Elasticity and Color

The yarns above were all spun from the batt below. Changing the color of the core yarn seriously affects the final look and so does the texture. Starting at the far right - the batt was pulled in strips so both the top and the bottom were represented equally. It was coiled over a pink cotton. The super coil immediately to the left was spun from just the pink part of the batt. The third from the right was spun with strips of the batt with both colors being equally represented again, but the core thread was a teal. The textured yarn at the left is a single from just the blue, knotted over a yellow core thread and then plied to a blue thread. The knots did not stay where I wanted them, so I plied with the blue. Turned out quite interesting.
Below are two skeins that show how different fibers behave. The skein on the right is 100% kid mohair off Dainty- one of the red kids from last year that got bottle fed. I love the deep chocolate color. Most of the red goats tend to have paler mohair.

The skein on the left is the same red kid mohair with white kid mohair dyed red and white Merino. In the wash, the 100% kid mohair kept its original length. It is best suited for shawls or items not requiring elasticity. The blend with the Merino shrunk. When knitting, the yarn will stretch back out. Anything made from this skein of yarn will require blocking.

A Shetland ram was born yesterday evening. No photo till I am sure that he will make it. Too depressing otherwise. He was a lot larger than other lambs born this year and his mother had a hard time pushing him out. He feels nice and sturdy. Due to the heat, I am supplementing him with a bottle. We have seen him drinking off mom. Mom bellowed for hours after his delivery, so we put them in a pen in the barn and closed the doors to give them a chance to bond - and to cut down on the noise. Talk about loud! I am told that I am overly sensitive, but .......