Natural Dying #3

Yep, you guessed it, I am doing yet another natural dye on the blog.  I just can't help that the natural dye bug has sucked me in and in a big way!

Today I finished up my third go round with natural dyes using lichens I gathered from around my horse's paddock.  And here is how I did it......

I reused the mordant from Tuesday's go at carrot tops, by adding 10 more grams of alum and close to 250 grams of yarn.  The yarns used here are:  100 grams of heavy lace wool, approximately 75 grams of superwash merino and the rest was a superwash merino, bamboo blend.  This time about 1/2 way through the 2 hour mordant, I dropped in a couple of glugs of iron to the mordant.

Picture of the dry lichens I am using.  These were all collected from fallen branches.

Crammed my little nylon bag full to the brim with lichens.

Yarn moved from mordant to dye pot.  Lichens are under the yarn in the mesh bag which was periodically moved around.

And here is the resulting yarns!  From front to back, Lace Merino, Superwash Merino & Bamboo, & Superwash Merino.  I am in LOVE with how these colors turned out.

Another shot of the same.  Don't you just love the rich earthy browns!  I have to admit, I am supper impressed with how well the dye did on the Superwash Merino & Bamboo yarns.  Maybe next time, I will try an all bamboo yarn to see how it fairs.

I think I was suppose to keep the dye pot going until the lichens disappeared, but after 24 hours, I was happy to only have a couple of small handfuls of lichen left.  Saving these for another little dye experiment for a later date:)

All dye experiments to date.  From the bottom....  Lichen, Carrot Tops, & Black Bean.  Out of all the 3 the black beans were the only ones I found disappointing.  They have since started to fade which is faintly visible in the photos.

I have had quite a fun little time with the natural dyes, but this weekend is of course the big Labor Day Holiday.  Thinking it might be a good idea to lay off the dye pots for at least a few days:)

I hope everyone has a happy and safe week end!

It's Been a While.........

Yes, I know, I'm a bad, bad blogger. But, you see, the story goes something like this..........

In February I helped move the 9-5 job to another town an hour away. Lets just say it was some major heavy machinery in a steel factory and all offices, equipment, etc. They wanted to keep me on, but the drive and a few other serious issues (moral) were getting to me. So I went in two weeks ago today to give them my notice.

Well..... They gave me a raise. I was so disappointed with myself that I went in the next day to quit. Lo and behold.... the owners were not there. The next day(Friday), I was going to quit, but I had to help finish up the trade show set up. So I decided to wait until Monday. They still were not in, so I packed up my stuff and sent them an 'I'm resigning' email.

It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my back!

Now, I am planning on spending the bulk of my time hand painting fibers! It's a huge leap for me. I still have my part time gigs (property management and helping Mom w/ the shop), but this is my own thing! And I love it!

Granted, dying fibers is not going to pay the bills, which is why I have my Bill and the other jobs:) Right now, I am just hoping and keeping my fingers crossed that it pays for its self. It is just darn right warm and fuzzy to think that I am doing something that is mine, all mine.

Any hows, here are a few of the new items you will see over the next few days at LunabudKnits.

Fingering weight superwash, mohair top and superwash pencil roving.

Left out are: Carbonized Bamboo top and a faux cashmere top that I am eager to discover how well it dyes:)

Custom Order

I simply love custom orders. This one was finished just the other day. 4.7 ounces of my Superwash Merino Lamb's Wool was hand spun for a knitter who loved the colorway, but did not know how to spin. I might just have to whip up some more rainbows for myself....lol

The Top

The single ready to be plied.



The finished Rainbow Yarn:)