Fini..

Sometimes things don't go as planned.

Which can lead to good things or panic...or both.

Due to the love of a supportive weaver,

regrouping, and burrowing deeper the 

warp is dyed.  Most colors naturally, one not, and 

then one a little of both.

The sample swatch is hard to see but it is resting on the

dark violet yarn.  The colors are pretty darn close.

~

Saxon Blue...

Being that I've never tried Saxon Blue natural dye, I thought it best

to try a few samples before attempting to dye the guild's

sheep-to-shawl warp.

A dear friend gave me this vintage dye book.  As I opened the front cover I noticed

it was autographed on the inside!  After posting the photo on Instagram I got a message from a friend in Montana ~ she went and dug her copy out and it was autographed too!

That little book was the only one that mentioned Saxon Blue.  

Not much information that I can find on the internet either.  

Following the instructions included in the package the first sample went in the pot.  

It was dyed first with a light fustic yellow in hope of getting a spring green.

MINT.

The bottom collection of samples were all Saxon Blue.

I pretty much tried everything:

different yellows

different depth of shade

different modifiers in the dye bath

.. but mostly the blue wouldn't strike.

The water would be a lovely green but when the yarn came out..yellow.

It was an interesting day and I'll continue to research, but 

today I am making an indigo vat to get the spring greens I need.

Couldn't resist a snap of the gorgeous moon last night as we sat

at the campfire.  

Now... back to the drawing board.

~

Building a coverlet..

Top photo taken by Karen Parsons

The volunteers at The Depreciation Lands Museum hand spun the five

pounds of yarn in the top photo.

This yarn is to be hand woven into a coverlet for the cabin

on the property.

Yesterday Marilyn and I dyed all the yarns

in Indigo.

They turned out beautifully!

There are so many hands building this coverlet.

Can't wait to see it on the loom!

~

Exotics..

It is a rainy Sunday here so I thought I would sit down and label some

naturally dyed yarn samples.  These mini skeins were dyed with left over dyes from

a guild program I did last week on four exotic natural dyes:

Cochineal, Fustic, Logwood, and Madder

While Madder is currently my favorite dye, I am LOVING

the trio here obtained with Logwood combinations.

Lovely rainbow achieved from the four dyes, but I want to try to add

a green without using indigo..

~

Getting lost..

Five dreamy days unplugged,

in a cabin,

hiking,

knitting,

and listening to the rain.

The solitude fuels my soul.

Pink Lily-of-the-Valley and the 'Wildheart' shawl.

The madder dyed yarn reminds me of the

damp pine needle hiking trails along the creek.

Dyeing up a few samples of Fustic, a tropical hardwood natural dye.

Lovely soft, clear yellows.

Soft peach after a dip in a exhausted madder root bath.

~

Yarn Along..

Our December weather has been extremely mild.

It is such a treat to throw the doors open and enjoy

experimenting with the colors of Madder.

The diversity of  the Madder root has captured my heart. 

While I miss the snow it has been wonderful to enjoy

long warm walks on our favorite trail.

... that moon ...

Just finished reading:

The Children's Blizzard

This story kept me up to the wee hours of the morning to finish the book.

It particularly appealed to me as our distant relatives were immigrants 

from Norway and settled in the Dakotas.

After reading this I can't believe anyone survived 

leaving their homeland, homesteading, and the wrath of Mother Nature!

~

Joining Ginny

Coaxing color..

Last weekend I headed South to attend the

Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival

near Asheville, NC.

The road trip was inspired by the opportunity to take a class from the delightful 

master natural dyer Jackie Ottino Graf.

You can listen to a wonderful interview

with Jackie HERE

Some of her gorgeous natural dye swatches from

Swans Island Yarn Company:

Over the course of the day we mixed, brewed, and coaxed twenty different colors

from ONE natural dye: madder root.

Our results were breathtaking..

Thank you Jackie for the bond you've created around the dye pot.

You really "Make it Madder"..

~

Haul

The leaves are coming on slowly.

I love when the trails are peppered with color.

These squishy soft alpaca / wool yarns were dyed with the

last of the hickory hull haul from Squirrel Nutkin..

They are calling for the loom.

~ Happy Friday! ~

Brewing rainbows..

Autumn is the season of the rainbow.

The harvesting of Mother Nature's summer work.

..chopping, stewing, straining colors..

~ natural dye demonstrations and vending festivals ~

...brewing...

r.a.i.n.b.o.w.s

~

Squirrel Nutkin

Hickory hull dyed yarns..

The hulls were left for me by the little red squirrel, who

I believe is living in the wood shed.

There is plenty of wood waiting for me to stack.

I bet I find hickory nuts packed to the ceiling!

The hulls dyed up so beautifully.

Little nutkin is still working away out there.

Thanks little friend ~ 

I'll be out to gather more hulls later...

: )

~

Yarn Along..

September starts my favorite time of the year.

I am autumns child.

It kicks off with the annual 'Harvest Festival'

and the (be still my heart) antique sale at the barn.

Always full of treasures, but for me it is really about just 

getting to "be" in that gorgeous barn once a year.

Spent some time in the village poking around shops.

Then home to start labeling yarns for vending at Penn's Colony.

..naturally dyed..

::love::

Just checked this out at the library last night and can't wait to 

read it:

Nature's Colors: Dyes from Plants by Ida Grae

Knitting away on the Antarctis which is perfect for

days filled with blue skies and falling leaves.

~

Joining Ginny

Solace

Finished a lovely little shawl this weekend.

I chose to use some of my naturally dyed

yarns ~ a lace weight dyed with Logwood

and a fingering weight dyed with Cochineal.

The blend of the two yarn weights makes for a light,

soft, and warm shawl!  Up until now I haven't really knit with lace weight yarn.

Such a nice way to try it out without having to commit to a "lace" project!

Pattern:

Solace by Janina Kallio Designs

~

Infinite Nature

 "I thank you God for this most amazing day, 

for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, 

and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, 

which is infinite, which is yes." 

~e.e. Cummings

Yesterday I had the honor of teaching a natural dye class

 at the beautiful Winnie Palmer Nature Center.

The display table of natural dyed samples for the students.

Lots of mixing, dipping, stirring, rinsing..

more rinsing...

and 

we did it..

.. a rainbow of colors..

There were rockets.

Literally.

It was the airshow and the Blue Angels flew over head.

Thank you ladies for a most amazing day.

May your spirits leap and soar as you continue to find rainbows.

xo

~

Color study

"I love to study the many things that grow below the corn stalks and bring them back to the studio to study the color. 

If one could only catch that true color of nature - the very thought of it drives me mad."

~Andrew Wyeth~

I've been wanting to try natural dyeing with daffodils since last spring.

So this year, I gathered...dyed some super soft

merino/silk (non-SW) and..

well..

off white.

Re-gathered, gave the yarn a second trip through

the dye bath and ended up with the above.

A creamy yellow beige.

Not what I was expecting, but then that's 

what I love about natural dyeing.  You never

really know what will come from the dye pot.

~

Yarn Along..

"...Now in those times, bits of sky could be eaten.  

It was different from other foods.  

Rice fills the belly, but sky fills the heart.  

The woman reached for the sky and broke off a piece, 

But eating the sky could be dangerous business.  

One could become selfish in their desire, intoxicated, and this was a terrible taboo.

The woman's hunger was stronger than her fear of what she knew had been forbidden, 

and she devoured more and more, until she was drink with it.

As punishment, God pulled the sky higher.

With the heavens now so far above, and God even farther, the people of the land and their children, and their children for generations to come, each filled with their own great hunger, were set out on a trail of infinite desire.

Their longing was made material in the bluest of God's 

blues - in garments dyed in indigo.'

-Adapted by the author from West African folklore, various provenances

Partial except by Catherine McKinley's book above:

Indigo: in search of the color that seduced the world.

~

Joining Ginny..

Gratitude..

"Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you,

and to give thanks continuously.

And because all things have contributed to your advancement,

you should include all things in your gratitude."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

I so appreciate all the love and support near and far.

The festival yesterday was an amazing experience..

simply wonderful.

A most heartfelt and sincere thank you..!

~

Yarn Along..

Spend a little time camping last weekend.

Packed up my stuff and settled into the cabin.

Deep woods.

Hiking.

River time.

Took some things to get ready for the 

Indy Knit and Spin Festival this weekend...

and of course some knitting!

This morning:

Coffee in the studio..

clouds..

birds talking at the feeder..

.. and label ALL the woolz..

: )

~

Joining Ginny

Personality..

The thing about natural dyeing is you never know what is going to come out of the dye pot.

Each skein has its own personality...

The smokey lavender of Logwood.

Cheerful salmon that reminds me of summer begonias

which was a result of dyeing with marigolds from the garden and 

some cochineal.  If you look closely there are these

lovely tangerine undertones.

Buttery marigold from the summer garden.  

I froze all the blooms I could stuff into the freezer.

So hard to let them go..

Hoping to get some summer cheer this winter

from the frozen blooms.

~

These skeins have been listed in the Etsy Shop

if you care to enjoy some colors of nature.