PURPLE PASSION

GD wants a purple hat-'not too purple' she says as she rolls up the front window of her car and starts the engine to back out of the driveway.

How purple is not too purple? Purple is NOT my favorite color so this is going to be a real chore but it will force that notation of 'working outside of the comfort box'. Let's dye the yarn purple--there are plenty of dyes in the bin--all it takes is a red and a blue to make purple--right? Oh, crunchberries, what red and what blue will give us the perfect purple to suit her pretty brown/reddish hair (oh, what color does she have it dyed now anyway?) There is a bright red and blue, a navy blue and brillant red, a fushia and teal, turquoise and red--who can tell is the correct PURPLE? Does this mean many batches of purple have to be mixed to obtain the right one? OH, joy of joys! purple on hand for the ages! Maybe, the yarn can be given away if it isn't the one that suits her taste. There are lots of 'purple' people out there who would just love to have another purple yarn in their stash. Today the hands and fingertips are blue and specks of red show on the dyeing apron--rinse, rinse that stuff right out of the yarn. Isn't that from a song? Hang to dry along with the dishcloth that just happen to be used to test the color--wait and see if this is the right shade of purple.
Is this Purple enough or not purple enough? Notice that the linen cloth took up the blue color from the dyebath.

What is Purple? from "Hailstones and Halibut Bones" by Mary O'Neill and illustrated by John Wallner--a favorite book of colors

Time is purple

Just before night

When most people

Turn on the light----

But if you don't it's

A beautful sight.

Asters are purple,

There's purple ink.

Purple's more popular

Than you think. . .

It's sort of a great

Grandmother to pink.

There are purple shadows

and purple veils,

Some ladies purple

Their fingernails.

There's purple jam

And purple jell

And a purple bruise

Next day will tell

Where you landed

When you fell.

The purple feeling

Is rather put-out

The purple look is a

Definite pout.

But the purple sound

Is the loveliest thing

It's a violet opening

In the spring.





Then there are the wonderful purple plants--lavender! ck out Blanco, TX 5th annual Lavender Festival, June 12-14. http://www.blancolavenderfest.com/


Closer to Houston is Chappell Hill Lavender Farm http://www.chappellhilllavender.com/