ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
The trees are looking sad, even the invasive ones. The mulberry is dropping its leaves. The Asian pear was drooping horribly. The native trees like hazelnut and persimmon are looking fine. They have not been watered all season. Still, since I got the hose to reach that far back, I watered them today. The weeds are also dying out so I suppose that's good. Although I believe in no till and no chemicals, I saw a big poison ivy plant on the fence line today. I definitely sprayed it with round-up. It took me close to two hours to water everything.

There were beans to pick, a few tomatoes and a zucchini. The drought is impacting everything. The critters have nothing to eat anywhere else. They come here for food. I am planning on trapping the ground hogs. Still trying to figure out how to fill in the hole under the garage. I'll have to order Dig Defence for the rest of the garage. I think that's a September project.

Today was a shipping day. A couple orders went out via USPS. Other errands were run as well. It was hot. The "feels like" temperature was 97 degrees F but there was also an air quality alert. I laughed. It was still better than on many days when it was cool. There was no smell of dragon in the air. I cannot for the life of me understand why The Dragonriders of Pern was such a big deal. No one would want to live with that stench. No offense to Anne McCaffrey. She wrote it well. I just am not sure she ever went to Pittsburgh.

It was so hot, we took towels out to the car to sit on so we wouldn't get burned. I brought more merchandise in from Pennsic. I don't feel the need to rush to empty out the vehicle. There were ants in everything. They can die in that oven of a car. It's been 2 weeks so I guess it's time to put things away. Mostly, it's about reordering and restocking right now. I had to find out what was in the merchandise totes. I finished pulling together a yarn order for A Wool Gathering. I am usually inspired and energetic after Pennsic. It's still true. I have so many projects planned. It feels like a log jam burst. I want to do all the things!

From 2015-Oregano
oregano, the next dyebath

Since I started with an onion dye bath, I am winding those skeins into a nice display for the next show. It's time to pick oregano and get a dye bath started of that. I am also trying out new techniques with a non-toxic dye called Greener Shades. The colors are fast. I already tested that. Next is blending those. Right now I am working on winding mini-fingering weight skeins to dye with. I need three pounds wound. The goal is 90 skeins of 12.5 grams, roughly 54 yds each. I have one pound done but it doesn't make for exciting pictures. yet. I plan to take advantage of this heat to do a solar heated soak of these skeins. Today's quest was to find 25 jars to use. I am 7 short. No worries, I am not done poking through cupboards yet. I have a huge collection of jars and bottles.

Fresh from this week:
Drumroll, please!

I finished today's grown up tasks and will soon start on tomorrow's. Bills are due, that kind of thing. I am thinking of hitting up the farm stand again. German potato salad goes well in hot weather. There are bratwurst in the freezer among other grill-able items. Tonight we are having Caprese Salad. The Italian specialty store had some decent bread to dip in the olive oil. A simple meal for a hot day.

Drought Monitor
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?northeast
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
Yesterday was one of those super days where a lot of stuff gets done. I ran three dyebaths. All three were things I'd already dyed but weren't dark enough (color saturation). It happens. A few skeins in a batch just don't pick up as much color. I thought the bath lost its umph but there is still plenty of color in the water. For whatever reason, the skein just didn't pick it up. I redid 3 pounds of the licorice twist in logwood, a pound in madder and another pound in cochineal.

Now I am waiting for yarn to dry. Yesterday's "periwinkle" yarn (the manufacturer's name not the color) turned out gorgeous. It looks like every little girl's dream of lavender. The decision had to be made as to the best way to display it, whether a cake or a skein. Turns out a skein makes it even more desirable because the thick/thin of the boucle shows up better. Will it be available immediately? No. I don't have any labels made up at all. There will be five colors of it available by the time labels are complete. I pack out on Thursday for a show and just can't manage it.

Today I am working on the lemon balm. The first batch is cooking now. I have so much plant material, I have to cook it in two batches. Meanwhile, skeining is going on. Lots of skeining. I'm winding sock yarn for another dyebath. It'll be something I grew, tansy or lemon balm or tarragon. Maybe even oregano. The sock yarn is not pre-skeined. I have to wind it myself. It seems to take forever.

I have the purple licorice twist in the washer. After that is done soaking and rinsed, I need to scour vast quantities of yarn for the next phase. I have two more boxes of yarn coming in today. I should be set for a while after this. Tonight, if there is time, I'll harvest something else for the dyepot. Tuesday is hard because we ship on Tuesdays. Orders need to be printed, pulled, packed and labeled. Bills need to be mailed as well. Bookkeeping may happen while I wait for yarn to dry. Library books need to be gathered and DVDs. Post office and library are what Tuesdays are made of. Wednesday is garbage collection and Thursday is Farmer's Market. That is how we track our week. Friday I pack, drive and set up at A Wool Gathering. I've a busy week ahead.
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
It could be exciting or it could be a disaster. Who knows? I've placed my bet on this year's events. I'm hoping you don't let me down. I ordered merchandise. More yarn is coming in, based on what people have wanted in the past. More heddles and looms are coming in as well. I'm working hard on getting yarn dyed. Sometimes I wish there were two of me to get it all done, but the journey is the part I enjoy most. With natural dyes on natural fibers, you never know what you are going to get. Today, I got the highly coveted Black! Hope to see many of you at Pennsic, or shortly thereafter, WorldCon.

More pictures as we progress.

Dyeing wool with Logwood

Meanwhile, fingers crossed that they can find parts for my ancient venerable washing machine so I can bring you all more hats to try on. I shudder to think what life would be like without it.
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
It's been a confusing growing season for me and for the plants, mostly for the plants. I keep a record of all the colors I obtain for each dye bath. Barbary gives brown. No matter which mordant and no matter what season. Not this year. This year it gave me yellow. When I tried to modify it, the dye started to leave the fiber so I stopped.

Brown????

The great thing about natural dyes is that I can change it. I can't start over, but I'm thinking a dip in an indigo bath could work wonders for the above skein.

Then I did some research. Everyone is showing me beautiful pictures of dyeing with mint. It is supposed to give a mossy shade of green. They used an alum mordant with an iron modifier. I used ferrous sulfate. I have to wonder if they just used rust. I didn't get green from this batch. It came out a yellow tan. I'm not sure what I'll overdye it with. It's definitely not green. It smelled nice. The orange mint smells a lot like lemon balm. Here's what I got:

Green????

Another GoTo brown that I dye every year is with oregano. It gives an almost dark khaki tan. I let the bees have their fill. The flowers are almost spent, same as last year. Here's last year's:

Oregano dyebath

I wanted to fill my booth with natural white, deep brown, indigo and mossy green. That was my goal. Serendipitously, I finally got my moss green, but not my brown. This is what oregano gave me this year and I'm still scratching my head. I listed it on my website. There is plenty enough to knit a sweater. https://www.ursulas-alcove.com/product/gaia-yarn-moss-green-sport-weight/325?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=true&q=false&category_id=5

Oregano

Dyeing with cotton and linen is next. The roses need to be trimmed and a rose dye bath should look very nice on the Inca Cotton. Then I plan to tackle an indigo iron bath for cotton. My shows are coming up and the clock is ticking.
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
It starts when the linen comes from the mill. Each 40/2 cone weighs a pound and has 6,000 yards. 16/2 Linen has about 2,400 yards on a cone. Don't quote me on that. Each yarn label has the correct yardage on it for the thread.

It begins like this

Next, the yarn from a cone must be wound into a skein. I use a certified scale and my poor, broken umbrella swift. With the 40/2 linen, only a four ounce skein can be made. With the 16/2 linen, an 8 ounce skein can be made. Horrible calamities will ensue if these rules are not obeyed. Trust me, you don't want to know. The winding is done by hand. For the more labor intensive 40/2 linen, it means spinning the swift over 160 times for that 4 ounce skein. (Yes, I am related to Harold Crick)

Next step is to skein on my poor busted umbrella swft

The skeins are loosely tied. They get scoured and rinsed. Dyeing is a very water intensive process. Next, they are dyed. The dye I use requires me to use 2 pounds of salt per batch. That can add up depending on the salt that is used. I buy 25 lb sacks. The skeins are dyed. Excess dye is spun out. Then the dye is set in the washing machine. The agitator is not used. After setting, the skeins must be washed and rinsed. At this point, one color has used somewhere between 100 and 150 gallons of water. Yarn hangs on the Yankee clothesline to dry.

Skeins dyed and dried

When it's dry, it goes into the loom room to wait its turn for winding.

Skeins dyed and dried

The larger ball winder is used to make a 4 or 8 oz center-pull ball. Going direct from the umbrella swift to the 1 ounce ball winder puts too much strain on the equipment as well as makes a poorly tensioned ball of yarn. This extra step is necessary.

Hand Crank Ball winder

Once they are wound, they can sit for a while as back-stock if they are not needed right away. Often times weavers will write me to see if I have larger quantities available. If I do, this is what they get:

Four ounce balls

From there, the 4 oz balls (or 8 oz) are wound into one ounce balls on my poor little ball winder. I keep a jar of pins handy to threaten the tangle fairies. Sometimes it works. Notice the dust on the loom paper? That is all from the saffron linen that was wound on the umbrella swift. I really need to get the air purifier set up in here. Sweeping and vacuuming occurs regularly. Trust me, if a ball of yarn falls on a linen dusted floor, it's not a pretty sight. Here's a professional tip: If you are winding by hand, it helps to be listening to music written in iambic pentameter. You know, like Queen. Rhythm is key to even winding.

Hand Crank Ball winder

No, we aren't done yet. The yarn must be labeled in accordance to US Textile law. I have a desk I use for labeling. It's a multipurpose desk so it must be cleaned up after use. Tuesday packaging for shipping orders also happens here.

Next Step is labeling

Lastly, the yarn gets divided between a box reserved for etsy and a basket to go to shows as well as be on my website. Square is cool that way, linking the website to the show inventory library.

And finally they get organized for display

That's the story of my daily living over the last 60 days. I am anxious to finish up the 2021 colors and start in on natural dyes for wool. I am still working on a Midrealm green and a Mustard yellow. Both are new colors I have never used before. This year's color palette is tilted toward Autumn colors because most of my shows are in October.

This year's schedule:
Great Lakes Fiber - Wooster, OH May 29 & 30
Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival - Berryville, VA September 25 & 26
Gulf Wars - Lumberton, MS October 2-10
SAFF - Asheville, NC October 22-24

You can visit me online at https://www.ursulas-alcove.com
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
Upon the nature of dyestuffs

The growing season is short. It's already mid-June. Three to four months of of greenery is left. So if you make your living off of natural dyes or eco-printing, you have a lot of work to do in a very short time. One quarter of the year must supply enough material to sell for three quarters. No pressure here. (Sarcasm) But dyeing is really fun because you never know what you are going to get. So time to explore!

This year has been really cool and wet so far. On Sunday that will change as we hit 90° temperatures. Time to make hay now that the sun is back. It's hard to do solar dyeing in the rain. (Giggle) The weather also impacts the quality and color of the dye.

Time wheel
Spring
* Bloodroot, a native species that I purchased and propigated. In the wild, they are protected in some states. Check first before harvesting.
* Dandelion - didn't get a chance to harvest this year. Thistle, goatsbeard, and safflower leaves also give color.
* Rhubarb is what I started the year off with. We didn't harvest a whole lot because I moved plants around. Yield was about a pound of wool. This year, the color was more tan, not as yellow.
* Oregano - I harvested first to restock the spice cupboard. I want perfect leaves for food. For dyeing, they can be bug-eaten and its okay. Again, I'll get about a pound of wool. The color will be a dark brown.
* Cleavers is in the bedstraw family. I will have to give it a try.
* Lily of the Valley -very toxic but I have a lot so next year I will give it a try.

Summer
* Coreopsis is currently soaking in a bucket. I moved plants around this year so my harvest isn't as big. In a normal year 3 to 4 pounds of wool is dyed bright yellow gold.
* Russian Tarragon - I like to dye with alum and over dyed in a cold copper bath for a mossy green.
* Lemon balm - I get a yellow, depending on how mature the plant is. Sometimes tan.
* Black Hollyhocks - I get two colors from hollyhocks, a driftwood and a rose tone. Both are lovely. Hollyhocks are biennial. I didn't let enough go to seed last year. You need a lot of flowers for color.
* Black Dahlias - I haven't gotten enough to do a proper dyebath. I have used them for eco-printing with great success.
* Sage - Salvia officinalis, I process the same as lemon balm. It yield a lemony yellow if I have enough of it. I might only dye 4 to 8 ounces of wool.
Zinnias - Next year. Didn't find any seed this year and it skipped my mind.
Burdock - I like to do with copper to get a soft green.
Lichen (Parmelia) used with ammonia. I scrap it off deadfall.
Barberry Leaves - a very prolific plant. Gives a mediocre shade of light brown.

Autumn
* Hopi Sunflower - I didn't get seeds this year. Will try to grow next year.
* Walnuts - I use the hulls. I'll have to talk to my neighbor about getting some. When the hulls are just turning from green to brown, a lovely reddish brown can be obtained. I use vinegar as a mordant to shift it to brown.
* Carrot Tops - I process them the same as tarragon.
* Parsnip tops - I waited too long last year so I haven't tried it yet.
* Some people use goldenrod, pokeberries, tomato vines, and french marigold (Tagestes sp.) These are not as colorfast so I don't use them.

Anytime-
Wood shavings - cherry, osage orange, and walnut.
Cochineal because where I live, it must be purchased.
Madder, also purchased because I managed to kill my plant for the third time.
Indigo, also purchased.
Alkanet, also purchased. Use with alcohol in a solar dyebath, not water.
Coffee grounds
Tea
Onion skins

Rhubarb leaf dyed wool yarn

There are many more things that can be used. These are just what I used with immersion dyeing on my yarn. Then one of the people I follow on Instagram was fortunate enough to take a class with India Flint. (jealous) Since I actually have the book, it got me to thinking. I am rereading the book and am going to start experimenting with eco-printing. Stay tuned. I have my old handmade solar oven. It doesn't go above 200° but on a clear day, I think it'll be perfect. Time to switch gears and look at cotton fabric. Now to go find some pipe to wrap my cloth around. I just got done scouring fabric. The rose bush needs trimming and the leaves will be perfect. I will be trying different mordants to see the effects. Today is a good day to dye. Stay tuned!
ursulas_alcove: Robin of the hood woodcut (Rock On!)
Of course everything got ripe all at once. Mulberries to pick, strawsberries, black raspberries and even a few red raspberries. The Dyer's Coreopsis came early this year. We have a show to prepare for. So much to do!

Coreopsis (gold) and Oregano (dark brown)
Presoak Natural Dyebaths

Oregano dyebath

Coreopsis and oregano

And from last year's crop out of my freezer, Dahlias because I need to see which mordant I like best. The Blue Vitriol (copper sulphate) wins. Those are just starting to bloom.
Black Dahlia

Black Dahlia Dye

Not enough yarn, never enough yarn to play with. Next up will be Black Hollyhocks. This one is a mystery. Wild Color shows a rose tone range while Harvesting Color shows a mint green. I am curious as all get out. I am still collecting blossoms to get a nice strong color.

Hollyhocks

Hollyhocks

Stayed Tuned!
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
Great Lakes Fiber is coming up Saturday and Sunday only at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster, OH. There's a lot to see and do. Looks like the weather may actually cooperate this year. It's going to be a great show! Visit their webpage for more information. http://www.greatlakesfibershow.com

Green Hemp and Linen

I feel like I'm back in school, cramming for a test. So many new displays do I have in store for you! I finished my dyeing today. I've been busy winding and labeling the hemp. The green is the last I'll have time for. I am missing gold in the color palette but I will remedy that after Great Lakes. Tomorrow I get to work on the sock yarn display. I am so pleased with today's kettle sock yarn dye baths. They turned out so well. No pictures yet. I finished at dusk. They are drying now. Tomorrow I wind and label. You are going to love these! Here's the mini skeins that are already packaged:

Getting ready for Great Lakes Fiber.

Chronographia is winding extra balls of zephyr, which is still my best seller, ten years running! Zephyr is a 50/50 Wool/Silk blend. It comes in lace weight. I also carry the DK weight version, which I still need to find hooks for and pack into travel totes. Then I have to price and label a big box of Alpaca in natural colors that is occupying my living room couch. Next comes loading the van and bringing down carton after carton of certified organic wool in a rainbow of organic color. And of course my weed-of-the-week collection, featuring dyer's coreopsis, and rhubarb natural dyes.

I will also have books and a few hats to try on. It's a teaser for next weekend's Columbus Arts Festival. Chronographia will have a booth on the bridge. Stop on by!
ursulas_alcove: Blakes 7 (kicking ass)
New Chemistry like new math

So all these cones of yarn were on back order. They came in long after I needed them. They're mostly 10/6 hemp. So while its nice and I have lots of water, I was able to get a couple pounds skeined and scoured. I still have quite a few colors I ordered in 2012 that I've never opened. I use untreated water from the furnace or from the dehumidifier. In summer, I use rain water. The results are more repeatable and our water supply (for tap water) keeps changing treatment chemicals, which will change my results.

Turkey Red Hemp Yarn

We've been waiting for weeks for my husband's new job to give him a start date. Finally today they said Monday at 8 am. So now that I was lulled into believing he would never start there, "puff", no time to do much except pack and get the hell out of Dodge. So I'm burning the midnight oil winding and labeling yarn. We also have a small evening event this upcoming week at Girls Night Out to raise money for literacy. See their website for details! http://www.lcswpa.org/events/2014_girls_night_out
We'll have a table of our most popular items for sale. And we are donating an autographed book called Gossamer Webs by Galena Khemleva. She specializes in teaching how to spin and knit Orenburg lace shawls.
Chronographia will be doing this event since I will be in Michigan. Now back to preparing for the journey.
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
On the Loom
Start weaving

Finally I have bunches of projects going simultaneously! I started knitting a gold hat, I have weaving on the loom, and another wet felted hat in progress. I have products ( buttons and clasps) to label and put onto cardstock. I made quiche today, did dishes, added items to etsy, and had a good night's sleep. Yay!

First Wet Felted Hat Done
The Count Down Begins

And the finale was to wash the silk handwoven scarf and start eco-printing it. I pulled all the oak leaves out of the bag in the fridge. The wind has gifted me with a nice collection. I took the steel wool soaking in tea and added the fake egg whites to dip each leaf. The mix was black. The scarf got a pre-soak in salt water. I dipped and placed my leaves and covered them with muslin. Then I took my shoe and hammered all down the line. I took apart my drop spindle and used the dowel to roll it up. I stuck it in a plastic bag. Since there won't be sun here for days, I stuck it in the microwave for a minute to heat it at a low temp. I do this periodically. Going to leave it there for a couple of days.

Scarf to be Printed
Plain vanilla
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
Exploring Eco-printing:

http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/9118/Haar%20Eco%20Prints%202011%20KSU%20Sustainability.pdf?sequence=1

http://inleaf.blogspot.ca/2010/07/queen-annes-lace.html?m=1

http://12monthsinview.blogspot.com/2013/06/eco-printing-on-fabric.html

Hoping to go for a walk on trail somewhere out here in Oregon and see what I can find. I have raw silk to weave with. At the moment Oregon has sun. I might take a page out of jshubert's book and go out to the ocean for my salt water. This will help my soul to sing despite the current predicament.
ursulas_alcove: 19th century engraving of a woman using a drop spindle (Default)
cochineal dyeing

Stupid hot yesterday and today. I moved into the basement last night. Been awhile since I sleep in a chair. So tired it didn't matter. The concrete floor also looked good. Got home during the most spectacular light show nature can provide. Who needs fire works? The storms were east of us. No thunder, just wonderful lightening.

I am leaving tomorrow for Seattle with a stop in Coralville for groceries and Cedar Rapids to pick up stock. Unloading the van in hot, hot weather with humidity. And repacking today. Winding lots of balls of yarn to replenish crates.

Finished a lovely dyebath of oregano before the show setup on Friday. I have some lovely fuzzy mohair in a honey yellow. Today I started by deadheading the coreopsis. I have that cooking along with some bugs (cochineal) on the outdoor stove. Coreopsis makes me smile.

dyers coreopsis

Tomorrow I must get 4 new tires, renew the tags on the vehicle, and buy sales books. Then pack, wait for UPS, wind off orders, take them to the post office. And finally hit the road. Oh yeah, I should probably pay bills.

Tomatoes need to be planted and the carrots ere we travel. Crazy days.

coreopsis dyeing
ursulas_alcove: J is for jelly baby (pamper thyself)
Okay. I didn't grow up during the time this series was popular. It was my daughter's generation. However, I sat through countless episodes on My Little Pony and She-ra and Rainbow Bright. It defined a generation. So I'm trying to process a backlog/stash of fleece. And of course, some of the burgundies were already spun off. And more little leftovers of other projects joined it. Last year it looked like this:

Year End Inventory

Well, now it looks a little more like this:

my little pony yarn

I'd picked up some wonderful mulberry silk top on etsy from the Yarn Place. Somewhere down the lone a bit of it got dyed pink. It really makes a statement.

After A Fair in the Park at Mellon Park, I decided I didn't have anything this year for my "purple" ladies. You know who you are. Purple is a color you can't live without. So far, I've spun over 100 grams. I am starting today on another ball. If you're not a purple or pink person, it's okay. I just spent a week with a lady who hates the color pink. It personally offends her at a basic level. I have other friends who hate blue. I am an artist and am not limiting myself to just some of the colors of the rainbow. I'll get around to your favorite color eventually.
ursulas_alcove: Robin of the hood woodcut (Rock On!)
cochineal mosaic

When time is short, I usually get the dyebaths complete. Weaving is always debatable. I can't concentrate when I have packing lists going through my head. Knitting can be done just about anywhere except when I've already packed it. The cochineal was a surprise. I tried ferrous sulfate (copperas) as the mordant. Purple not pink. These will be a nice contrast to the greens and yellows I've already dyed. Cochineal is pictured above. I needed a pop of color. Logwood, madder, and cochineal finished skeins are shown below. Now for the road. Packing continues.

april dyes
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