Navajo 3-Plying, A Look At Ingeo & More

I've just come in from filling the bird feeders this fine, sunny morning in Vermont. Look what treasures were underneath the feeders, bursting forth from the damp earth. Just seeing green in the form of a flower's leaves is a joy to behold, especially when snow covered the same spot only a week ago. I planted a few, new varieties of bulbs last fall, so it shall be great fun when they show their brilliant, flower colors.

Speaking of colors, I was asked this past weekend, whilst teaching a two-day, "Fiber Prep" course at Harrisville Designs, what color theory book I recommend? More to the point, the participant wanted a book that was easy-to-understand, instead of a tome that would sit on the shelf getting dusty because it was not user-friendly. It took me not even a moment to say, "Colorworks," Interweave Press, by Deb Menz. I had read the book in its entirety when I had several hours to pass, sitting in a coffee shop, waiting for a fiber-related gig to begin. As I read, I became more and more excited, realizing that here was a book that would make color theory accessible to anyone searching to enrich their own fiber work with glorious color. I particularly like the interactive, tear-out, perforated cards on heavy paper stock: A twelve-step color wheel+, a grey scale and a variety of hue cards. These removeable cards make the process of studying and choosing colors fun and easy. Crafters of all types will appreciate photos of beadwork, quilting, embroidery, knitting, weaving, handspun yarn, surface design and more.

And speaking of the "Fiber Prep" workshop at Harrisville Designs, what a lovely gathering of folks I spent my time with a few days ago. Various fibers and colors were a'flying as participants blended with their handcards and drumcarders, striated or separated with handheld and mounted combs, learned how to use a diz, mounted fibers on a hackle and drew them off into a rainbow of color, flicked open locks with their flick carders, spun from the fold, spun from the ends of preps, discussed worsted and woolen yarns and all yarns in-between and much, much more. The atmosphere reminded me of adults let out to play, after a winter's worth of hunkering down.

On last week's post featuring Tencel, I mentioned that I'd show this week the other three colors of Tencel that were solar and naturally dyed. But do take a really good look at the top photo on Tencel: Terrific To Natural Dye & Spin. It's not the camera shot, bad lighting or your own computer's color capability...if you split the circle of Tencel down the middle, the fiber on the left is one color and the fiber on the right is another. I forgot I photographed it this way and didn't even realize it again until I, myself, looked closely. Therefore, the Tencel on the left is darker and dyed with Lac extract, with a citric acid assist. The Tencel on the right has been dyed with Cochineal extract, Madder extract and a tad of Logwood Grey extract. All extracts were purchased from Earthues. In today's post, the Cochineal, Madder and Logwood Grey Tencel is seen flowing from one of my Ma's cherished vases, of the same color. Below that pic is a photo of a "nest with eggs" (...just can't resist a birdie reference!) made up of two colors of green Tencel. The eggs are a lighter greenish-yellow, solar dyed with Weld. The darker green was produced by solar dyeing with Goldenrod. All of the Tencel mentioned was prepared with scour and soda ash, and premordanted with aluminum acetate, as described on last week's Tencel post. All of this Tencel will be spun and go into the Bamboo knitted blouse I'm working towards.

On a completely different note, an e-mail came in from Gayle of Fur-Ever Creations. Gayle has started a business spinning pet fiber for customers looking for someone to make yarn or create a finished item out of their precious dog's, cat's, alpaca's, llama's, etc. coat. Items range from a small piece of yarn, to a skein, to a crocheted scarf or a woven "memory" square. Do check out Gayle's friendly site so that she can make a pet fiber tribute for you.

An e-mail also arrived from Tamara of Spincerely Yours:

I have a dyeing question. Elizabeth gave me bamboo fiber for my birthday. I have gray and white and even though I love the gray color, I find that I just can’t get myself to spin it for very long. At this time of year I really need bright colors. I thought I would try dyeing the bamboo, so yesterday I did a very small test run and tried dyeing a bit of each color with fiber reactive dyes (the ones I use for tie-dying from Dharma). Well, the white (more creamy actually) bamboo took up the dye like crazy, but not the gray. There was so reaction there at all; the color just washed right out. (No washing that gray right out of my hair!) Do you have any ideas on why this might happen???? Thank you so much!

The spider replies:
The fiber that Tamara is referring to is being retailed as Black Diamond Bamboo. For an excellent description of how this Bamboo is made, do go to Black Diamond Fiber: Ecoyarns. I'm guessing it's the carbonization process described that contributes to the fibers not being able to take up the fiber reactive dyes Tamara so successfully used for the white Bamboo. Readers - have you found any dye types that work on the Black Diamond? Any other ideas as to why the Black Diamond is dye stubborn?

Talk about dye stubborn...let's move on to Ingeo. On last week's Tencel post, a brief description was given as to how Ingeo is made. An e-mail came in from Jen in Mexico:

What is suitable to make with handspun Ingeo? I have 8 oz. each of 2 different colors and have no earthly idea what to do with it!! I haven't spun more than a small sample yet; waiting for a project so I know how thick or thin to spin. Every time Ingeo is brought up on the forums people either hate it or have no idea what to *do* with it, so a post on this would be most enlightening! Thanks!!

The spider replies:
Let's begin by taking a look at the fourth photo from the bottom. It shows white, undyed, Ingeo fiber with a small, handspun skein and two swatches; one knitted and one crocheted. Ingeo is the "corn" fiber, at one time (in this white form) distributed by Southwest Trading Company. It's my understanding that now Ingeo is rather harder to find in its white form, except perhaps on eBay or other such places where folks are aiming to unload it. It can, however, be found at various vendors in a rather nice array of colors. My hunch is that the white was dropped more-or-less due to the situation that: 1) Plenty of spinners complained that the stuff felt funny in their hands (I once heard it described as feeling like you were spinning corn starch); 2) The white Ingeo is difficult to dye since it has a melting point of 170 degrees; 3) Folks didn't know what to do with the stuff once it was spun.

Being a somewhat softie who tries to be open to the possible underdog of spinning fibers, I began some initial Ingeo experimenting of my own. Mind you, I've not yet tried to natural dye it yet. But the pic shown is a start towards eventual further Ingeo adventures. The yarn I show is a 4-ply cable and both swatches were made from it. My notes said that I spun it on my Lendrum, 6:1 ratio, with a short, backwards draw. (An aside: Would you like to see a post dedicated to cabling yarns? If so, please comment in the affirmative.)

What would I do with this yarn if I had oodles? Well, to answer that, let's look at some of Ingeo's properties...again, this was taken from the Ingeo and other related sites:

• Ingeo means "Created from the earth."
• The making of Ingeo does not have to draw upon depleting fossil fuels (no carbon from petroleum). Therefore, less greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere (reduced CO2 emissions).
• Compostability (biodegradable) and recyclability
• Claimed to be the only "artificial fibre produced from 100% annually renewable resources. (Note from spider: Haven't we heard/read this somewhere else before?)
• Ingeo is a silky, bright white fiber with an average staple length of 3".
• Inelastic, but lots of definition
• Some random crimp or bends
• Said to resist ultraviolet light better than other synthetics
• Low flammability
• Absorbs moisture
• Low melting point (dyer's note: melts beyond 170 F)
• Also a dyer's note: Avoid using with soda ash as it will destroy the fiber.
• Aljo "low energy" disperse dyes have been suggested for successful, synthetic dyeing of Ingeo.
• Bit of controversy: If you are against genetically modified crops (GMO's), Cargill Dow (maker of Ingeo) has not been able to "guarantee" that no genetically modified corn has been used in the Ingeo process. Patagonia was going to launch a line of fleece jackets made out of Ingeo but is strongly against GMO's and has presently "pulled out" from doing so. When I was researching Ingeo over a year ago, in one place on the Ingeo websit, in a q & a section, Cargill Dow says, "Ingeo fibers do not contain genetically modified material, nor does its production require any genetically modified material." But when I looked further on their same website they say, "We use what is available in the supply chain. Today, the corn growing, distribution and processing supply chain does not maintain segregation of genetically enhanced corn and conventional corn through to the dextrose Cargill Dow purchases." Over 30% of all corn grown in the U.S. is said to be genetically enhanced. Should you use Ingeo....depends on where you stand on GMO's. To be fair, maybe the folks at Ingeo changed the information on their site by now. But does their stand on GMO's remain the same? Hmmmm.

So, back to Jen in Mexico's question about what to do with Ingeo handspun. Given the properties, right away I thought of a crocheted, brimmed, summer hat. In the apparel industry, Ingeo has been used in underwear and sport fashions. Perhaps us handspinners might like it in a sock blend...its wicking capabilities weren't mentioned (if at all present), but maybe the "aborbs moisture" property would be of use. Placemats might be nice out of Ingeo. I know industry has used it in curtains for the retail market, but I don't like the idea of putting it in a sunny window if it melts as low as 170 F...hey, even in VT, used in a window with a southern exposure in the summer, might be pushing it. So readers, any ideas on how to use that Ingeo yarn? What's your feeling about spinning/knitting/crocheting/etc. Ingeo? Do you like spinning the Ingeo that's already in dyed form? What do you think about using it in a garment?

Now on to the final, fiber subject on this post of Navajo 3-plying. Several readers commented on the blog or e-mailed me as to dedicating a post to this almost magical way of achieving a 3-ply from one singles strand. Thank you ALL for asking great questions and requesting that a technique be addressed. Everyone who reads this blog benefits when you do so.

When thinking about such a topic for the post, and aiming to keep fresh, I decided to steer clear of all information in my personal book & magazine collection and that which is already available on other blogs and websites, about Navajo plying, so that I wouldn't be tempted to snag ideas. Not that all those ideas aren't well-worth looking in to...I'll leave that for you to research. My aim here is to keep it simple. Hopefully those who asked about Navajo plying and others, will be able to try it at home. With a little help from my cyber friends (you readers!), we'll clarify things even further when you comment about what works and what doesn't.

Let's start at the top photo showing what I used for the demonstration. It's a snazzy, new line of space-dyed, 100% wool, commercially combed top available from Louet, called "Northern Lights". (Note to Harrisville "Fiber Prep" class: Yes, I know I told you it was a carded prep. I was wrong! Louet lists it as top. Sorry!) What's so incredible are the many colorways available. I used "Picasso," which included amongst its colors a vibrant orange, a golden yellow, peacock-ish blue, a rich wine and an olive green. Not only does this fiber look pretty, it spins wonderfully. I spun it on my Louet S10 wheel with a fat core bobbin, 6.5:1 ratio, and a short, backwards draw.

Now the first tip I can give to spinners wishing to Navajo ply would be to use single's in which the live twist has deadened. This does not mean the twist goes away...it's still in there if you put it there! But if you let the single's sit on the bobbin a good, long time before Navajo plying it, the twist will eventually go to sleep, so to speak. Once asleep, it stops wanting to ply back on itself and won't cause havoc when performing the hand tasks necessary to achieve a Navajo plied yarn. However, who wants to wait for the twist to deaden in this way? Not I and probably not you. (Note how I freely exchange the words deaden and goes to sleep...I'm guessing you get the drift...they're one and the same in this case...not necessarily so in real life...).

The 2nd from top pic is of an electrical steamer. It's a handy-dandy piece of equipment that'll put that twist to sleep good and proper. But first, I wind the single's on to a cat ball. For how to make a cat ball, which is none other than a felted ball, see the past post Storing Takli-Spun Singles For Plying. The ball with yarn is then popped into the steamer for about 5 minutes, after the steamer is well-revved up. When done, the removed ball is set to dry.

The ball with sleeping single's then goes under what's pictured in the 3rd photo from top. Yes, that's a clay flowerpot. Not a bad tool, indeed, as it keeps the ball from rolling across the floor, teasing two black cats if it did roll, and it acts as a kate of sorts, which can help tension, if needed, the single's coming through the drainage hole, especially if you place it a bit in back of you.

The 4th pic from the top shows how you take the single's in hand, make a loop that your hand could easily fit through and then some, pinch the top of this loop with the single's-attached-to -the-ball (yes, they're all from the same single's but we differentiate this strand from the two sides that make up the loop). The 5th photo shows how you take what's pinched between your fingers and bring it through the loop of your leader. You don't have a loop at the end of your leader?! Perhaps it's time to consider one...you may end up liking it a lot!! A loop at the end of your leader will allow you to join on yarn (in the case of plying) or fiber (in the case of spinning a single's) without having to rely on it holding on to the core of a single-stranded leader. For plying just poke the beginning through and fold it over. Once you begin treadling for plying, as in the 6th photo from the top, all will be securely attached to the leader.

The next photo, 7th from top, shows how your back hand opens up the loop you've made and with a finger (I use either my pointer or middle finger), scoops up the single's-attached-to-the-ball and makes a new loop from it, as you *treadle.

The most useful tip I can give at this time is to *treadle slowly. Consider using a ratio that's slower than what you used for spinning the single's. If this isn't possible, you'll really have to concentrate to treadle slowly or your Navajo 3-plied yarn will be rope in no time (ie. overtwist). Why? Because your hands have to do more than just ply, as in plain vanilla 2 or 3 ply. To achieve a Navajo 3-ply, your hand has to continually bring up the single's-attached-to-the-ball through the loop....over and over again.

Another useful tip is to scoop the single's-attached-to-the-ball through the loop when it's still big enough to get your hands in and is not closed off by the plying twist. The 8th photo demonstrates that you've got to keep the loop at least this big for scooping.

The 9th pic shows how a new loop is being formed (note that the single's-attached-to-the-ball is hiding under my hand, but it's still there). In the 10th pic, the process repeats itself...also clearly (hopefully) showing how the two sides of the loop + the single's-attached-to-the-ball make up the three strands of the Navajo 3-ply.

The 11th photo from the top (last of the Navajo plying demo), demonstrates how you can compare the plying twist as you Navajo ply with a plain vanilla 3-ply-back (taken from fresh, live-twist single's), in order to check that you end up with a balanced yarn...given that you remained consistent in spinning your single's to begin with. Also note that I saved my single's by notching the index card, making for an excellent visual reference.

Folks often worry about the "knot"...it's not really a knot...actually it's at the point where the single's folds when making a new loop. The only time I've had problems with this area is when spinning 100% mohair, especially yearling and coarser. In that case, the fold bloobs (another one of those technical spinning words...heh, heh) out, probably due to mohair not wanting to fold at all. If you've overtwisted your Navajo 3-ply yarn, maybe the knots/folds will be hard...but hey, so will your yarn be! In any case, I generally find the folds melt right into the knitted fabric of whatever I make. Readers, what's your experience with the folds causing problems or not?

A really neat use of Navajo 3-ply yarn is when the single's you've spun has definite lengths of various colors spun in succession, as in space-dyed or handpainted fiber. You can simply bring up loops when you wish, keeping clear color and avoiding alot of barber pole-ing. However, the barber pole-ing you do allow can be rather nice in that it gradually takes you to the new color, as in shading towards that new color.

Navajo 3-ply is also a useful technique when you want a thicker yarn but you only have single's to make it from. And don't forget that you can Navajo 3-ply on your spindle. After all, the technique gets its name from the Navajo Native Americans who created 3-plies on their spindles.

Please consider commenting with your Navajo 3-ply experiences. Has anyone used more plies in their Navajo technique? Folks who've had a hard time making the "comment" function work on the blog, do try this: Let the whole blog page load completely before you click on "comment" at the bottom of the post. A pop-up will occur. Type what you want in the space. Click on "other" if you're not on "Blogger" yourself and type in your name or nickname, etc.; type your website/blog (optional); and click "publish your comment". Do please check that it went through. Thank you!!

On a totally different topic, from viewing the photo of the spider on last week's post, Lucy asked whether or not I have "baby blue" eyes or are they blue/green? Well, as per usual, the spider does not have a simple answer. When I was little, I lamented that my eyes were a rather dull blue-grey...not the lively blue of my Dad's eyes. By the time I was a teenager, I noticed something quite magical. The interesting thing is, that's when other folks noticed it, too...my eyes changed colors dramatically. Sometimes they are as blue as any blue eyes you've ever seen. Occasionally they have a hint of green in them. At other times, Chris has said they're downright turquoise. I once asked an eye doc about this, but he said he'd never heard of it. Have you? Seriously, if I was the only one who noticed, then I'd be thinking....yeah right, Jenny! But, the eye color change has been brought to my attention quite regularly over the years by a variety of people. Sometimes Chris and I notice that my eyes match my outfit (convenient, don't you think?...like an "accessory"!) and at other times he says it must have to do with something that I'm looking at. Who knows? Not a bad mystery at all....

Tencel: Terrific To Natural Dye & Spin

It's now officially Spring, but do take a peek out my front window to see the daunting, snow-melting-challenge the sun faces! To be fair, some of that snow was removed from our roof by Chris, landing in a heap on already incredibly steep, brick-hard snow mounds. We've been in our Whitingham, VT home for 4+ years and I must admit I've never seen THAT much snow piled outside our windows. I would have loved it as a kid. In Detroit, where I grew up, my friends and I would play King Of The Hill, gleefully standing atop snow piles in front of our city homes. We'd be outside for hours, oblivious of the time. These days, you'd think I was dying if even a stiff chill sneaks up my back and settles in my bones! Seriously, my teeth start to obnoxiously and loudly chatter as I hurry to the car and click on our Subaru's seat warmer...a far cry from the icy cold, naugahyde car seats of the 60's and 70's. Seat warmers are a technical, automotive improvement I'm most grateful for.

Another welcome (to me...to you, too?), technical improvement is the range of fibers presently available to spinners, knitters, etc. today. Even in the 80's, when I became a spinner, there wasn't nearly the variety of fibers we have now to choose from. It's not necessarily that these fibers weren't developed yet. In fact, chances are some of them were in products available that folks use regularly. For instance, Ingeo, which some of you may have spun, began it's life as corn. The making of Ingeo involves (as explained at Ingeo Fibers): corn > goes through a simple process to make plant sugars > sugars are fermented in a process similar to making yogurt > fermentation products are transformed into a high performance polymer called polylactide (NatureWorks branded this PLA) > Ingeo fiber is extruded from PLA. PLA has been used in the "windows" for envelopes, bags and cartons. If you've ever bought anything with "shrink wrapping," there's a good chance that you've encountered PLA. The fiberfill for your pillows, comforters and mattresses may be made from PLA. And the list goes on....

So, yes, while I adore the "natural" fibers of wool, mohair, silk and more; I'm open to and excited about the newer (to spinners!) fibers of Bamboo, Soy Silk, Ingeo, Silk Latte...and also some of the not-so-new fibers such as Tencel and nylon (I especially like glitzy icicle). No one could ever call the spider a natural fiber snob!

Today's post is devoted to Tencel, as that's what I've been spinning of late. What for? Well, the Bamboo I've spun (as seen in Sunny Bamboo Handspun & Tips For Spinning Fine Yarn) for the knitted blouse I'm planning will have to make room for some Tencel, too. The Tencel fiber featured in most of the pics above has been solar dyed and natural dyed with Lac extract from Earthues and an assist of citric acid, to help dissolve the Lac. I had first solar pre-mordanted in two separate baths, as per Michele Wipplinger's instructions in her "Natural Dye Instruction Booklet," also available from Earthues. To pre-mordant the Tencel, the first bath contained the Earthues' product, "scour," and soda ash. The second bath contained Alum Acetate (NOT Potassium Aluminum Sulfate, as I usually use for wool and other protein fibers). The pre-mordanting was done in Terry's Tub and the dyeing was done in a blanch pot, set in a solar panel.

To find out more about Lac as a dye, and the scale insect it comes from, do check out Wikipedia's Lac. The color that one can coax from Lac is simply glorious and well-worth it.

Now as for Tencel, in my research I discovered that Lyocell, which some of us spinners may remember when we bought it under this name, was first commercially produced in the U.S. in 1993. The reason we call it Tencel now is a corporate one: At one time, two companies produced Lyocell - Acordis Fibres and Lenzing. Acordis owned the brand name "Tencel Lyocell" and Lenzing produced the fiber under the name "Lyocell by Lenzing." Kinda confusing, eh? Eventually Lenzing bought the Tencel name and that was that.

Tencel is said to be environmentally friendly, as it's produced from the wood pulp of trees grown specifically for this purpose. It is specially processed, using a non-toxic solvent spinning technique in which the dissolving agent itself is recycled (known as a "closed-loop" spinning process). Tencel is considered a manufactured fiber, but it's not considered synthetic (at least according to Silk Road Textile Merchants). It is naturally biodegradable. Tencel can be made into microfibers, offering depth and body to fabrics combined with luxurious drape. It is breathable and absorbant. Tencel is the first people-made fiber for weaving to greatly exceed the strength of cotton when wet...in fact, it's the strongest cellulosic fiber known (hmmm...nice to add into the heels and toes of socks?!) In material physical properties, Tencel is said to be more like cotton than rayon. One of Tencel's properties is that it has the potential to fibrillate, forming small, split-off fibers. The result can be a characteristic "peach-fuzz" surface (I found this type of fibrillation occurs with Soy Silk, as well). Tencel has good resiliency and doesn't wrinkle as badly as rayon. If you're a synthetic dyer, try the fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX and Sabracron F, for excellent results. The most wonderful characteristics of Tencel, especially coveted by the spider, are its luster, fluid drape and luscious hand.

The top photo shows the naturally dyed Tencel after it has been rinsed and dried...looks rather a crinkly mess. The next photos, from top to bottom, depict how pre-drafting really brings out all the fantastic qualities that Tencel is known for. I first begin with separating a reasonable length of top from the rest, rather than having the whole kit-and-kaboodle in my lap. Next, gently open the fiber horizontally along the separated length. Some of the parallel fibers will have stuck to each other, so freeing them is a must...otherwise you won't get very far when pre-drafting. With dyed Tencel, I hold my hands quite a bit beyond the average staple length when I begin the predrafting (not unlike you would if you were pre-drafting a hankie of silk).
This doesn't result in thin areas, like it would if you were pre-drafting wool top well beyond the average staple length. Once pre-drafted, the Tencel is wound into nests or balls.

Yes, that's me, holding a bunch of pre-drafted Tencel balls in my hands. I actually put this picture up to show Lucy, much-appreciated regular commenter, and my brother, Bob, how my hair looks after a recent cut and color job!! I hate to say it, given my personal love of birds...but hey, might as well kill two birds with one stone....(eek!) Anyone know of a decidedly nicer and bird-friendly saying to replace this nasty one?

How am I spinning the Tencel? I'm using my Lendrum with the drive band on the largest whorl of the regular flyer. I'm using my tried-and-true short, forward draw. Tencel's fibers are really very fine and slippery...the short forward draw gives me loads of control. Plans are to three-ply the Tencel, just like I did the Bamboo. I've a total of four colors of Tencel and will post the other three colors in next week's post.

So what's up with the Lendrum with red ribbons? I often bring the Lendrum, which folds and behaves so nicely, when I teach. I've often gotten quizzed as to why I tie the wheel with ribbons? Folks have found my reason interesting: It's because when Al and Chloe, black cats both, go traipsing on my treadles, if the drive wheel is not securely tied in place, their little, furry heads will get chopped off between the spokes as the wheel turns. A scenario like that is nightmare-material.

Note the spiderific top-whorl pictured above! Eagle-eyed spinners will immediately discern that the spindle is a Golding. Can you imagine my delight when that little baby showed up in the mail one snowy day last week? Apparently, a customer of the Golding's commissioned them to make a spider spindle. Diane got to thinking and said to herself something like, "Spider...Spinning....Spinning Spider Jenny!" Thank you, Diane and Tom!! My spider spindle is beautiful and will be well-used and treasured.

Just this morning, Laurie of Etherknitter, e-mailed the spider with this question:
Have you ever Navajo plied silk? Eventual use would probably be a scarf.
The color runs are long enough to keep together. Do the "knots" aggravate/irritate? I am SO in love with silk.

Spider answers: Yes, I've Navajo plied silk many times. A favorite, woven scarf of mine was made with multicolored Navajo plied silk and purple angora/wool. No, I've never known the "knots" to aggravate or irritate. If I had spun singles and Navajo plied over-firmly, then maybe hard knots would be a problem. From my experience, the knots just melt into the fabric...be it knitted, woven, etc. Readers - what's your thoughts/ideas on Navajo plying? Also, would you like a future post to be devoted to Navajo plying? And Laurie, I'm right with you regarding a LOVE of silk. How about you readers? Any silk haters out there?

Here's yet another story of a Detroiter living in rural Vermont. Last week Chris and I did get a bit of snowshoeing in. We simply need to walk to our mailbox, cross the dirt road, and head deep into the forest to experience the sublime quiet and beauty of winter, made possible by NOT using off-road vehicles that require revving of engines. Well, that particular day, Chris said we'd go a different route than usual...heading towards a pond on Faulkner Road. I balked because it was a shortish route and I wanted to spend more time outside. Turns out Chris knew what he was doing. Tony the horse, as seen earlier in the past post Write What You Know, decided to escape from his field. As we rounded the corner at the pond, heading for home, Tony was running towards us like a bat out of hell...a real wild stallion, he was. I immediately yelled his name, hoping it would slow him down. Chris looked at me, worried I was going to be bull-dozered over, and said to keep quiet. No sir. Not me. I was frantic that Tony would break a leg if he fell on the ice-packed road. Now my snowshoes, at this time, were a detriment rather than a help. But I can't get out of the bloody snowshoes by myself...maybe if I had bought one's that were over $100 rather than under, this wouldn't be the case. I yelled for Chris to free me from my snowshoes. By this time Tony had gone past me, turned around, and ran just as fast towards his home. As I ran to Pete's house, (Pete is the guy owned by Tony), Tony was nonchalantly munching grass or something by the front porch of the house, which is next to Tony's field, giving us a look as if saying, "What's the problem?" Thankfully Pete was coming down the road with a bowl of hay to coax him over to the field. Pete looked at me. I looked at him. We smiled. I called Tony a pisser.

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!

Clear & Brilliant Rainbow Dyeing

I've happily received some requests to dedicate a post to the colorful fun of rainbow dyeing. Because I'm due to teach a two-day "Fiber Prep" course this March at Harrisville Designs and needed to dye some multicolored fleece for class use, I was able to photograph the rainbow dyeing process for today's post. The fleece used was Coopworth from Hidden Valley Farm and Woolen Mill (see the recent past post, Scouring Fleece To Keep Lock Formation). This time, however, I used the shorter, 7-month growth, lamb's fleece (yeah...it's the fleece I was going to save for a special project for me....oh well, such is the life of a fiber arts instructor....) This time I once again scoured using the perforated, plastic basket and tulle netting, but instead of scouring keeping lock formation, I did the less-time-consuming method as seen in the past post Scour That Fleece. No, the dyed locks pictured below are not in singular, absolutely pristine form, but the locks can still be carefully plucked rather nicely from the whole for spinning preparation. In addition, I chose to use Louet's Gaywool synthetic dyes, rather than my usual preference for natural dyes. I figured readers of the blog might be apt to choose such an easy-to-use dye that gives beautiful results in their work. There are many other excellent dye choices on the market today for home dyers. What's your favorite?

Before delving into the steps involved in rainbow dyeing, please see the past post, My Dye Studio. There you will find the ever-important dyebox used to mix dyes safely within. Do be sure to spritz the newspaper in the bottom of the dyebox with water, so that any stray dye powder/crystals will collect on the wet paper. When you have completed mixing your dyes, simply fold up the newspaper and dispose of it. Powders are safely trapped on the paper and NOT airborn, heading up your nostrils or down your throat!

In the fourth pic from the top on today's post, you'll see the dyer's essential safety equipment:
protective goggles, rubber gloves, respirator...all perched on top of my waterproof apron. What you can't see are the rubberized, slip-on clogs on my feet. After once spilling boiling hot dye liquid onto my laced-up, heavy duty boots and not being able to remove the boots quickly...an easy-off shoe is my personal footwear choice forever-after for dyeing.

The third photo from the top shows my four, chosen Gaywool dye colors...2 reds (Tomato and Crab Apple), 1 blue (Cornflower) and 1 yellow (Honeycomb). I wanted a predominantly red, and decidedly warm (on the color wheel) rainbow; hence, the two reds. Please note that my color choices are the primaries on a color wheel. Jars of Gaywool contain everything needed for stable, lightfast and washfast color...no need for any additional additives. If you're not using Gaywool, carefully check your dye's directions as to additives or particular techniques you'll need to consider.

In the fifth photo from the top, you'll see the undyed Coopworth locks soaking in a dyepot of clear water that has a drop or two of liquid dish detergent in it. The detergent helps the locks become completely wet and ready to accept the dye. I've never bothered rinsing this taddy bit of detergent out...it's just not necessary. I do let the locks sit in this water bath overnight. When ready to dye, the water is drained out (see 6th picture from the top), leaving damp fleece in the pot.

There are many ways to approach rainbow dyeing. I prefer to mix the dye, in the dyebox, in about an inch of boiling water in the bottom of a glass jar. The size of glass jar I particularly like once had about 24 oz of pickles in them, with good, wide mouths. How much dye? With Gaywool, using 3 or 4 colors total in my rainbow pot, I often use 1 capful (using the cap of the plastic dye jar) of dye, give or take some, for each color. 'course use less dye if you want a less saturated color and a bit more dye for alot of oomph for that particular color. Once the dye is dissolved, I removed the jar from the dyebox (but didn't take off my respirator) as it's no longer in powder/crystal form and added more boiling water to the jar. Powder is the most dangerous form of dye because it can easily be ingested and is why I don't like to sprinkle dye onto the fleece in the pot. How much water to add? About 3/4+ of a glass jar's worth total. But it depends on how much fiber/fleece you're dyeing and the size of your jar. I was dyeing about 1 and 1/4 lbs of fleece in my pot. And do remember, I was going to use 4 glass jars of dyes (ie. four colors). If you choose more colors (and therefore more jars of colors), you may need less liquid per glass jar.

Note on the 7th pic from the top how yellow dye has been poured onto the fleece. No mooging (pronounce mooj-ing)...the ever-so-technical term for pushing dye down into your fiber, at this time. You can divide liquified dye up and put it onto your fleece/fiber in any way you'd like. You can look down at your pot and envision it as pie, pouring dye onto whatever slices/sections you'd like. I generally like to put one color in one or two spots; not just willy-nilly pouring. It's going to mix with colors next to it anyways, to make new colors, but at least I know that some of the fiber will have clear color, yellow in this case, if I stick to one or two spots.

The 8th and 9th photos from the top display more dye colors that have been poured onto the Coopworth locks. The 10th pic shows me, after all the colors have been poured, mooging dye into the fleece with my gloved hand. I carefully push the dye down, peeking to make sure it hits the fleece at the middle and bottom of the pot, all the way around the pot. The 11th pic shows a mooged pot of fleece.

Before I put the lid on the pot, turn on the overhead heavy-duty exhaust and set the heat on high, I checked to see that there was enough liquid in the pot to cook the dye/fleece, without burning the contents. How much overall water to put into a rainbow pot is of much importance. If you put too much liquid, the colors overblend, swimming into one another mercilessly. In my early dyeing days, I once added way too much water and ended up with a one-color rainbow pot. Live and learn. So, in order to help you judge, the second photo from the bottom shows me mooging ever so lightly, explosing the liquid below. The fleece/fiber you are dyeing needs to be wet....very wet especially in the bottom 1/2 to 3/4 of the pot. I'm trying to think of a foodstuff analogy that needs enough liquid to cook it, but not too much...hmmm...rice?...well, you don't need so much liquid as rice requires at the beginning perhaps...Readers, any ideas on a foodstuff cooking analogy? In any case, if you judge that more water is needed, adding clear, hot water at this time is fine, but please do so by pouring it down the inside "side" of the pot, not directly on the fleece itself.

OK, now I turn the burner onto high, lid in place on the pot and wait a bit. Once a full head of steam comes off the pot when the lid is taken off, I replace the lid and turn the burner on low.
A timer is now set for 45 minutes. Yes, Gaywool only asks for 30 minutes in their directions, but I feel safer with a bit more. Once the time's up, the heat is turned off and the pot is left to sit, undisturbed, overnight. On the next day I rinse, rinse, rinse in cool water until no dye colors the water. I like to put the dyed and rinsed fleece in a large, nylon, mesh bag (bought mine in the sport's department of Woolworths' years ago...made to carry soccer balls and the like), and run it through the spin portion of my washing machine (no spurting water, please). Finally, the drying fleece goes on drying racks (see past post Drying Rack Lowdown). The bottom photo shows the rainbow in all it's brilliance.

Another thought regarding rainbows has to do with just how many colors you add to the pot.
Always keep in mind that colors will overlap, forming new colors, which is desirable. But too many colors poured on can attribute to an overall muddiness, just as too much water added to the pot can make for mud, as well. Please remember that although a rainbow pot is meant to be serendipitous dyeing, you do have some control over the final color with your initial color choices and amounts.

Ways to spin a rainbow....first we'll address a comment made by one of the spider's readers.
sarah said...

When you've time, I have just acquired a question...
250g of washed 'black' Wensleydale fleece. It's not truly black, the locks are a glorious mix of every shade of brown from café au lait to expresso. I'd like to preserve this variation by spinning the individual locks; I wondered if you have any suggestions to make this easier -- should I try flick-combing the locks on a carding comb first?

Thank you, Sarah, for your excellent question. To preserve the colors present in your Wensleydale locks (and also in our rainbow above) consider preparing the locks very slightly. If you carded the locks on handcards or a drum carder, you would blend some of the color variations. Card a lot; the colors will be blended a lot and begin to look like one color. With combing, you can striate the colors, but if you comb a lot...the colors will also begin to blend into one color. Here's one scenario you can try in order to retain the color variations: Gently and lightly comb the individual locks using a dog comb, a flick carder, or my fave, a dog rake ( a single-handled tool with a v-shaped, two-rowed set of non-sharp tines available from pet stores). As you suggested, Sarah, lightly flicking them on a regular handcard works fine, too. Set the prepared locks to the side until you have a nice supply for spinning. You could then spin from the end of the locks OR you can spin from the fold (some blending of colors within a lock will occur if spun from the fold). If the locks are too short to spin over your finger from the fold, consider simply folding the lock in half and holding it between your pointer's side and thumb...thus still spinning from the fold. To continue, you could use the yarn as a singles, again maintaining the individual colors well. Or, you could Navajo 3-ply for clear color retention. If you plain vanilla two or more ply, some of the colors will barber pole, which may or may not be wanted.

Another way to spin a rainbow is just to gently tease locks and spin by the handful. I generally don't opt for this because the technique doesn't give me the control I crave. But do try it if you like.

You can lay locks on handcards or a drum carder in stripes or layers or whatever, as is demonstrated in the various books such as Jo Reeve's, "The Ashford Book of Carding," or Deb Menz's,
"Color in Spinning." How many carding passes you use, how many colors, and how you lay the colors on will contribute to the final product. How you spin the carded fiber...thickness of yarn, plies used, etc. will further contribute to how your yarn looks. And finally, how you use the yarn...knit, crochet, weave, etc. further will demonstrate how the colors work (or not) together.

On the subject of multicolored fiber/yarn (handpaints, in this case):
Ted wrote the spider saying, "Eons ago, Spin Off ran a good coupla articles on colour and dyeing by Erica Heftmann (Developing Color Skills In Dyeing On Fiber: An Introduction To the Territory, Spring '97; Developing Color Skills In Fiber Blending And Spinning, Fall '97). In one of them, Erica took a length of multicoloured top, something like the Gaywool tops that have colours running the length, in a very striking red/greys combination, and showed how the colours got diluted as it was spun up...and how they got even more diluted as the yarn was knitted up."

Ted continues, "And I 'think' that sometimes, dyers don't consider that. They dye up a skein (spider adds: fibres, too?) and it looks great in the skein, and then it's knitted up and the colours scatter, and it washes out somehow. I think that's why I just don't get enthused about...a lot of highly multicolored fibres/yarn...all those carefully thought-out and labouriously dyed fibres and then they get knitted up and become optically-mixed mud. Beautiful mud, mind you. Carefully controlled and complex mud, but it's still mud to my eye. So I dunno, maybe it's just me. Or maybe there's a lot of dyers out there who aren't thinking it through, or who don't have good colour skills. I think sometimes for me, if there's too much colour in a skein, my eye can't 'read' it to see what colour it is. I think sometimes it's because the chosen colours don't work together. Maybe it's also an issue of value (tints, shades)."

Thank you, Ted, for your thoughtful and always welcome opinions. Readers, any thoughts on all of this?

Awhile back I wrote a book review for Spin-Off magazine about "Handpaint Country," narrated by Cheryl Potter. On reading the book, which featured various dyers across North America, I realized that there were many, many ways to help make multicolored skeins of yarn look their best in pieces (knitted, in this case). Stockinette stitch, often the default stitch-of-choice, does NOT always show off a multicolored skein to it's best advantage, especially in bigger pieces such as sweaters. Do consider checking this book out, as it's full of great ideas and advice, even if you're not interested in knitting up the finished pieces as shown.

Finally, hanging out in the top photo on this post, is Alexander, youngest of the spider. Can you tell he's just thrilled to be shovelling the snow around our home? Yes, we've finally received our winter's share of snow this year, as seen piled around our house in the second from the top pic. Never mind that it's March and the Spring Equinox is around the corner. Hopefully the skiers/snowboarders are pleased as punch and the businesses catering to them are recouping some revenue after suffering from an overall low snowfall this season here in Vermont. Me? Maybe we'll get a little snowshoeing in before the crocuses show their rainbow of colors.