Targhee/silk spinning fiber: Truffula (Original Recipe)

This colorway was intended to be Sweet Summer Child, but in the dyepot it morphed into Truffula. This is a colorway that has evolved over the years, but here it is in its original form. Inspired by the trees that the Lorax wanted to save, Truffula is a combination of brilliant cherry red, vivid orange, sunny yellow, soft raspberry, and rich purple.

Both the Targhee and the silk started off as combed top, and were carefully pin-drafted together rather than carded. The result is a soft and springy blend that is free of the neps and noils that you might see in some small-farm Targhee. 

Pin-drafting produces fiber that is thinner than commercial top. To make the dyeing process easier, I doubled the fiber, so as you unbraid the fiber, you’ll see that there are two separate “strands.” This also makes it easy to preserve color changes if you want a 2-ply yarn--just spin each strand separately on different bobbins and ply them together.

If you're not familiar with Targhee, it's a relatively young sheep breed that was orginally developed in the early 1900s in Idaho from Rambouillet, Corriedale, and Lincoln stock. The Targhee used in this blend was grown and processed in the U.S., and was selected for its softness (23.0-23.5 microns). Soft and springy, with a smaller carbon footprint, it's a fiber that's as beautiful as it is truly all-American.