I finally got around to the last dye vat I need for homework! I wanted blue because the final project will have to have some natural dyed element as well, so this morning I worked up an Indigo vat. I dragged the whole thing outside and it was warm enough that the stainless pot I was using actually warmed up in the sunshine! I used the recipe from The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing: Traditional Recipes for Modern Use by J.N. Liles. He has lots of Indigo recipes for different methods. This was just a standard chemically reduced vat, using an indigo stock solution.
The vat is ready for it's first dip. It reduced pretty quickly and I ended up adding the second half of the indigo stock I'd made up. It was more than I needed, but I didn't like how yellow it got, so quickly.
I tried to get a picture of the yellowy-green yarn coming out of the vat, but I really wasn't fast enough, considering I had to take the camera from my neck to avoid it dropping in the vat while I was removing yarn! This is moments after though, when I'd just tossed it on the chair arm and grabbed the camera.
Three dips later. I was a tad worried because my daughter called when I was just about to pull the yarn out of the vat and it sat for 10 minutes so or longer, but it seems fine. I didn't want it any darker than this or it wouldn't have the right contrast with the other yarn I'm using. I'm sure there is still viable indigo in the vat, but I've nothing else to dye right now! It will be paired with a brown yarn.
I wasn't sure when my garlic would be ready to harvest, so I dug up one plant. It's close but still needs a bit of time to fill out the cloves a bit more I think. My cousin is harvesting his this week! You can't let it go too long or the paper skins split but not long enough and you get smaller heads and cloves. It's drying in a shaded area because I read someplace it can get sunburned!
I was stuck in a waiting room last night. I brought a ball of sock yarn and some needles to keep me busy, knowing full well that I was just going to sample the colour of the new yarn and likely rip it out when I got home. It was really inexpensive and wondered what it really looked like. Well, it took over 3 hours of waiting and I got almost to the heel flap! Way too much work to rip it back These socks will be a reality whether I like the colourway or not - it's not bad :)
The vat is ready for it's first dip. It reduced pretty quickly and I ended up adding the second half of the indigo stock I'd made up. It was more than I needed, but I didn't like how yellow it got, so quickly.
I tried to get a picture of the yellowy-green yarn coming out of the vat, but I really wasn't fast enough, considering I had to take the camera from my neck to avoid it dropping in the vat while I was removing yarn! This is moments after though, when I'd just tossed it on the chair arm and grabbed the camera.
Three dips later. I was a tad worried because my daughter called when I was just about to pull the yarn out of the vat and it sat for 10 minutes so or longer, but it seems fine. I didn't want it any darker than this or it wouldn't have the right contrast with the other yarn I'm using. I'm sure there is still viable indigo in the vat, but I've nothing else to dye right now! It will be paired with a brown yarn.
I wasn't sure when my garlic would be ready to harvest, so I dug up one plant. It's close but still needs a bit of time to fill out the cloves a bit more I think. My cousin is harvesting his this week! You can't let it go too long or the paper skins split but not long enough and you get smaller heads and cloves. It's drying in a shaded area because I read someplace it can get sunburned!
I was stuck in a waiting room last night. I brought a ball of sock yarn and some needles to keep me busy, knowing full well that I was just going to sample the colour of the new yarn and likely rip it out when I got home. It was really inexpensive and wondered what it really looked like. Well, it took over 3 hours of waiting and I got almost to the heel flap! Way too much work to rip it back These socks will be a reality whether I like the colourway or not - it's not bad :)
I was stuck in a waiting room today and did the very same thing! I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on a book. And I'm just about the same place that you are, but not to the heel flap. That's irony.
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