2011 Colors from My Valley

24 Sep

Here are the results if 2010 gathering & growing and 2011 dyeing. Lots of details on my old blog http://www.debmcclintock.com/Debmcclintock/Debs_Dyepot_Blog/Debs_Dyepot_Blog.html

I’ve done 5 scarves from all the color samples. The toughest thing was combining the colors so each scarf showed off it’s colors. The project started as a dye sample project, not a finished product project so I had a real challenge in pulling the colors togeather so they did not clash. BUT I did find out the minimum amount I needed to get great colors so next year I’ll plan bigger skeins.

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Drought in Texas Hill Country continues – dyepots on hold!

24 Sep

We are in a mean drought right now and I’ve put my dyeing on hold.  I’m continuing to pick my Cota Navajo Tea and dry it.  After a heavy dew I am gathering lichen and will soak it in ammonia to pull the color.   I do have the Japanese Indigo leaves coming in and will run one more dyepot with the leaves that will provide me with a blue.  It is a use it or lose it with the indigo and I’ve already invested water into those plants.  But other than drying lichen and cota and gathering acorns, lichen and oak galls , the dyepot is on hold.

The rain water cistern is down to half full.  We’ve switched over to the well and watching the tropics for rain!  The Texas Hill Country needs a tropical storm or baby hurricane to help lift water tables and refill lakes.  For now, the dyepots are quiet until the thunder booms.  THINK RAIN!

Hopi Sunflower Seed Color

7 Sep

Here is the Hopi Sunflower color. From left to right: sunflower seed simmered and held overnight to soak, strained and silk added, middle skein is Hopi sunflower with iron, third skein is exhaust dyebath. All silk skeins are mordanted in alum sulfate.

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It is now August 25, 2020. Here is a photo of the same skein shown which has been resting quietly waiting to be woven. It still holds color and has shifted a bit grey but the purple still holds. It has not been out in the sun or subject to washing or pH changes.

Hopi Sunflower Seed

1 Sep

Prepping the seed and flowerheads for the dyepot.

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Texas ball moss leno

25 Aug

Here’s my sample scarf testing the material sett for weaving a larger shawl with my cotton/polyester dyed with Texas Ball Moss.

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Lichen scarf earns fair ribbon

19 Aug

Yahoo! Lichen scarf wins Crafts & Hobbies category in Blanco County Fair. Warp is Texas Parmotrema Austrosinese (unwhiskered ruffle lichen) soaked in alcohol. Weft is same lichen simmered in water.

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No black yet

18 Aug

Well, I got some nice tannin golds from the persimmon. I used a bit of iron with one skein. They are displayed on top of a southern Lao cotton blanket. These skeins are destined to be over dyed with drought lichen to see what other color combinations lurk here in my valley.

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Going for brown or black!

18 Aug

Here’s the preliminary silk color on the right from the search for persimmon black. Can it happen?

 

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Soaking persimmons so they can be crushed

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Fermenting persimmons for the color

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Colors on silk blank and on silk yarn skein, worth the ferment!

 

Persimmon Gold

4 Aug

Here’s the latest dye experiment with Texas Persimmons. This was the fermentation dip method.

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Starting anew on Word Press

3 Aug

Hi folks, I’ve jumped again to another blog format….for weaving sake here is one of my latest commissions.  It was designed to go above a fireplace and I think the limestone wall shows off the many colors of the mohair.

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