the quest for madder red

chugging along dyeing the japanese way. more time consuming,but colors develop nicely and with a certain depth.

getting orangier. will i ever be able to get red? everyone else does, but on wool. silk is a different animal so to speak.

dulling a light value skein with some copper and a tiny bit of iron.

need to try that for purples, i was advised.

neki desu

 

of freezer paper

have kilometers of it, thinking i could really cash on it with the quilting scene here.and now working with print pastes it's a breeze .finally.

the cloth is the remaining cotton warp 

from the ame ni mo makeru shifu project dyed in cutch and mordanted with alumn and soda ash,then dyed again.

it was then printed with a 100% ferrous acetate print paste.

it needs one more print with a 50% ferrous print paste and then chalked 

along with the ferrous combos. these in turn will be cut in strips and dyed in different dyes . they will serve as sample records of the interaction of ferrous and alum in different percentages.

 although sampling is not my idea of fun i have come to terms with its utility. if you cant fight them.... ¯\ ( ツ ) /¯

oh and happy birthday to me.

neki desu 

 

workers paradise

since coming back there has been feverish activity finishing the shifu weaves, dyeing and completing a module from the maiwa course of the past september. not to mention k knitting.  although traveling was fun i  greatly missed the studio and my practice.

the above is  coarse woven cotton using the remaining  warp for the shifu weaves. it was dyed (mind the spelling) in cutch then mordanted with alum and soda ash and dyed again. 

on top is some tobe shifu dyed in the same cutch pot. cutch seems the dye that won't stop dyeing, almost impossible to exhaust.

the alum/ferrous combinations already painted on the stretched cotton fabric. they are still drying and eventually will be dunged and dyed. cutting vertical strips to get as many color samples as possible.

great exercise and great fun.spring will be dyer's fest.

neki desu

 

after two days of jamón and wine

back to work. our nephew and his wife's visit was indeed too short,but terrifically enjoyable.

 the maiwa course has me bouncing off the walls.💖 everything about it the content, the way it is presented, the clear explanations.

already started working with printing with mordant paste.interesting that there's no universal reecipe for the printing surface, one has to try what works with the different tools. wooden blocks -at least mine- like a firmer surface stencils on the other hand profit from a less firm one.

i am being incredibly judicious following instructions, taking all kinds of notes, cleaning the brushes, urfaces  and tools right after finishing working. the cleaning part is a major feat as i tend to leave that for mañana but sometimes mañana doesn't come.    (シ_ _)シ.

this is medium weight cotton sheeting dyed with carrot tops

already dunged to clean the background .there is stenciling,block printing,foam stamp printing and foam roller.

i need to concentrate more on the processes and less on the results, but all in all it has made impact on my practice. seems i'll be bidding farewell to the kamikaze dyer.

neki desu

 

the science behind

scouring. i had always eyeballed everything being the kamikaze that i am. however now i am starting to weight the fabric ,record and derive the formula for the soda ash and synthrapol. can't wait to start the actual dyeing as i foresee an improvement in colors and cost effectiveness.

the murks above. i am using a whole lot of  locally sourced cotton fabrics, and some vintage linens from my mother in law.

the cellulosics already dried and pressed.

on with the silks which have been in my fabric bin as long as forever. got many at a closeout sale of a store during my barcelona years.

turning a page my nephew& wife are coming this weekend to visit auntie and uncle.need to prepare so i am taking a short break until next monday.  friday vid will be a scheduled post.

neki desu 

 

the maiwa way

the online course has started and i am bouncing off the walls.

after so very many years being a kamikaze dyer and weaver i am following the instructions to the t, weighting the fabrics and taking notes.

it is such a pleasure to deal with such professional, organized people.

 of the good things that came out of covid was the proliferation of online courses available.

had always wanted to do a maiwa course, but going to canada and staying a couple of weeks or months  was out of the question for me.

even bought litmus paper to test the water. lo and behold i was under the impression that it was hard water and it is exquisitely neutral. all the 8 gallon bottles i have been buying during the past 6 years  for nothing. ¯\ ( ツ) /¯

neki desu

 

bacon's not what it used to be

warming up towards the maiwa course  painting and painting with natural dyes

all silk yarns here  natural dyed and  post treated w. assorted modifiers.

this year the heat has been so intense up north that not only has affected  living organisms, but also inorganic inert substances such as dyes. true,bacon is not what it used to be as we say in our household and this applies to every single thing. my first procion mx dyes bought from dharma almost 40 years ago held up a good 30 years until they started shifting color and losing dye power.some colors didn't even age.

madder and tannins 

the batch i got 6-7 years ago have gone bad in 3 miserable years. i am talking quality here. quality and kindness seem terms on their way out with all the implications.

let's see if the shift to natural dyes cuts that issue.

i now have a disposal problem of almost one kilo of dye powders.  ⋋__⋌ 

neki desu

 

overjoy

at long last i found dyes and mordant suppliers in europe. ever since brexit it has become more and more difficult to buy supplies from the uk.just a few suppliers have pulled up their socks and gotten all the tax numbers, permits and paraphernalia to do business in europe. if not you get fried with import taxes and brokerage fees at customs. the goodies here were ordered from france and latvia with n.o. hassle.

madder and safflower on silk

yarns here were originally dyed with madder,

brazilwood and logwood many moons ago.

 then they were modified with iron and tannin

last week. logwood silk had turned into a blah mauve

and with tannin it became the gorgeous copper on the right, second photo. the middle pink skein was dyed with cochineal.i cringe at the thought of how much mispent dyes i have used when i was a kamikaze dyer.

which brings me. i am doing the maiwa  workshop on print and paint with natural dyes. the organization is incredibly flawless, a pleasure dealing with them! 

super excited as  ever since covid i stopped studying japanese and was lacking intellectual stimuli.

great coloring lie ahead  drop by frequently to follow.

neki desu

 

two hundred minus 3

almost full needle bed. 1000 ,yes one thousand rows of knitted silk bourette with no breakage, no mishap.

a major feat. this is going to be mordanted and painted with natural dyes  which have to be extracted first. then unravelled and  the resulting yarn ,hopefully  pretty, will be knit into a sweater of sorts. stay tuned because this is a looong process.

neki desu

 

for those who can

 your're welcome.

have a good weekend

neki desu

 

benibana chronicles III

 finally got to the red part. no matter how much you think you've rinsed the yellow there's still more to wash away.

 

some pretty yellow dyeing on silk

but the soft red and peach are my pride and joy.

so is this other one kind of pink-red. all with a little help from my friend's notes.

i am enjoying the chemistry behind so much that i want to continue with benibana. still want to achieve reds. no wonder the japanese specialise in just one dyeas there's so much to learn. we occidentals are born dabblers (╯︵╰,) or i should speak for myself.

looking to buy a kg of benibana, so far it's either india or uk. anyone in europe ?? please??

neki desu 

 

the benibana chronicles II

enjoying the chemistry of benibana. getting more red color but still have to polish the procedure.

cheating a bit with the light but  it is a pinkish red or reddish pink, 

waiting for better weather so i can go to the brook and do a good rinsing for another batch.where did july go?

neki desu 

 

the quest for benibana

dont know if already published, but this will be a repository for the near future.

have a good weekend

neki desu 

benibana

 

note the anime  vibe.

have a good weekend

 neki desu 

 

towards simplicity and mono no aware

making warp chains of  hirakami textured silk also bought on my first trip to japan! have not been able to find it on successive trips. dyed in ai and carrot tops. want both looms warped.

carrot tops here

and  remedial dyeing with carrot tops

all these  silks speak for themselves in their beauty. no intricate patterns, no dazzling effects are needed. 

just letting the materials speak .don't know if it's the effects of the confinement,the recent  loss of friends,age  or what, but i am aiming for simplicity now as an antidote for these times.mono no aware

neki desu

 

what i've learned about madder

during these gloriously sunny summer days taking advantage doing solar dyeing.

first : time .this was after one day.

second: amount is usually underscored in favor of temperature. one needs LOTS of dyestuff to get good color. a lot over the 50% wog .

after 5 days in the ssun. did i mention time? it's easier to control temps when solar dyeing.  more than once i've left the stove unattended and ended with browns.

some remaining dye doing its magic overdyeing brazilwood. see you next week!

neki desu 

 

remedial dyeing ii

 carrot tops  on ai  came out a light sage green with blue and yellow highlights. in a mixed warp will do well.

scouring more of that silk to be dyed for yet another scarf.

everything is strange; not too keen on doing artwork i have been concentrating on wearables something that was occasional,perhaps it's the urge not to leave a huge stash behind. perhaps i am dwelling on the futility of things .who knows. hope this is a phase. 

neki desu