have a schedule at the moment, but when I get more developed, I most likely will have some sort of schedule to posting!

As I am still developing this blog, please be patient with me. I still have to get some samples to spin up in order to do this.

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