remedial dyeing

uneven aizome silk,bummer bummer

seeping carrot tops.it's going to be an interesting green.stand by.

neki desu

 

carrots

 carrot tops on silk, alum /cot mordanted. pleased with the color. not so much with the silk which lost all its gum and turned into floss. great for spinning.anyone?
two years ago i was landing in kansai airport after a long long trip. hope to repeat next year world  economic situation provided.







neki desu
 

of beautiful world dyes

where did october go? ಠ ಠ
have a good weekend





neki desu
 

two weeks

lichen windfalls in water-ammonia solution slowly  giving out color. still have more for another batch this one with bottled water. still haven't measured the ph of water here ಠ ಠ. i need a personal assistant that will take care of all the innumerable little bs.

the xmas cake extravaganza is over. in the middle of the production the hand beater gave in and we had to dash out and buy a new one. luckily the liquids had not yet been added to the solids so it was salvaged. i was so frazzled that forgot to add the spices so we'll see if it tastes of something (╯︵╰,)

will compensate by adding extra brandy to cure the cake.

still in awe of how i could set up production in my tiny kitchen in bcn.

neki desu
 

not your regular dye session

quite puzzled by the out-turn.murasaki on silk this time turned out a beige with a purplish overcast. not unpleasant but not planned.the photo is a tad doctored to highlight the overcast, so that you can get a better idea.

it could be a handsome  weft. now for the warp...

neki desu
 

the extraordinary

 we went to a region near one of the natural parks well known for its treks and natural scenery.

surprisingly the locals were still in awe of last week's hurricane something unheard of in these latitudes.the trails were totally blocked with fallen trees, rocks and debris so no walking.
however treasures abounded on the ground.picked up about 100 grams of these and got bored because there were so many. also got very choosy with my picks 😁😁
drying them to scrape off the wood matter and then need to put them in a jar with water and ammonia to get the color out.calculate it'll be ready for dyeing in the spring.

taliban dyers: relax these are windfalls.

neki desu
 

not thrilled

very little murasaki  dye left and the color is spent. came out looking dish watery, kind of  greyish.

fortunately this will be the side panels so not much has been lost.the front and back panels are coming along nicely. this week is going to be carrot top  dyeing week .

already started japanese clasess and the tuesday 9 km walk  as well. time juggling has begun.

neki desu
 

natural dyeing

korean style.

have a great first fall weekend!







neki desu
 

selective

dyeing while i continue to centimeter away at the loom.folded and clamped silk crepe, left soaking  in a concentrated murasaki liquid  in a shallow container.it came out the color of a good claret wine.this one does not need an extra dip as the color value is just right. now it needs to be re folded and clamped again and dyed with the carrot top dye. as soon as i finish the yardage i have tons of sewing waiting and this silk crepe is  queueing.

note my kusamono on the right *▽*




neki desu
 

diversifying

second murasaki dip. turned somewhat reddish, but that's ok. have been extracting the dye with ethanol alcohol instead of isopropyl  and it seems that the previous is more acidic than the latter. will have to decide whether to modify it and bring it to the blues or just leave it as is.

the bad news is that i used up the whole 100 gr. bag i had from so many years ago. the good news is that i found an on line source to buy more. ＼（＾▽＾）／

one more dip and then re bundle and dye the last color using carrot tops. aiming for the kind of green in the background of the photo. but first i need to exhaust the dye.

neki desu
 

on benibana

foreseeing the future.
have a wonderful weekend. stay cool




neki desu
 

motainai dyeing

second extraction, this time using the hot water-kneading japanese method. could not bring myself to open the tap (yes it has a tap!) and dispensing the liquid as there was dye . added the second water and dunked the linen knit which had been  mordanted in alum-tannin- alum and then wound shibori like to a plastic rope.

the color is a bit darker than in the photo and also duller, not as clear as the first water.this will be dipped a couple more times to develop the color.

neki desu
 

of murasakizome

japanese say that alcohol extraction is no good, that it doesn't give good color,but i guess it's they way they have to save their tradition.

as i don't have a murasakizome tradition i allow myself to take the shortcut.and i am pleased with the results.

 here's the stainless vat, which btw it's performing very well.remember i bought a beermaking vat? not exactly this one ,but close.
i can dye now in my bathroom!! looking forward to starting an indigo vat . you set the temp  and time and the vat keeps them.rejoice,rejoice i can dye in the winter.

but back to murasakizome.the outcome of the first waters.

alum cot mordant on silk, bottled water because i have been lazy and haven't tested the water here.

it's close to hon murasaki 

hon-murasaki (true-purple) #65318e and i am super chuffed with it.
until now i had just been able to get fuji murasaki and then shifting the blues by adding an acid.

neki desu
 

more budleja- coda

on wool, with alum and  cot mordants. i was too lazy to test the water for ph and to get bottled water for dyeing.

it gave me a dirty yellow, but i am quite content after not dyeing for such a long time. i also need to be more scientific and weight the plant matter i just dumped my bounty in a pot with water.

on cotton the color was much more clearer perhaps because i put the scoured yarn in the bucket, no heat and forgot of its existence.to dye cotton it needs to be treated with a tannin and then alum.

michel garcia says to think of of this as friendships:the friends of my friends are also my friends;cotton is friends with tannin, tannin with the mordant and the mordant friends with the dye!

usually tannin gives a beige- browny tone, but i tried liles recommendation to use soda ash instead because it makes alum less acidic.

happy to report that the dye clinged to the cotton just the excess washed off.

i can say i got good colors from budleja and given the abundance of it i am going to keep using it with modifiers to get a variety of colors . 

and i need to test the  ph of the water   ಠ ಠ

neki desu
 

dealing with wants

it is quite ironic that being here surrounded with vegetable matter with dyeing potential i have not dyed in a whole year. the itch has been almost unbearable let me tell you. 

Yesterday my morning walk included foraging the budleja patches and came home with about 200 grams worth of prime flowers.

the interest comes from the availability and also this post where the whole process is explained. master dyer jenny dean has also  a very informative post.  
 unlike dean, i am not using dead flower heads so keep watching this section for the outcome.

the dyeing will come a tad early for the purchase to solve and re direct all dyeing endeavors.

i had been looking for a milk heating thermos when i should have been looking for a beer making unit DUH.

found one which is not too pricey, well after seeing the prices for milk thermos anything below that is not pricey, and ordered it.will be here in a week. perhaps it's not too late for a quick ai vat.

neki desu
 

goodbye hello

good bye to dyeing season, hello to weaving.
 have a colorful fall weekend









neki desu

the romance of natural colors

but please,wear gloves.
have a good weekend





neki desu

dying to dye

but the weather is foul.have to revive the vat from last year as soon as the weather improves,no rain no storms. the white knit, a gift from a friend, will also get a kakishibu treatment. want to experiment overdyeing ai with kakishibu. or vice versa.

there's also a silk yardage that has been waiting to get printed.hope the screens are still operative.















neki desu

grateful for cochineal

no fuss dyeing,no temperature issues, always nice results.you can even add the mordant to the dye bath  thus cutting steps and time.i wonder why japanese wrinkle their noses at the sole mention of cochineal. perhaps because it's so far removed from their dyeing culture?

first dip, sakura pink rich.a way of 

reminiscing last year's sakura fever.

the piece will be overdyed in logwood 

so i need to keep that in mind. 

to whet sakura saudade here's this year's forecast

neki desu

an easy one

in an afternoon's work i got the silk skeined, scoured, mordanted and dyed.while i was skeining it the carrot tops were brewing so the dye was ready after all the prepping. 

carrot tops are  becoming my favorite dye,the range of greens is surprising.and this comes from a green-o-phobic person.i have yet to explore modifying the dye, but so far i am pleased with  just alum and however tap water comes out on  dyeing day.they are also ready available, even if i don't buy the carrots my greengrocer saves them for me.

now that the 12 shaft loom is empty here's a

proposed warp: brass green and blue; from indigo, of course.it would be silly to waste the thrums and a perfect threading, albeit straight draw,when i can just tie on.that would limit me to crepes or double weave. but not with these yarns and sett.we shall see.

first though i have to scour, tie and dye the wool shawl.

neki desu