End of the Red Dyes Workshop

Today was the last day of the Red Dyes workshop, it's been running on the Online Guild for the whole of April, I have really enjoyed doing it and because it's all online you get written responses and photos of how people are getting on - so there is a record of it all, it's very rewarding!

The photo shows all the samples I have dyed during the workshop. On the far left is my madder (it's orange!) cochineal is in the centre on the right is sticklac and bottom left is brazilwood. There is a silk hankie in there (very hidden) that was painted with madder, lac and brazilwood extracts. The workshop has been good for me - it's made me look at some of my methods and try out new ideas. The kind of thing you don't have time for in the general run of being in the dyehouse. I am determined to get back to doing more research! (OK that's research and spinning I have to do more of - so what is going to lose out I wonder?!)

I have a lot of dyeing to be getting on with over the coming month - at the beginning of June there is the Ravelry Day - I have a stall and am running a workshop - and at the end of June is Woolfest. It's not the dyeing that takes up all the time it's the hanking up! It really seems to take forever, I have now got John looking on the web for any hanking machinery that we could use. It really is so time consuming when you can only do 1 hank at a time! To be fair John is fantastic at making things - I have a super ball winder for the linens, but he just hasn't had time to deal with the wools issue! I'll just have to plan to do so many hanks per day!

For once we are home for a Bank Holiday plus my sons are both coming home - so it'll be like Christmas!!! (wonder if I can get them hanking up?!) Hope the weather is better than it has been today! Nick I have to collect from Chester station tomorrow lunchtime (which means some retail therapy may be required in the morning whilst waiting!) David will drive himself up later in the day. I think this is going to be a nice weekend!

Purple Jazz

My delivery has arrived from Eathues! In it was their new extract Purple Jazz. This is a new Logwood extract that they consider "so brilliant and snazzy the called it Purple Jazz". So of course I had to try some straight away! Here's my results, I love the purple on the silk yarn, the wool is more of a cochineal purple, maybe needs a bit more work - I did my usual and just put half a teaspoon in 50ml boiling water, mixed it up and immersed the fibre. Perhaps not fair. I DO like the silk though, that is Jazzy! It will be on sale in the online shop just as soon as I can get it bagged up and listed! If you're interested in trying it you can always give me a call!

Another package also arrived today - lots of lovely ethically produced silk cloth, I want to dye it up in time for the Alternative Fashion week starting on the 20th April at Spitalfields Traders Market. We've taken a stall there, so hope to see lots of interested people attending the fashion shows! These silks have come from India and are woven from handspun yarns. The wild and semi wild moths are not stifled but live out their lives and escape from the cocoons so the silk has to be spun, not reeled. I can't get away from the carbon footprint of bringing it in from India, but at least it is ethically produced!

I have to say I can't wait to get started on it - it feels lovely and I want to make some clothes out of it - there are 6 different weaves of varying qualities.