Greens and all the Rainbow Glory

Natural Rainbow Glory

Left to right strips: Goldenrod/Indigo(4), Indigo(4), Indigo/Cochineal(3), Logwood(1), Cochineal(2), Bloodroot(2), BlackWalnut(3),OsageOrange(1), Marigold(1), Goldenrod(2)

I always have extra yarns around when I simmer up this many colors and dye bits and pieces.  I have finally knit up a little swatch to show them off.  

Greens are everywhere in nature especially in summer but it is really hard to achieve in natural dyeing without over dyeing (combining two colors).  Indigo and goldenrod have to be my favorite color combinations - they greens I are given are spectacular and I like to leave the finished color all around the house so I can just look at it as I pass by.    

I was dyeing two different yarns - Bartlett and Brown Sheep - both produce wonderful greens but spectacularly different even pulled from the same pot at the same time.

Here are the finished custom naturally dyed yarns for Green Meadow Waldorf School.  You too could have spectacular color just drop me an email by stoping by my Etsy shop, I dye yarns, loose wool and some natural cloth.

Brown Sheep Worsted: OnionSkins, Marigold, BlackWalnut, Logwood, Blackwalnut/Logwood, Cochineal/Indigo, Bloodroot, Cochineal 2ndRow: Goldenrod, Mint (Iron), Indigo/goldenrod, Indigo, Indigo/Cochineal

Bartlette Yarns:  OnionSkins, Goldenrod, Goldenrod/Indigo, Indigo, 2nd row:Bloodroot, BlackWalnut, Cochineal/Indigo, Cochineal

Used the Indigo pot to dye some cloths for the obligatory Family Beach shot - I think its going to be great this year.

Natural Dye Chart

I have been doing a  lot of Natural Dyeing this summer already.  These are some samples I kept.  If you have any questions let me know.  Different wools (breeds and there for yarns) soak up the dye differently.

A Late Walk

When I go up through the mowing field,
The headless aftermath,
Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
Half closes the garden path.

And when I come to the garden ground,
The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
Is sadder than any words

A tree beside the wall stands bare,
But a leaf that lingered brown,
Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
Comes softly rattling down.

I end not far from my going forth
By picking the faded blue
Of the last remaining aster flower
To carry again to you. 

 - Robert Frost

My latest spun yarn - which is already fingerless gloves.

Dyeing with Wolf Lichen

Wolf Lichen

Wolf Lichen (Letharia vulpina) is a yellow-green branching fungus that grows on
the bark of conifers (living and dead), and is toxic to mammals. It was historically
used as a poison for wolves and foxes (thus the name), and was used to make a
pigment for dyes and paints by the Native Americans in areas in which it grows.
It was also used in a healing poultice, and boiled for a drink to stop bleeding. 

I visited CA last year and picked up some of this lichen off the ground - the yellow is amazing!  I plan on double dipping some of it in Indigo and I am sure the greens will be very bright as the yellow I got has an florescence too it.  Unbelievable that it's a natural color.

 I received a wonderful gift of a fleece this spring and decided to try my hand (again!) at washing it in the bathtub.  Much to my backs dismay I finished.  Outside to card and then spin.  I have two skeins so far and I might make another.  I do need to find a vest pattern I like as it would be a shame if I didn't take this project all the way from sheep to shawl.

 This is more the natural color (photo above) even though it looks doctored.  The other pictures have the yarn looking much more pale than it is.

Summer Dyeing

I was commissioned to plant dye some yarn for The Green Meadow Waldorf School this summer.  Chris is the co-director of Fiber Craft Studio and one of my teachers for my Waldorf training.  We emailed back and forth about the colors the school needed, but I was given artistic license to trust the colors that came out of the dye pots.  

The strength of color was at its best, left over dye pots were used to dye some lighter shades, but most were left to soak in the pot for a longer time or multiple dips to acquire the darker shade. So many people associate pale colors with plant dyeing, or colors that fade.  If done properly colors will not fade (as I do with Cream of Tartar & Alum) or with use of strong pots (if that is your color taste), you will be left with some amazing colors to play with.

 I obtained the different yellows thru willow tree tips (a creamy yellow) Osage Orange and also, onion skins.  The pinks and the darker pink/red was strictly cochineal mixed with cream of tartar (that brings out the reds).  Purples are made with Indigo over cochineal and then the green are Indigo over the different yellows a mentioned above.  Browns were made by a cold bath of black walnuts as well as a hot bath of the same (yes, you get different colors hot vs. cold).  The sheet of paper I used to figure out the colors and over dyeing looked like a tennis match tournament and I was surprise when it was all done correctly.

All in all I was please and so were the handwork teachers, lots of love & long hours but worth it in the end.

Rainbow of Plant Dyed Yarns - ©Ithaca Waldorf Handworks & More

My adventures at Rhinebeck Festival

Hi and welcome to my windy October. Gusts of wind are up to 40 miles per hour and its cold! I'm glad that the weather (during the day) held off and were nice and sunny. The festival at Rheinbeck was so much fun. I have lots of photos to share.

This a beautiful wool from a Spinnery in Maine (that I have actually been too!) - It is wind powered and uses plant dyes.  Wonderful colors and really nice people.

These are Romney sheep (I think, if I remember correctly).  People here really love their animals - rightfully so.

This is how one company gets there roving.  Its Merino wool and it was the coolest thing I ever saw - It was at least 100+ pounds worth.

This a painting done in wool - yes I said wool.  Can you tell the size - look at the bottom and see the box.  I think this would stand 5/6 feet tall and did I mention its all wool!

These were the best hats ever.  I love the funk - which isn't too funky like some of them can get.  She wanted $65 for the brown one and I almost bought it... I will have to see if I can do it myself.

I visited with my teachers at Sunbridge - no scratch that - Fiber Craft Studio and managed not to get a photo (sorry).  I did see my great blogger friend Lisa Anne.  So much fun to see you!  I slept in my car in the parking lot (next to all the campers so as not to really be alone) and boy was it cold.  It was down to 30/32 degrees at night and I love my new sleeping bag! 

All this color is just giving me goose bumps!

I really had such a great time walking around and talking with people that had such a close interest and also so creative.  The food was good but expensive and the $2.00 cup of coffee was $1.00 for the hand warmer and $1.00 for the luke warm drink after the first part did its job.  The afternoons warned up quite a bit - in the 50's  so that was nice.  There were several natural dyers and also people that sold the supplies.  Its so nice when you don't have to pay the shipping.   It was however a 4 hour drive - but so worth it.  Below is a photo of a beautiful Cotswold sheep in its harness to get shorn for a judging show.

Baaaa for now - dinner cooking.

Lots to show and tell

Lots to show - here is my sons kindergarten - beautiful room.

He loves school - such a change from last year.

My older one loves school too - we have the "best" teacher in the building - Yea!

I was dyeing with goldenrod and dyers coriopsis today - beautiful oranges and yellow.  Goldenrod changes if you put it in an ammonia water bath.  The three on the left are all out of the same pot.  The colors are just so striking.  The yellows are for the first grade knit lion project.  I would think they will start it after the holidays.  It will be great to bring the sunshine into the classroom during the cold winter months.   

This is the Dyers coriopsis flower - different from the yellow version.

Here we are flying kites and my husband is cutting down the hops up on the porch.  He use to make lots of beer but house projects have taken over lately.  I hope he makes more soon - I might steal some of the flowers to dye with if he is not careful!!

Can't you just taste them!!