A fibery getaway

I am going away for a three day workshop on natural dyeing this coming weekend. I am really looking forward to this, even if it means I have to get up and leave the house at 5 am to get to the class in time. Once I am there I will be staying in a motel. This was not the original plan, but with gas hitting $3.00 a gallon, it makes more sense than driving back and forth for the entire three days. So after a 9-5 class, and a nice dinner I will spend my evenings pampering myself with non stop knitting time!

Here is the class synopsis. I hope to take lots of notes and pictures and then condense the good bits to a blog entry later.



All about Silk
Preparation and handling
Techniques of Dyeing
Principles of Natual dyes
All the main mordants(alum, Tin, chrome, iron)
All the main, available and safe natural dystuffs(Indigo, Fustic, Madder, Brazilwood, Logwood, Cochineal and if time permits we will dye Black)
Paint-dyeing with natural dyes
You will take home:
10- 1/2 oz skeins(of fiber or fabric) of naturally dyed silks in these colors: blue(Indigo), green(Indigo and Fustic), magenta,rosemand plum(Cochineal), red(brazilwood), orange(madder), gold(Fustic), purple and silver(logwood)
An individual creation in your choice of colors on 2 oz of silk yarn or 3 oz of fiber or one yard of fabric
a 15" by 45" scarf length of silk fabric that you will paint dye in the colors you choose and with a design you create yourself.
A portfolio with printed intructions for all colors (and more) that we wil be doing, so you can be confident to continue at home on your own
A color chart with 8" samples of over thirty colors on silk yarn, for reference.



To get me in the mood for all of this (like I needed coaxing) I am boiling up a pot of the ragwort flowers tops, since they are full bloom right now in my front field. I hope to strain the liquid and then freeze it for later use to dye yarn that lovely gold color I got in the past. I don't really have any white yarn spun up right now, but I think freezing the dye will save it until it is ready.

CW