Hand-painted roving

Yesterday I dyed some roving. Roving is fiber processed into a form that's ready to spin. I had 7.8 ounces of superwash Bluefaced Leicester which I divided into two 3.9 ounce sections.

Here I am laying out the roving on my outdoor work surface:

I have a very affectionate helper:

Here are the dyes I used. They are weak acid dyes, set with vinegar:

Placing the dye on the roving:

More placing of dye. It was a hot, humid day, so I was going for cool, melon colors:

Another helper strolling out of the garden:

Another helper, waiting for someone to throw the ball:

After the dye was squirted on, I wrapped the rovings up in plastic wrap and microwaved them for 4 minutes to set the dye.

Here they are after being rinsed and hung to dry:

Here they are dry and waiting to be braided up. I think I'll call this mix of colors 'melon patch':

Now I have to go - I'm off to the farmer's market to spend some money!