Interesting colour experiments

The blue jersey rug is off the loom.  The little bits of colour were added randomly.  I kept the balls of colour behind me and just grabbed one whenever I wanted to put in a shot of colour.
I liked working with the jersey fabric strips.   I pre- stretched the strips when I cut them and then again when I wound them on the shuttle.  I think this helped mitigate any stretching problems.
I shudder to think how boring this rug would have been without the little shots of colour.   The fabric had some uneven fading, which has made for a nice variation of blue tones in the background.  It makes the rug look rippled, when it is quite flat.

I decided to wind a long warp for some scarves.  I used a wool/silk blend which was a natural white colour.   My goal was really just to use up some old dyes and try my hand at painting the warp.   I wound off a 10 yard warp which was calculated to give me 4 scarves.  

I set up my work space out on the deck to help contain any mess.  I didn't think it would be a good idea to have my big girl camera out on my work table while it was covered with dyes, a bucket and a jar of water, so instead I stuck my camera in my pocket so that I could take photos of the process.   I neglected to actually take the phone out of my pocket for any photos at all!  

I spread old newspapers on the table, laid out a strip of plastic wrap and put the warp on top of it.  The warp had been soaked in vinegar, water and a tiny bit of dish soap for a couple of hours.  I have synthropol someplace, but in the kitchen reno, I've obviously moved it to a hidden location.  Either way, dish soap or synthropol, 1/4 tsp is all you need to help with the wetting of the fibre.

My dyes were really old.  Some were gelling and separating.  I did a lot of shaking and mixing and ignored any flaking. I took no notes nor did I accurately measure since I wasn't sure if my dyes would work the way they should, being that old.   I was pretty sure I'd get some colour though.  The results might just not have been what I totally expected.

 The only bit which was a very nice surprise was the red/light orange/black combination.  It was supposed to be a dark green instead of black, but I grabbed the wrong jar of dye.  However, the red and black ran into the orange, darkening it enough that it no longer looked like a rendition of the German flag.   I really watered down the black, so it should have been a much paler grey.   Regardless, the colours are gorgeous and I'm really happy with the outcome.    I'm looking forward to weaving this set of scarves.    Now to finish up the rest of the rug warp on the loom and re-adjust the project queue.