Solar Dyers Unite & Our Amazing Elizabeth~A Brighid's Dyers' Founding Member Plus

Spring! The return of my beloved, but ever-raucous, Red-winged Blackbirds and the quite beautiful Starlings (really look at their feathers sometime...they're iridescent) to southern Vermont is music to my ears!! Chris would add that it's a tough time to keep a sane bird seed budget...a budget that's strained anyways, as Jenna counted 14 humongous turkeys enjoying themselves under our feeders just yesterday. Nonetheless, all my bird friends AND the chipmunks who've recently peeked their heads out of our rock gardens AND the little red squirrel who has been stuffing his face with sunflower seeds are lively, joyous and welcome company as I spin or knit the day away.

Spring means the eventual demise of winter, even in a Vermont that's stubborn to melt its snow. The sun is beginning to heat things up and is thankfully hanging around longer each and every day. Woohoo! Have already ordered my seeds...dye seeds included. I've been ordering dye seeds for the past few years from Pinetree Garden Seeds of Maine. Their packets are low in price and are of high quality. Most noteworthy, you'll be able to purchase weld seeds at Pinetree, which are not so easy to find otherwise. Anyone else have good sources for dye seeds/plants?

Spring also means it's time to dust off the ol' solar dyeing equipment and check that I'm stocked up on dyes (natural dye extracts, in my case) and assists. Sure, I have a wonderful, safe, indoor dyeing space (as seen in the past post, My Dye Studio) for which I am grateful, especially during inclement weather conditions and the frigid winter months. But once the sun starts shining and the temps go up, solar dyeing here I come...

In this post you'll find photos of a really neat tool that you may enjoy using in your solar dyeing.
I purchased the black box with a clear lid from the Solar Oven Society. No, it wasn't cheap and I must admit, I enjoy using things I can make/buy inexpensively. But this oven is sooooo cool (or hot, as the case may be) that I couldn't resist. It's incredibly efficient and can be re-used yearly. The lid has a film on the inside that captures the rays even when the sun's not at its strongest. And the black box is insulated, to hold in the heat well. Note that the pots come with the set-up, so it's not too pricey afterall, once you add up what's included. I can justify anything I need in my fiber work, can't I? Not a bad trait....IF you ask me and not Chris.

Happy St. Paddy's Day! My celebratory, fiberish contribution is the shamrock (albeit, not of the four leaved variety, but pictured proudly at the bottom) of Louet's Fake Cashmere. The fiber has been naturally dyed with Logwood and Saxon Blue Indigo and was dyed in the above described solar oven. Fake cashmere is 100% nylon and its "strength" will be added to the soles of the socks that will be spun from the naturally dyed Coopworth, shown in the recent past post, Scouring Fleece To Keep Lock Formation.

Before I properly introduce you to Elizabeth, Brighid's Dyers needs a plug, especially since we are heading towards the warmer months. Would YOU like to be one of Brighid's Dyers? If you are interested in solar dyeing, using natural or synthetic dyes, and/or you are interested in dyeing in general, then a member of Brighid's Dyers you can become. No dues involved. Just a love and/or interest in dyeing. Simply comment on the blog with solar or otherwise-heated dyeing questions/thoughts/ideas. If you are blogless (or not), you can send photos related to dyeing to me and I'll feature YOU on a post. Be sure to let me know you WANT to be a member of Brighid's Dyers and you'll be added to the list. Do note that Brighid's Dyers has their own page on Elizabeth's Hemlock Haven Farm website. We've set aside June 30, 2007 for our yearly meeting in Brattleboro, VT. Check Elizabeth's web page for more information about our get-together, complete with show-and-tell, as it becomes available. Brighid's Dyers are quite special in that we are watched over by Brighid ~ Goddess and Saint, who was said to be born with fire shooting out of her head. When trying to decide what to name our group of solar dyeing enthusiasts, we figured Brighid wouldn't mind taking us on. She's been great!! Join us...your dyebaths will thank you!

To read about how I became interested in solar dyeing in the first place and for more on how Brighid's Dyers began, let me refer you to My Early Natural Dyeing Adventures & Brighid's Dyers. In that post, I've referenced THE (historic, to my mind) solar dyeing issue that Spin Off magazine gifted us, back in Summer 1993. My own solar dyeing article, "Sun-Kissed Dyeing," came out in the Spin-Off's Summer 2005 issue.

In "Sun-Kissed Dyeing," I focused on making and using a solar panel for dyeing...a cheap, easy-to-make tool to "catch" the rays to cook the dyes. In the upcoming, Summer 2007 article for Spin-Off, (title of article not firm yet), Terry's Tub will be featured for use in solar dyeing. You'll also find Terry's Tub demonstrated in the past posts, Solar Mordanting and Solar Dyed Silk. And if you care to eventually peruse all the posts in my archives, I bet you'll notice that many of the fibers, yarns and projects mentioned were solar dyed. Why? There's something indescribably satisfying to harness nature's source of clean, free power...beats plugging in to electricity any day. And while I love the smell of a wood fire, breathing smoke, especially when I dyed for two of my past dayjobs, did play havoc with my sinuses.

Now on to our Elizabeth, or "E" as she's fondly called. All of the photos that haven't already been described deal mucho with her. I recently asked E some questions and here's how she answered:

How did you get started in spinning/dyeing/etc.?
I came into the fiber arts as a quilter of 5 years. I had acquired crochet skills and knowledge from my childhood on through my early 20's. Prior to my learning to spin, I had made 36 quilts. Since I have been spinning I have made 4 quilts.

A few years ago I met Jenny (of the spider type) at a non-fibery setting (is there such a thing?), just as my husband and I were purchasing our first llamas. It was my husband who really wanted the llamas. Two weeks after we sheared our first llama, I went to a local shop which sold spinning wheels, aiming to purchase one myself. I thought it would be that simple...just buy the wheel and go home. It turns out that Jenny was the person actually teaching at this local shop and it was the first of nearly 3 years worth of weekly workshops. FREE WEEKLY WORKSHOPS. I learned about hooky sticks and drop spindles. I bought a spindle and Lee Raven's, "Hands On Spinning," Interweave Press, and off I went.

The next week I went back and Leslie - Knitter, Spinner, Solar Dyer & Friend was there. Leslie had been spinning for about three months and I was amazed at how beautiful her yarns were already. To say I was inspired by Leslie would be an understatement.

After a month, I joined the local guild. Within a year, I too, was employed by this local store and became one of the fiber artists. I remember that on the mornings before the afternoon spinning workshops, Leslie and I would chat with Jenny as she production dyed for the shop, learning what we could...

Of course I taught my sister, Tamara, to spin within a couple of weeks of my learning and she took off like a mad woman! Tamara began knitting again, as well, and now she works in a yarn store.

Favorite technique in spinning? Favorite type of yarn? Favorite fiber(s)?
I love to spin with various techniques. When I was learning, I found that spinning from the fold gave me the consistency that I was looking for at the time. Like many spinners, I suspect, I go through stages of what I like to spin. I'm content with my fine, plied yarns...but I really enjoy spinning big, bulky, FAT singles.

My favorite fibers include, but are certainly not limited to: Llama, Polwarth wool, silk, cashmere and cotton.

I also really enjoy spinning on the Great Wheel. Jenny not only taught me how to spin on the Great Wheel, but taught others who came to the local shop to spin on it, too.

I do enjoy changing my drafting style while spinning a certain yarn and trying to get the same results with different techniques.

Why solar dyeing for you?
I love color. I love the outdoors. I love plants. I have a degree in Environmental Science and enjoy conservation efforts, so solar dyeing was a natural fit.

Two summers before I started solar dyeing, I was solar cooking biscochitos (anise cookies) on the patio of a home built with Georgia O'Keefe's resources at the Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.

A very important reason for me to solar dye has to do with personal safety concerns on dyeing in the kitchen. (Note from spider: Kitchens are for cooking food for human consumption. Please consider dyeing elsewhere.)

Favorite solar dyeing technique?
Terry's Tub :)

Favorite dye(s)?
Natural dyes are my favorites: Jewelweed, Black Walnut, Dahlias, Marigolds, Goldenrod, ferns, Logwood, Brazilwood, Kamala, and the list goes on.... I'm not opposed to synthetic dyes and am happy to make much use of the excess dyes used on the River Spinners Dye Days...using the synthetic dyes until they are "spent".

I worked for several years as a Naturalist in the Vermont State Parks. Prior to becoming a fiber artist, I would dream about how color was extracted historically. I am very pleased that I now have first-hand experience in natural dyeing.

Favorite projects you've worked on or would like to work on?
My dream project is to spin very fine weaving threads in order to weave fabric; solar dye the fabric; spin quilting threads; cut and piece the dyed fabrics with the thread; sandwich it all together over a batt of my llama's fiber; and hand quilt beautiful designs into the fabric. So far, I have the thimble that I want to use for the project.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for telling us about yourself and your fiber-related passions. The photos displayed are as follows: The balls of yarn in the basket were dyed by E in a natural dyeing workshop that I taught a few years ago for the Vermont Fiber Retreat. Dyes used included Black Walnut, Cochineal, Marigolds and more. It was so cold that day that the "drying" skeins of just-dyed commercial mohair/wool froze sideways on the line! E went home after that exhausting workshop and documented, see photo with cardstock and sample snippets attached, what she dyed with and the techniques used. Nooooo, we didn't solar dye that cold, November day, but we learned about it for future use.

The photo depicting the lovely, felted Daylilies and a butterfly was created by E in a Sharon Costello picture felting workshop at the Vermont Fiber Retreat.

Some of E's beautiful, hand dyed fabrics for quilting are pictured. Can't you just imagine the wonderful quilts she'll make from them?

Check out one of E's llamas, admiring some brewing solar dyes (E - Milagra?). Also, there is a photo of wise and curious Milagra, complete with banana ears, in the full-faced, mug shot.

A warm and cushy pair of mitts and matching hat are hand spun and knitted out of the fiber from E's llama, Carneros. I do believe Elizabeth's Dad is the lucky recipient of that great set.

Do take a look at a photo featuring a tower of E's pretty, solar dyed, hand spun yarns.

And then there's a shot of E, herself, wearing a bran' new cardigan design by our friend, Maureen, of The Green Mountain Spinnery (Note the new web-look for the Spinnery!) Be sure to pick up a pattern for the cardigan at the Spinnery's booth at one of the upcoming, spring fiber festivals (ie. NH, MD, etc.)

Check out the photo showing a new-to-her, carding tool that E recently bought. Louet is the maker. We were wondering if other folks own this piece of equipment, too? If so, do you like it? Tell us what you know about it, please.

Lastly, today an e-mail came in from Jane. Jane was given two fleeces that needed to be scoured on-the-double, as they were becoming rather odiferous by the minute. Jane wondered if anyone has ever used borax in their scouring procedure? Please tell us about it if you do. Jane also wondered if anyone has ever used 7th Generation detergent for their scouring? If so, what do you think? Thanks!

OK, really lastly, I'll end as I begun...with birds. My all-time favorite bird is the Mourning Dove. Have you ever admired the subtle, incredibly gorgeous color of a Mourning Dove? Their belly feathers remind me of dawn. Their upper feathers are the most exquisite grey-browns, with gentle little spots dotting here and there. I'm gonna have to devote a solar dyed, naturally dyed, hand spun, hand knitted piece to the Mourning Dove someday. What bird would you like to honor with your spinning/dyeing/etc.?

Happy Spring Equinox! Ostara Blessings!