Dip Dyeing With Natural Dyes; Using A Hackle; Solar Dyeing In Qatar; Nogginbonkers and Faery Eggs; Llama-Llama-Pooh-Pooh Barter; EZ's Ganomy Hat

By the time this post goes up, it'll be May Day. Happy Beltane!! I started the post whilst we were still firmly planted in April so it counts as my April post...right? Either the months are whipping by faster than ever or I'm just too busy of a beaver to notice the days slipping by one at a time. In any case, here we go with lots of pics and an array of this 'n that, as per usual.

Last year I wrote a post that featured my dear Dad. You can find the '07 tappings about Dad on this past post, My Dad & more on hand carding. Dad's birthday is around the corner again, so I'd like to start this blog post with two short stories involving he and I. Hope you like them. Happy 94th Birthday, Dad!

Above you'll see a pic of my Dad in 1929 with his mom, Martha...my Grandma Proehl (Grandma remarried a sweet-tempered and loving farmer after my Dad's own father died quite young. My Dad had to go to work to help support the family, leaving school after 3rd grade). Dad was 15 years old in this pic, being born in 1914...that means he had been working quite a long time by then.

Lesson Learned

I was a very little girl, maybe 4 or 5 at most, when I profoundly learned right from wrong from my Dad. Up until that time I may have been told not to do something, but more than likely it was to guard me from injury. I can still hear Dad say, "Don't put your face down by the dog when she's under the table," or "Hold on to the railing when you go down the stairs," or "Watch out! The stove's burner is HOT!"

I was visiting at the home of my girlfriend when her mother said she needed to go grocery shopping and asked for us to come along. Although I was so young, I still can remember standing with my friend in the "toy" aisle...the ubiquitous aisle meant to lure kids such as us, where the racks were laden with water pistols, sets of jacks and cheap dollies. My friend's kind mother asked her daughter what toy she would like? Then, more than likely seeing the disappointment I couldn't hide from my face, the mother asked me the same question. I had spied the most beautiful jewelry set, which included a necklace, ring and tiara, each silver-toned piece bearing a beautiful "ruby" red rhinestone. No doubt my finger couldn't help itself from shyly pointing to the plastic-wrapped package. Into the shopping cart both of our treasures went. I was joyous over the prospect of wearing such lovely "grown-up" jewelry.

Even now I can remember that somehow I knew my Dad was not going to be pleased with what I came home with. I didn't know exactly why, but something told me I should not have accepted the jewelry. My fledgling intuition was right on target that day! Dad was more than displeased. He had never, ever, been angry at me prior to this time. He discussed openly with Ma that I had no business accepting toys from my girlfriend's mom. Surely I must have looked pitiful, he reckoned, begging for a gift. Times were really tight money-wise in our home...as they would be on and off all through my growing-up years...but this was the first time that I learned about pride. My Dad's pride was visibly wounded. I didn't know exactly why at the time, but now, as an adult myself, I can surely understand.

Dad insisted we take the jewelry back to my friend's mother. I was appalled and embarrassed at the shame of it all. I felt sad that I had hurt my Dad. He said he didn't want me going around acting like my own parents couldn't afford things for me. Dad said to ask him if I wanted or needed something...not neighbors or strangers. Lesson learned.

In this pic I was around the age the above story took place. Llama Farm Girl, also known as E, has asked me recently if my Ravelry avatar, showing an adult me (albeit a bit younger than I am now!) with Thelonious, parakeet extraordinaire, was the start of my love affair with birds? No indeed! As you can see, birds and I go back a lot farther than that. In fact, one of these days I'll find the pic of me with my oldest brother, Jack, holding a parakeet with its head in my ear as a baby...wonder what that bird was whispering to me? Then there's the family lore of brother Jack letting my other brother, Bob's, parakeet out of its cage...whose cage was in the car for some weird reason. Appropriate havoc is said to have ensued. After all, Bob's parakeet was famed for being a table hockey player and the bird disappeared out the car window, sadly never to play hockey again (at least that we know of).

Here's a pic of Dad in either Greenland or on Baffin Island. He was part of a workforce in that region at least twice that I'm aware of, well prior to me being born. I actually have a diary of Dad's; the blank book being purchased in Sydney, Nova Scotia in August of 1942. The diary was begun on August 2nd and it wasn't until August 23rd that he wrote they had finally anchored off of Baffin Island. According to his entries, the conditions were horrible all 'round. Ma said it was from these trying times that Dad had begun the practice of harping to us about proper washing of dishes...something to do with getting the "runs" one too many a time. The above pic may well have been taken even into the early 50's, from one of Dad's later Arctic stints. Alas, I have no one to ask the details of Dad's polar adventures anymore! How I wish I would have paid attention to his stories when he tried to relay them to us and we responded by rolling our eyes and chuckling at him.

Growing Up

When I turned 13 in 1970, I had more than a passing interest in the opposite sex. Ma warned me not to get "boy crazy," as her motherly radar must have sensed what was going on with my own set of pubescent antennae. Dad, on the other hand, seemed a bit more oblivious to my change of interests. After all, I had played with my Barbie dolls right through my twelfth year.

Around that time, Dad had been on medication for a heart attack he had suffered when attending a Tiger baseball game with my brother, Bob. Ma was a little worried about how sensitive and oddly emotional Dad had been acting of late, blaming it on the meds. From my point of view, Dad always was a guy who wore his emotions on his shirt sleeve. If he was sad, we knew it. If he was happy, we definitely knew it. If he was ill or injured, EVERYONE knew it. If he was angry, I was "out of there!" In any case, I guess Ma thought Dad's regular reactions to everyday situations were heightened just about that time period.

Also around that time I belonged to what my parents must have thought of as a rather wholesome group, the church youth choir. It was, indeed, a safe haven for teens to meet and become involved in something creative and useful. If truth be told, I've never been a good singer and pity the person who has had to stand next to me during the group's execution of a tune. And since truth's being admitted, I personally thought that being part of the choir would afford me the opportunity to meet nice boys. I was right! There were boys ranging from a tad younger than myself all the way to being nearly 18. A whole gold mine of boys!

Choir practice occurred on every Thursday, held in one of the buildings of the church. I eagerly anticipated every session. Generally my Dad drove me to and picked me up from practice. I remember asking him not to come "too, too early" as I had been making friends and we liked to chat for awhile after singing.

One day I knew I had to ask for a ride home from someone else as Dad couldn't pick me up that night. He didn't say NOT to ask a boy for a ride, so you can bet what was on my agenda. As it turned out, choir ended rather late that particular evening. A guy I had befriended, who was 17 or so, offered to give me a lift home. He was a funny fellow, with a clownish sense of humor and an eye for the girls. Going home with him seemed excitedly dangerous, but safe enough that I felt I could handle it.

Let me set the record straight right now that the boy never even tried to lay a hand on me. We chatted all the way home, laughed a lot, and enjoyed each other's company. When we arrived at my house, we continued our lively conversation while sitting in the car. Maybe ten minutes had gone by. It was probably 9:30 pm-ish. Engrossed in our conversation, we didn't see Dad storm out of the front door of the house towards the car. We didn't know he was even near us until he pounded on the windows, more livid than I had ever witnessed. Frightened beyond belief, I shot out of the car and headed for the house. I locked myself into the confines of the bathroom. When Dad reached the bathroom door, he screamed at me to open up or else. You can bet I didn't budge a muscle! Here I should interject that this was a man who never hollered at me, never spanked or hit me and never acted quite like the maniac he had become in those relatively few minutes.

I could hear Ma begging Dad to stop this nonsense of his. Rather than stopping, his fist went right through the wood of the bathroom door. I shrieked with the shock of it all. When I did open the door, Dad had somehow regained his senses and was less wild. Ma nursed his hand, told him to calm down and for heaven's sakes, "STOP taking that damn medicine. It's turning you into a madman!!!"

I can't remember exactly what I did next. Probably ran to my bedroom and cried a zillion tears for the injustice that I felt was wielded by my own Dad. I hadn't done anything wrong or awful. But I did do something that changed the relationship I had with my father. Daddy's little girl felt the call to begin the growing up process. Dad would have to recognize that I had no choice but heed the command of what's only natural. I can't say either of us always accepted our newly given roles with grace, but I always knew who I could count on should there be a need.

On to a few knitterly pics of my Dad's grandchildren...

Here's the oldest son of the spider, David, when he was a wee guy (he's now 28). The pic was taken in Boston and David is sporting Elizabeth Zimmermann's "Ganomy Hat," and some matching mitts. The yarn is commercially spun wool. This was a well-loved, well-worn hat, as you'll see from the next pic...

Several years later and we find the youngest son of the spider, Alexander (now 20), wearing the same get-up. Well, Alex's mitts are all blue, though you can hardly tell by the pic. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I've saved this hat and both sets of mitts for any little ones that come into our lives down the line...oooh, I should add...not by me directly!!! egads!!!

Hiccup and on to another of our recent trips to NYC...

On the left is my Chris and on the right you'll find a grown-up David. They're waiting for a gig to begin in New Jersey. From Chris' expression you can tell the sentiment he sometimes has when I bring out the camera..."It's like having my own, personal CNN photographer!"

The above pic was taken at Middle Church in Greenwich Village. Cliff, founder of Oikos Ensemble, is playing soprano saxophone on the left, and our David is playing electric violin on the right.

While I was at the very beautiful Middle Church, my eyes wandered upwards and I noticed the above stained glass window set in the ceiling. 'course my mind immediately wandered, as well, thinking how pretty those colors and that pattern would be in a handspun, handknitted piece...something surely every self-respecting fiber fanatic would consider...

Hiccup again. Later on this month I spent a fantastic day with Leslie, followed by a wonderful night with the Lunar Ladies. I took the Moo-ver...that cow-spot-painted bus we rural, southern Vermonters can ride for free...to a spot where Leslie picked me up and whisked me off to her home. One of the criteria Leslie and I set for ourselves was that in order to spend the day together, we both had to get work done...Leslie: some knitting on her sweater for the BOOK; Jenny: some fiber prep work for one of her projects for the BOOK. True to our plan, we both worked diligently for several hours before breaking to eat...with pics to prove it!

Here's Leslie working on the prettiest, spindle-spun, naturally dyed sweater you can imagine.

And as for me, a whole lotta cigars were carded that day. Later on in this post you'll find out what the fibers are...that is, if this interests you!

Leslie and I grabbed two walking sticks and hiked (well, as best as a spider can hike wearing Birkenstock sandals...) through the forest and fields around her home after we ate. Above you'll see Leslie resting by a very old (by U.S. standards...we're not talking the Middle Ages here...) cellar pit she had wanted to show me...perhaps built in the 1700's. Made me think that it would be neat to know who built it and who stored goods within those carefully laid rocks.

Leslie, leading the way.

Here I am resting on a rock, with the gorgeous, mountain scenery in the distance. Soon after, Leslie and I headed over to E's for our Lunar Ladies get-together.

One never knows what the Lunar Ladies will get up to. In this case, we're surrounded by Llama-Llama-Pooh-Pooh. Note that I'm still wearing Birkie sandals...not particularly appropriate for the job at hand . If any Ravelry readers are viewing this now, perhaps they're worrying that I'll start a thread on poop on the Spinning Central group, as I did with my pee thread? Well, ya never know...I've given you fair warning! In any case, wait 'til you hear what I bartered in order to gain a generous supply of this worth-its-weight-in-gold manure for my gardens...a pristine copy of "The Principles of Knitting," by June Hiatt. 'twas a dandy of a deal for both E and I!! I must admit, I'm a "Handknitter's Handbook," by Montse Stanley, kind of gal when it comes to knitting technique instructions. Or I'll pull out any of EZ's or Meg's books, of course, as well.

Here's one of the willing producers of the prized manure!

Three human helpers make the poop scooping much more fun.

Oh how doth my garden will grow!

Bags of you-know-what... You can imagine Chris' face when he was asked to tote all this home in his spic and span car, even if it was in bags! Poor Cancer-Sun Chris!!

On to the fiber techie portion of this month's post...
One more of EZ's hat patterns were calling me to include it in the BOOK. This time I was looking for a subtle color blend that included at least one surprising element (the ramie, in this case).

So far, and I say "so far" because the jury is out if I actually like this particular combination of fibers: (from left to right) cochineal dyed Cormo wool; cochineal/madder/logwood dyed yearling mohair; Pernambuco wood dyed ramie...am wondering if pernambuco wood is the same thing as Brazilwood? Readers, do you know?; and undyed nylon icicle. The fibers are "more or less" similar in length. Hopefully they're close enough in length because if not, the shorter ones will be left on the hackle after the longer ones play out...won't know for sure until I try them together.

The diz at the top of the pic is a pretty, mother-of-pearl number, featuring a multiple of holes to choose from. For an earlier post using a different diz, see English Wool Combing; Navajo 3-Plying On A Spindle; Leslie's Onion Skin Dyed Cardigan; Bobble-Cuff Socks; NYC Peace Of Mind.


The ramie and the mohair both were solar pre-mordanted (the ramie with aluminum acetate and the mohair with aluminum sulfate) and solar dyed as fiber. This treatment left the fibers slightly stuck together...enough that I felt I needed to help separate the fibers from each other prior to moving on to the next prep stage. For that I used the Louet cotton carders pictured in the already shown pic at Leslie's house. If you're wondering how to make "cigars," please head over to my past post, My Dad & more on hand carding (ha! It seems my Dad's past post held the key to cigar making, as well as info on him!)

The purply/mauve, immersion dyed locks of the Cormo wool, whose fibers were initially separated from each other with a dog rake, had been previously drumcarded (about 5 years ago!) with my motorized Patrick Green "Beverly" on slow speed, using the super Merino drum. To quote myself in the "Sister Sweaters" article (which included other dyed colors of this Cormo), Spin-Off, Winter 2003: "To insure thorough color blending, I stripped each batt into four sections after one pass. With a strip from each of the four batts, I did a second pass, feeding the strips diagonally to blend them better. The reward for all this work was smooth, uninterrupted spinning, with no streaks or noils." You'll find the carded Cormo as nests, in the upper left-hand corner of the pic.

The brilliant white fiber in the upper right-hand portion of the pic is the glitzy, nylon icicle. Me seems to need a bit of bling regularly these days and the icicle fits the bill nicely. The cigars are the hand carded ramie (light pink...dyed in combed "top" form) and the yearling mohair (maroonish...dyed in combed "top" form).

I decided that it might be fun to use a hackle for the striated blending of the fibers. The hackle I have is a two pitch (two rows), "Valkyrie." I Googled the Valkyrie hackle and it appears it's no longer being made. Readers, true or false? I purchased mine from the The Woolery several years ago. But I did find this at Paradise Fibers, in case you're interested...

Last month's post showed striated blending using mini-combs, with their not-so-sharp teeth. There's nothing "mini" about this hackle from a home fiber-prep standpoint. It's 18" across and the stainless steel tines must be described as "deadly"...that is, if you caught your finger on a point or somehow....heaven forbid....fell onto it. Please don't use a hackle such as this around kids, cats, parakeets or when you're tired. Please store safely and well out of the way, with it's cover on (I purchased a leather-ish cover that fits snuggly over all the tines).

In the above pic, note how two C-clamps hold the hackle securely in place on the table. Let's not even think about what would happen if the hackle fell on one's feet, eh? I have chosen to use the entirety of the the 18" by lashing fiber across all the teeth, in order to show you that this can be done. 'course you don't have to use the whole width if you'd rather not. But I chose not to "commit" to filling up half the hackle with fiber at this point because I still am not sure that this is the combination of fibers I want to use in the final yarn and did not want to "commit" to using up too many fibers at this point in my experimentations.

The fiber that I'm lashing on above, along the full 18" of the hackle, is the drum carded Cormo wool. Now please remember that I had first dog raked the locks prior to drum carding. This raking (a form of combing) would have removed at least some of the shorter fibers present in the wool locks. The drum carding would NOT remove more of any remaining short fibers. This is because carding of any type blends...including the blending of short and long fibers together. Therefore, there's a chance that some shorter fibers of this wool will be left in the hackles as the longer fibers draft out first. I'll keep an eye out for this and see if any short fibers remaining pose a problem in the end. I don't want to waste any precious Cormo after all! Also, please remember that when you lash fiber onto the hackle, you'll need to catch the tines, but keep the majority of the fiber hanging off the front of the hackle. In other words, have very little, if any, fiber coming off the backside of the hackle (the side not facing you).

There are may configurations that one could choose in order to arrange the fibers on a hackle. For the scoop on the gamut of possibilities, I refer you to Deb Menz's excellent book, "Color In Spinning," Interweave Press, 2005 paperbound. Just keep in mind that how much of any of the fibers and/or colors you lash on, and where you do so, will definitely affect the final outcome of the top. Taking this further, how you spin that prepped top will also have an affect on the final "look" of the yarn. The possibilities are just about endless, me thinks.

Just so ya know, hackles are particularly GREAT to use for striating the colors of combed top together (commercially prepared top or hand/self prepared top)...especially wool top of the same fiber length. You can striate a whole lotta fibers at one go using such a tool. In fact, read Menz's book above to see how to get results that would be definitely something other than striating.

Next I added some icicle bling across the full length of the hackle.

And some of the mohair on top of the nylon icicle.

Then a dose of the quite lustrous ramie.

And finally a topping of more Cormo wool.


I like to start at the right-hand edge of the hackle, working my way from right to left. You could, of course, work from left to right instead. Begin by bring a grouping of the fibers at one end to a point, adding a bit of twist as you do so. Please note: I have no idea why the colors of the fibers changed on these next pics, but do know they are the same fibers as shown earlier.

Make a little ply-back from your point of fibers in order to make it stiff enough to go through a diz hole.


The fibers are now through one of the diz's holes. The size of the hole chosen will help determine the size/density of the top that pulls off from the hackle.

In order to make top, draw out about 1/4 to 1/2 the average staple length of the fibers used. Again, I'm moving across the hackle slowly from right to left, picking up fibers that'll go into my top as I do so. If the hackle was more full of fiber, you may end up going right to left, and then left to right, and back again as needed...until all or most of the fibers are incorporated into your top.

Gently nudge the diz back towards the hackle in order to be able to continue to draft out more fibers.

Another closer view of this gentle diz-nudging. Keep in mind that you're not looking to wadge the diz firmly up against the fiber, you're just moving it forward ever so delicately.

Here's what the resulting striated top looked like.

Before winding into a nest, I did do a little pre-drafting.

A nest! Pretty, but I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for. Will spin this up to test it before I commit to prepping all the fiber with the hackle. Geez, I may not even choose to use the hackle at all for this project...time and a bit more experimenting will tell...

But let's move on to a bit of dyeing technique, shall we? The following fiber was not spun by me. It was spun by one of the "Sensational Six," who are working on projects for the BOOK. In this case, Jofran spun some commercially blended Soysilk/wool, known by the trade name, "Karaoke." Jofran beautifully spun and plied the lovely fiber blend in its undyed state and then sent the skeins to me for natural dyeing. Now please know that whenever I dye someone else's handspun, my heart is in my mouth. Can you imagine how awful it would be to screw up someone else's skeins? The horror of it!! Anyways, I asked good comrade, Jenna, to spend the day with me to help with the dyeing. Not only is it fun to share such a job (and the risk involved...hee, hee) but I knew I could bounce ideas off of Jenna and she'd catch me if whatever I said or did seemed unreasonable (unreasonable statements/actions, in the form of hair-brained ideas, often pop into my mind and exit through my mouth or hands...sometimes dangerously without thinking...).

I won't go into full detail regarding this dye project here...for that you'll have to wait for the BOOK. But from what I do share and the corresponding pics, I think you'll get a good idea about how to dip dye. The above circle of color is actually the bottom of a bucket containing a strong dose of fustic extract mixed into no more than two inches of water. The fustic was procured from Earthues.

In this case, a strong dose of cochineal extract was mixed into about 2" of water.


The above pic shows Jenna dipping one end of one of Jofran's skeins into the bucket containing the fustic extract.

Once dipped to where you want that color to stop, it's a good idea to carefully, but gently, squeeze out any excess dye into the bucket. Let it be known that one should not squeeze as if you were trying to get milk out of a goat's udder; but rather with the grip that one would hold the handle of a porcelain teacup.


Dipping the other side into a bucket containing the cochineal extract.

Both sides dipped, leaving the middle of the skein undyed. Of course you could dip with more than two colors...not to mention you don't have to leave any portion of the skein undyed at this point...but know there's a reason we did leave a "blank" spot.

Dipped skeins rolled up in plastic wrap, but not yet steamed. Don't they look like sushi?

Steamed rolls of dipped sushi...I mean fiber. Please note the color change! At this point I'd like to share a word of the day that Leslie sent me awhile back: tinctumutation (tinkt-myoo-TAY-shuhn) noun. According to Wordsmith it means: Change of colour. Useful word for us dyers!

Unwrapping one of the dipped, steamed skeins.

A close-up view of the dipped, steamed skeins.

Further dipping in an indigo hydrosulphite vat. Aaaah....now you know why we left a portion of each skein undyed during the original dipping stage, eh?

Jofran's skeins of handspun Karaoke in all their spectacular glory! What will Jofran knit from these? Oooh, you'll have to wait for the BOOK for that, too...

Now for some more dyeing fun...

Jenna dyed the above items with none other than Paas Easter egg dyes. What are these items, you ask? Well, on the left are some handy "nogginbonkers." When I asked Jenna what a nogginbonker was, she proceeded to hit me on the head with one. She said, "You asked..." Apparently nogginbonkers are made from the galls found on plants and trees. The galls are, as you have guessed, hard as rocks and occur when a parasite invades the plant/tree. The making of nogginbonkers goes back as least as far as Jenna's dad. I'm not sure if he made them as colorful as Jenna's are, however. Now on the right you'll find some useful "faery eggs." They're made from pussy willow puffs. Jenna has found them most useful for spring decorating and gift giving. Perhaps you will, too! On May Day it is said that faery activity is at its height...leaving these eggs under your favorite plant, mushroom or by a tree may be just the thing to keep a special faery happy.

Then Jenna tried her hand at dyeing yarn with the Paas dyes...

For this, Jenna used the leftover dye after all her eggs were decorated (there was about a 1/2 cup each of purple and blue left and a smidge (about 1 TBS each) of yellow, green and orange). No added vinegar was used for the yarn dyeing...just whatever vinegar she used to dissolve the Paas tablets in the first place. She put a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of a pan; set in the yarn (geesh, she didn't even soak the yarn in water first!); poured on the dyes; and placed a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pan. The whole pan was set on top of her radiator until it looked "air dried." Afterwards she stuck the yarn in her dryer (no less!), along with a shirt and other stuff she had poured Paas dye on to earlier.

Now please note that the commercially spun yarn that Jenna used was called "Polo" by Zitron: 60% cotton and 40% acrylic; a 50 gram ball. Above you'll see some unspun yarn of the same type, along with Jenna's dyed skein. Oh...and some leftover popcorn that she had saved for me when I came over...an essential ingredient for a happy spider.

One more thing...a bit of a warning actually...Jenna noted that for some reason bits of aluminum foil stuck to the yarn once it sat on the radiator. She was able to pick it out, however. Perhaps the acrylic melted at tad and stuck to the foil? Hmmm... Keep in mind, this aluminum sticking occurred prior to Jenna throwing the dyed yarn into the dryer...


Ta-da! The finished, dyed skein along with the package the Paas dye came in. Neat, eh?

Hiccup.

A very nice woman named Tracy pm'd me on Ravelry (Tracy's known as himalaya on Ravelry) and told me about her solar dyeing experiments on the top of a roof in Qatar, where she lives. I asked if we could feature her solar dyeing, with accompanying pics, on the blog and she kindly agreed. Thank you, Tracy!

Tracy's original solar dyeing questions are included in this pm on Ravelry from her: So, there’s some turmeric up on my roof - I soaked and pounded roots, let them sit in the sun for a day, then added mordanted yarn and fiber 2 days ago. Something funny’s going on up there, and I wanted to ask if you’ve seen this. When I checked it the first time, it looked dull on top, but brilliantly yellow underneath as I turned the fiber. So I turned it all so it would get done on both sides. Next time I checked, again the top looked totally dull, and the underside brilliant. It’s not a question of too little water - it’s all immersed, but floating, so the top part is not truly underwater. I worry that it’s all splotchy, or that it’s fugitive, if the top dulls out even after turning it. Do I need to put a cloth or something on top, to sink all the fiber below water level? This batch is just a test, & whatever happens is okay, but I was hoping to dye a whole shawl’s worth of yarn yellow, so I’ll want some consistency at that point (not total consistency, of course, it’s handdyeing, but just not big swaths of dull, ugly undyed mush.) Anyway, tell me if you’ve ever seen this phenomenon. I’m going to check it again, & probably remove it this afternoon. (btw, my dyebath is HOT - it has been scorching up there the last few days.)

Spider answers: Will delve right into what I think is going on with your turmeric solar dyeing. Two things: 1) As you said it’s blistering HOT out and the sun is intense. Sometimes too high of heat can cause dulling of colors, depending on the dyestuff. Looks like that may be the case with turmeric. 2) The fiber/yarn that has risen to the top is getting hit with this intense heat and sunlight the most. One way to help is to put a heavy, ceramic, heat-proof plate (used only for this purpose from then on) to keep everything below the surface of the liquor. From your pm I can see you’ve had a hunch already that these things may be causing the dulling. And really, it’s probably the best learning experience you can get because you see it all right in front of you. In other words, you could have read it from me, but it’ll sink in when it happens to you.
Oh, and I think what may have happened when you flipped the dull side under and it became brilliant again…more dye went on to it to brighten it up again. Sound like a reasonable theory?

Any other ideas, dyeing readers, that you may have to help Tracy out? Thank you!

In another letter, Tracy wrote: Wow, Jenny - Reading your blog once again (yeah, it takes me awhile, but I get there eventually…) I am flustered at the thought of your posting my dyeing. You’re such a well-versed, experienced dyeing & spinning master type, it’s flattering that you’re so interested in what I’m up to. Of course, you’ll be posting an example of a mistake, so I don’t feel too star-struck! But just wanted to say, hope it helps the common cause. Also wanted to say - Chris is stunning in that sweater! Beautiful! (spider answers: Thank you! I agree that man of mine is stunning...in or out of the sweater!) Would you recommend heat-controlling, next time I do turmeric? I could dye it indoors, in a place with big windows, where the temp is in the high 80’s or low 90’s most of the time. What do you reckon? I think I’m going to resign myself early to having a bit of motley color in the shawl, regardless. But I do love the buttery, warm yellow that comes from turmeric. That wool is calling me to spin it.

Spider answers:
Am just now downloading your pics. Thanks so much for sending them! Now don’t you worry at all about your “mistake,” as you call it. Tracy, if you could see/know how many so-called mistakes I’ve made over the years and continue to make…well, it would truly make your head spin. And please know that I’m no master of anything…never was, never will be and never want to be! I’m be a student who happens to like sharing what I learn and hope to be able to do so ‘til the day I die (if I’m lucky!). Getting results other than what I planned for is how I learn; how we learn. Anyways, splotchy-ness is only a mistake if you consider it to be. Gosh, others call that semi-solid and aim for it…no joke. Just a few of the neat things for readers when your info appears on the blog will be that 1) you’re solar dyeing on your roof in Qatar. I mean that’s incredibly cool in and of itself. 2) you’ve experienced an effect that others get, too…sometimes wanted and sometimes unwanted. Your pics will help spur on a discussion and exchange regarding temps, weighing down fiber/yarn and more. Yes, temp/sun control may be necessary when using turmeric. Am not sure about indoors tho’…worth a try! Another thought would be to check what you dye on the roof after just one hour…geez, or even after a 1/2 hour or less! You simply may not need to dye for as long a time as us here in the northern climates of the States. Do consider weighing down what you dye, however.

I asked Tracy if she'd share a bit about herself...

Tracy wrote: I’ve lived abroad for years, in different & scattered locations, so I’ve become practiced at making things work wherever I live. I can’t cultivate a perfect studio situation for my quilting, dyeing, knitting, spinning, etc; but I can see what works in each new place. Here, it’s gonna be solar dyeing! (I’m seriously considering getting some natural dye extracts when I’m home over the summer, since I know I can put them to use…. that’s a digression.) This is why I’m a spindler, too - portability is key. I did ship my sewing machine over, though, and I claim a spare bedroom as my workspace for quilting. (Fiber & knitting, as anyone reading will know, take over the rest of the house. No sense in fighting it!) There’s the textile research, too, and the pending Spin-Off article (eeee!) - but I still don’t have the word on when it’s going in, & I don’t know if you want to plug that or not. (spider notes: Am always willing to plug anything that spinning/dyeing/knitting/etc. readers will find interesting! Look for an article down the line by Tracy on "Spinning in Ladakh.") You can tell people to look me up on Ravelry (himalaya), too - I love meeting people here.

Tracy continues: The Khalifa Stadium & Sports Tower can be seen behind me, built for the 2006 Asian Games. This is our landmark: it sticks up higher than anything around, so we can aim for it when we're driving home, if we've lost our bearings. I have a pursed-lip expression rather than a big grin - shoot. Probably because it was my 3rd or 4th attempt at self-photography on the roof. Really, I'm enjoying myself! That is some coffee-dyed yarn in my hands. Came out okay.

Here's Tracy's solar dye set-up.

Turmeric dyed yarn!

Tracy wrote: Attaching photos of drying yarn & wool (mostly dry - color is fairly accurate.) The hanger photo is better of the yarn - shows how some of the yellow really is brilliant. The yarn is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, btw...

and the wool is from Ladakh (unidentified breed.)

Another yarn shot.

And the turmeric dyed yarn and fiber together.

Thank you so much, Tracy, for taking the time to write, send your excellent pics and share your solar dyeing adventures with us!!!! Can't wait to see that shawl down the line!!

Another wonderful letter from a fellow Ravelry member came in...
Anne wrote: I spin on the Jersey Shore and have seen your articles in Spin Off. I've read through all your blog and I feel like we must be spinning twins - started spinning around the same time, first wheel was a Louet S-10, later owned a Schacht Matchless single treadle, taken similar workshops from the same mentors (Quinn, Buchanan, Gibson-Roberts, Murrow - do you remember Romedy Murrow? - Zawistoski, Linda Berry Walker, EZ etc.). I was a charter subscriber to Spin Off and still keep my subscription going through all the ups and downs of the publication. I have all the issues of Woolgathering from EZ, most in the original format. And I also have an extensive of fiber and knitting books (rivals your's from what I've seen on your web - the book disease!). And I have all the fiber toys - cards (how did I end up with 3 set?), mini-combs, combs, a drumcarder, dog rakes, spindles, wheels, etc., etc., etc. I've recently taken over the absent son's bedroom as a fiber studio, but his periodic reappearances mean I have to take all of it out and store it for a while. Nice to have the spinning space when it's available, though. My life as a spinner/knitter - long story for another time. I enjoy your practical, common-sense, thoughtful, and solid approach to spinning and fiber preparation. I spent a lot of time early in my spinning career preparing fleece and trying different methods of prep and spinning to find my own style. I have some lovely yarns from that period - even bought some Polwarth from Cyril Lieschke one year - now that is a lovely fleece! Once I began to work full-time I realized I could do fiber prep, or I could spin, but there didn't seem to be time for both. So I chose spinning over fiber prep. Fortunately there were starting to be good sources for commercially prepared fiber at that time. And some that appeared and disappeared very quickly. I made good purchases and mediocre ones. After years of sticking with naturally colored fleeces I revelled in hand-dyes. Realizing I might never get around to preparing them, I also took some of my old washed fleeces to commercial processors and got some nice preparations back. Now I find my interest in preparing fleece myself is returning and I am thinking about finding a fleece or two, or a good supplier of those, when I go to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in May. My hands are itching to touch raw fleece again! I have a couple of questions and I'd like to know your thoughts on these. First question is, what are your views on long-term fleece storage? Good or bad? In the grease or washed? Paper, cloth or plastic storage containers? How long before there is deterioration? Whoa, that's more than one question, isn't it! OK, another subject I'd like to hear about is picking good commercially prepared fiber (wool) - top or rovings, dyed or natural. What do you look for? How do you know what's good and sound, and what's going to end up as felted cat toys? Do you need to unroll the whole length of roving in order to inspect all of it? Which end do you start spinning from? (I'm an inveterate roving petter to find the better end.) I'm currently spinning some fairly cruddy Shetland roving that has a bit of VM and some strange shorter fibers that are not noils or short cuts but are much shorter than most of the fiber. I spend a lot of time picking off the VM and smaller bits that ball up in the yarn. The floor is really messy by the wheel. I also spend a lot of time debating whether or not it's worth the spinning! I've decided that the Shetland must have been dual-coated with a big difference in fiber length, and the fiber prep was such that the shorter fiber was liberally distributed. But it is such a beautiful black fleece and so soft that I keep on. I've tried handcarding and combing the prep, but have ended up recarding on a drum carder, picking off the worst of the shorter bits, and just soldiering on with the spinning and preening the yarn as I go. I'm spinning woolen with a supported long draw and trying Judith MacKenzie McCuin's method of finishing with a plunger. I must admit that the finished yarn is nice. And that natural black - spinners can be such suckers for a good black. I may be taking your workshop at Peters Valley this summer (my husband is one of the workshop instructors there this summer) and I've registered for the Fibre Fallout in September. So maybe we'll meet in the flesh. Regards from the Jersey Shore, Anne (Shorespinner on Ravelry)

The spider answers:
What a wonderful e-mail I found in my inbox from you! Thank you! It's mail like this that really makes my day. Makes my week! Heck, makes me happy I'm doing fiber work and get to meet people like you!! Right away I'll answer that yes, indeed, I remember Romedy Murrow...and so many others from the earlier Spin-Off days. Gosh, I still remember how much I loved (and still do) a scarf that Linda Berry Walker crocheted. It was cream...mohairy...with the sparkle of other colors added, as well. Mmmm. I'll bet you have favorite projects seen in Spin-Off from those early times too! Do tell! Of the folks you mentioned and more...well, some of them have become really good friends, like Rita Buchanan...who I owe sooooo much to. Rita really gave me my first start in teaching by photographing me for her article in the the notorious Spin-Off "spindle" issue (kind of funny that that issue caused such a ruckus in spinningland, eh? Especially now in retrospect and given the fact that so many naysayers became spindlers themselves!!). Just by showing a potential employer that issue, I got the job, simply via association with Rita! That's truly how I became a historical interpreter in Canada...thank goodness the boss was a spinner!! My goodness, Anne, we've got a lot in common! EZ, books, and all things spinning, knitting, etc.! Spinning twins? You betcha!! Oh, and I'm not surprised that you're itching to get back to rolling in some raw fleece again...I understand...believe me, I understand. Look forward to hearing what you end up with at Maryland!! I'd like to address your long-term fiber storage question, as well as the question on what one might consider looking for when buying top, roving, etc. right on the blog so others can chime in and give opinions. I do have this from a past post for you ~ Tips For Choosing And Sorting A Fleece; Plus Whorl And Ratio Chatter; And Descriptions of Bobbin and Flyer Wheel Styles; plus a more recent post featuring "body bags" for yarn/fiber storage ~ Striated Blending Using Mini Combs; Slubs On Purpose; EZ's Hand To Hand Pullover; Funky Faroese Socks; Leslie's Half-Gloves; and 3 Fiberish Stories. I usually store unwashed fleece in paper bags inside a sealed, cardboard box. I try to wash sooner than later for best results. I do not store grease fleece in an attic, which can get unbelievably hot in summer...you don't want to give such fleece a chance to consider self-combusting. I also would stay out of a damp basement, avoiding mold and mildew problems. Usually I just store unwashed fleeces in my dye studio, which is gently heated in winter and cool-ish in summer. And a quickie answer about long-term storage in general is that it's never really been any kind of issue for me. I've never seen degradation...and even if there was some, it was not noticeable in any way. But, like you, I've read to beware of this...the worry just hasn't panned out to be worthwhile for me. Here's something funny...one of the Sensational Six who are working on pieces for the BOOK is using a Romney fleece of mine that was dyed easily 5+ years ago and was shorn off the Ram, Maurice, about 20 years ago. Yes, Maurice has been pushing up daisies for a long time, but his fleece is going in the BOOK!! Hee, hee!! In terms of checking roving, top, etc. for soundness from a vendor...that's a tad tricky. 'course we can't just go picking off fibers from the end of the fiber in a booth or shop! But we can use our eyes...which will tell us a lot actually. We can see veggie matter, for the most part. And we can see if the fiber looks overly dry or brittle. We can smell mold and mildew. We could ask the vendor...if we're truly interested in the fiber...if we could take off a wee bit to test for soundness. No telling if the vendor will agree to this or not, however. If the vendor does say yes, put a very small amount of an average staple length between your fingers and tug on each end. Obviously, if it easily breaks, it's not a good idea to buy pounds and pounds worth for a precious project. Now as to which end of a top or roving I spin from...well, if indeed I am spinning from the end...I try one end first and if that seems to be bunging up, then I try the other end. It's as simple as that. I know there's a lot of talk regarding a right end and a wrong end to spin from. But I worry not about that, except to see which end spins better for me. Oh boy, do I know the dilemma you're in trying to decide if cruddy fleece is worth spinning at all. I've no hard and fast answers about this I'm afraid. Geesh, I was recently saddled with that Cheviot/mohair that made me crazy with crud! And what was worse, the sample first sent to me was lovely. What's a spinner to do?!!! Well, I could have sent it back, but it was too late to worry about finding another source for the project. It HAD to have Cheviot because of sentimental reasons that would go with the "Pondering" (ie. story) that I'm putting in that chapter. Soooo, all I can say is it happens to all of us. And in the end, isn't it nice when we muck through to the end and have a perfectly lovely yarn...especially a perfectly lovely natural black yarn! Mmmm, again.... Do look forward to when our paths cross this summer at PV and/or the Fibre Fallout.

Readers, do you have any other answers/comments/suggestions that could help Anne out with her questions on buying nicely prepared roving/top/fleece/etc? Or with successful storage arrangements for stash? Thanks!

Last but not least, a few plugs...

In last month's post we featured the "Fiber of the Month Club." Do check that post out for more info. I thought you may like to see April's neat fiber offering...Border Leicester X Cotswold. Think outerwear. Think slippers. Think tapestries. Think totes. Etc....

Jenna and I recently visited Margaret, the owner of a local Vermont yarn and fiber and so much more shop, Margie's Muse, in Jamaica, Vermont. What a wonderful array of really cool items...all artfully displayed!! That's Margaret weaving at her loom above. Pay no attention that it looks like she is cut in half...she's a whole, friendly and knowledgeable fiber artist. Be sure to visit Margaret when you're in Jamaica! It's worth a special trip just for that!!

Here's Jenna at a recent event held at Margie's Muse. Jenna is spinning from her dog, Druid. Really!! I wouldn't kid ya, now would I?

And speaking of Jenna, take a peek at one of her incredible "Wearable Wings" (look near the ceiling light) featured at Margie's Muse.

Margaret, of Margie's Muse, is also responsible for the annual Jamaica Fiber Festival. The above poster was graphically designed by Jenna's husband, Kevin. The fiber animal prints used in the design were linocut from none other than Jenna herself.

And above you'll find Kevin wearing one of Jenna's oh-so-cozy-peg-loomed-hats. Bravo on a great poster, Kevin and Jenna!!

One more thing...an e-mail just came in from Sara, who is responsible for contacting instructors and coordinating the workshop schedule at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival (Rhinebeck) this fall. Please go to their website to see all of the wonderful workshops that will be available for YOU to take, thanks to her's and other volunteer staff members's hard work: New York Sheep and Wool Festival. You'll find three workshops being taught by me!

Well...that's all she wrote for this April '08 post. Next time...some chat on Norwegian wool...and the all-important-'08-potato-planting. 'til the end of May-ish...