2008-10-31 - 10:17 a.m.

Happy Halloween everyone. I have been cleaning for fall and found some old Cushing dye packets from a Maryland Sheep and Wool about a hundred years back. I started up the dyepot and threw in something called Mulberry. I soaked some camel yarn in Synthrapol and boy it was flithy! I also tossed in some Mohair Boucle from New Zealand (Touch Yarns). It's original color didn't float my boat. So I overdyed. I got a lovely Mahogany color on the mohair and a decent maroon on the camel. Aftewards while rinsing, the color just kept coming out. Finally I tossed in more vinegar and that seemed to do it.

I wanted to play with end of the season naturals dyes. Our drought and quick freeze put the kaboosh on that idea. I did some mohair with goldenrod in alum and then I overdyed in a cold copper nitrate bath to get a soft lime green. I let it soak for three weeks. I also trimmed back the sage bush (salvia officinalis) and mordanted with copper sulfate. I got almost the same shape of green but not quite as much yellow. I'm really pleased with these colors.

Well I suppose since it'll be nice out today, I better get some yardwork done. Without yardwork, there would be no "Weed of the Week" yarns.

Ursula

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