Farmers Market

Growing and Harvesting Dye Producing Plants

Seed "Tapes" for first graders to plant

Yesterday I presented the chemistry lesson to the first grade class: how mordants work to adhere dye to wool. The metal salt forms an insoluable "lake" with the dye molecules.

And did you know that alizarin could replace cobalt in some batteries, thus making them non-toxic?

Vashon Island wool dyed for artist's residency, first grade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L to R: madder root, dyer's chamomile, logwood, cochineal, coreopsis. The logwood, cochineal, and some of the madder were purchased. All other plants were grown in the Helix dye garden.

I am way behind this year. I have not started any new plants! I've learned about a "garden tower" with a worm tube down the center that I like. I rescued some boards from the old farm plot today to make the tower part.

Trying some cold water dyeing today. Hoping the vats in 5 gallon buckets will heat up in the sun. I used all the saved vats from last Spring. Stuffed some white alpaca that had gotten a few moths (not too many but must get rid of them!) into plastic buckets, then poured the leftover dyes from half gallon canning jars onto the dry fleece. I made two or three layers per bucket. Then I poured the leftover cold alum mordant into each bucket too.
Bucket #1: Logwood, Logwood with Iron, Black Bean, Cochineal
Bucket #2: Coreopsis perennial lancelota, Coreopsis tinctoria, Osage Orange
Bucket #3: (2.5 gallon) Madder Root
Bucket #4: There's no more leftover dyes so I'm thinking about what to do with this one.

Pictures are coming!

Spring 2013 Fiber Purchase

 Prime Alpaca blanket from Vashon Island Alpacas. I bought a total of 6 pounds plus another pound of fawn color cria (yearling. first shearing) for myself. The plan is to also get some BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) from another local farm and blend together.

2012 Dyeing Season

Common Thread -- I've joined a local textile collective. Much of my time has been spent in meetings, setting up my display, and working shifts at the shop. Recently I read that in French one loans time rather than spending it. I'm changing my labels to the Local Color label. Tomorrow I will try to get a photo of the place.