Lately I've been working through my Nunoco stash - previously afraid of stripping the beautiful batts and "ruining" them, I've really grown to love how easily they draft, the gorgeous colour progressions, the subtle texture. I've been working on Hen and Speckled Egg - one a silky neutral, the other a bright and textured cloud of fluff - but both thoroughly enjoyable.
Hen is merino with tussah silk - I've been spinning it as a light to dark gradient. It drafts like a dream, and wants to be spun fine. I'm just over halfway with the batts, and can see the colours getting darker and richer - from beige and gold through to a lovely warm brown. I planned to spin Rooster the same way, though I'm so pleased with the simplicity of Hen that I may well keep it as a chain-plied gradient.
Speckled Egg was a venture into unknown territory. I'd never spun textured yarn before, so the silk noil scared me a little. The batt is a gradient from grey through to a light blue, through to a gorgeous turquoise jade with a little mint marbled through. I've kept the colour as is, with the aim to chain ply and end with a gradient yarn. I've actually really enjoyed the surprise appearances here and there of the brown silk noil - the speckles really make the yarn something special. I love how they puff out and marble with the blues and greens.
A highlight of the weekend was spending the day in Barcelona with friends. We popped into 4gats for drink and a chat - it's a gorgeous old-style cafe where Mr Picasso himself would hang out (or so the story goes) - before going for a wander around the city.
Words can't explain how much I love it here - there's something magical about wandering through the old city cente and stumbling upon a lively craft fair, or a handmade food market. It's difficult to classify the old and the new as a juxtaposition - they're so much more than that. They match so well, like they were made to be placed side by side. Modern shops housed in old buildings, markets in old city squares, food vans and theatrical events in the old Cuitadella park... It just works. The sunshine helps too.
One of the lovely things about living just outside of the city is how clear the skies are at night. The stars never stop sparkling. And really, when you can step out onto the terrace and see a view like this, what more do you need?
