Last June, Jill Draper encouraged us to try something new. As one of our favorite custom yarn dyers and designers we were eager to oblige. She wanted to try creating an ombre striping yarn by carding already dyed wool instead of dying finished skeins.
Jill and her Mom brought beautiful wool fiber to the Spinnery in two natural shades and some brilliant dyed in the wool colors in both warm and cool spectrums. We cranked up the machines to see what was possible.
Here you can see bobbins of her beautiful yarn fresh from the steamer after having been spun.
Just this week, as she was preparing to head to Vogue Knitting Live in NYC she announced on Ravelry and via Instagram that her new yarn was going to be making its debut this weekend!
© Jill Draper
© Jill Draper
Rifton is a single ply, fine USA grown and spun wool yarn, approximately 21.5 microns, and lives somewhere between a stripe and an ombré. Because the batch was a first for both us and Jill, the cakes of this beautiful yarn have unique yardages. Jill will ensure that each skein has the yardage noted, please check yardage needed as this is a single batch yarn.
We can’t wait to see what crafters make with these skeins. If you aren’t headed to New York, you may be able to find a few skeins in her Etsy Shop next week.