EWESPECIAL

Friday, April 10, 2015

Fiver (5) Years Ago...........................

What were you doing Five years ago? That would make it April 10, 2010--it has a nice ring to the date--but, can I remember what I was doing five years ago! NO!

That's where a blog comes in handy--it's a journal; a writing of memories so here I can give you a flashback to five years ago--a popular topic in my book!

April, 2010..........................................

One Pot Dyeing or the Tale of a Lazy Dyer To dye or not to dye? That is the question; and when the answer is 'to dye', the lazy dyer is willing! First, look to see if there is some dirty fleece in the fiber closet--definitely, dirty fleece. We are talking fleece right off the animal. Fleece that hasn't touched water or soap--dirty, loaded with wonderful lanolin. We are happy to report there is one dirty fleece just waiting for those colors-- Please don't ask the breed--there is no information available in the bag and the memory is faulty in that regard. But, we can certainly tell it is most likely one of the prize winning fleeces bought at Estes Park Wool Market. The staple is silky, long and soft; excellent for spinning and more importantly, dyeing. This fleece has a nice gray tint.
Set up the dyepot with all the proper equipment (plastic gloves, mask, dyepot, covered work space, vinegar etc). Now, cram, yes cram, that fleece into the dyepot. Make sure there is a little top space. Glug, glug some vinegar into the dye--we are talking lazy now. If you prefer, you can measure vinegar. Cover the fleece with cool water. Add water just till it covers the fleece. Do Not fill to the rim of the pot. We are ready to add color.
We are using three primary colors (acid dyes)--yellow, red, blue--thinking about the migration of colors--what colors will you get with this mixture? Oranges, purples, greens and a varied cross selection. We are sprinkling the dry powder right onto the top of the fiber. This is where you put on that mask. You can do a cross with dye or triangle, square, one section, any way you want. Here we have used a cross with the yellow dye, which takes a little longer to activate for some reason.
Now, sprinkle the other sections with other chosen colors. Most often I use only three colors but you can use more. Make sure all the dye powder has been dissolved in the water by gently pressing down to get it wet. Now, you are ready to cover the pot, turn the burner to low, very low and wait 30 minutes. Make sure it does not boil or you'll have muddy colors. Patiently, waiting................
Look what was pulled from the first pot!! Pull the fiber from the dyepot and place where it can cool. DO NOT DISCARD the remaining water. There is more dye in the pot. Repeat the process of cramming the fiber into the pot, cover with water, sprinkle dyes (you can use different color range or the same), add more vinegar, heat on low, cover the pot and wait 30 minutes..... Second pot color. Okay, let's do it again! DO NOT DISCARD liquid--cram more wool into pot, repeat process. We continue to do this until there is no fleece available. Third pot! WOW! what color ranges! Now, the fingers are itching, just itching for this fiber to dry so we can take them to the spinning wheel. After fibers have dried completely, rinse in warm water until color runs clear. The dye liquid remaining could also be frozen for another dye. Too bad, there isn't another dirty fleece in the fiber closet. And that is the way this lazy dyer gets her color.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

From Where I Stand........................

Well, I'm standing knee deep in history!

and my eyes wander to the walls

that are lined with tapestries!

Rich silk threads woven through wool threads....

From where I'm standing I'm thinking about the person or persons who

spent many an hour of their lives creating these beautiful

masterpieces!

Lovely works of arts that were worked in dark rooms

with little lighting

working fingers through the warp

Gobelins_Manufactory --royal factory supplying the court of Louis XIV and later monarchs

Chateau de Vincennes

Yes, from where I'm standing these tapestries bring to life for me the weavers of early years!

could I be such a weaver at that time?

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

What Nourishes You??

What nourishes me--besides food, water that my body needs?

To nourish me, all I need is to see an advertisement slapped onto a marble pillar outside one of the historic buildings we are visiting in Paris! I really perked up!

Yes! An Indigo exhibition right here near the location where I'm standing!