fourth dip and a find

close to blue jean blue

sorry people for my insistence with the aizome, but you have to understand me. been trying to run a successful vat for over nine summers, yes nine summers of my life, and the results ranged from pathetic to blah in the best cases.i was developing a complex because even a  twelve year old was running these stunning dyeing sessions. how could i be so inoperative? i had experience dyeing with both natural and synthetic dyes i wasn't a new comer.i had information, on indigo  mostly scattered information granted, and recipes.

in a world of sharing it looks good to share, even when you share incomplete knowledge and  deliberately withhold the stellar points. ha!!so good for sharing and sharers.ha!!

then last year i took the plunge bought a real honest to goodness ph meter and a thermometer, no more guess workas i was able to measure for consistency. but what really brought it all together was michelle wipplinger's color coding vats.
there it was, the philosopher's stone:nigredo, albedo, citrinitas and rubedo! the knowledge of the ancients!! at last i could follow the specs and get dyeing with good results.

 anyway the other day while waiting for the vat to reduce i was surfing a bit and came across the  plant named lonchocarpus cyanescens as a source of indigotin. it grows in the african tropics  and it is known as yoruba indigo. here opens another route to be explored. right Catherine? (-_o)
enjoy this short film and notice the very dark blue obtained.

neki desu