Inspired by Pansies and Hydrangea

It's been a long time since I had a weekend at home just to do what I please - Saturday was spent catching up on my "house" - I even "tickled" it! (my grandfather's sweet phrase for dusting!!! - wouldn't you rather "tickle" your house than dust it?) I also cleaned out a few files in preparation for the move from a smaller to a much larger room so I'll be organized when the time finally arrives and I came across some files with dyeing instructions I'd printed out ages ago.


On Sunday, after going through the "dyeing tips" file I decided to dye on the spur of the moment and it was the perfect way to get both relaxed, enjoy the moment as well very exciting to see the results.

Last Thanksgiving I had purchased a huge turkey roaster at WalMart just for the purpose of dyeing outdoors and I couldn't be more pleased to tell you what a fabulous experience it was - I just plugged it into an outlet on the deck and let it do it's thing - went back a couple of times to press it all down with a wooden spoon (careful not to stir), unplugged it after one hour, left it to cool and rinsed it - Voila!


I truly crammed all this into one dyepot - 1/2 lb of luscious Finn wool, silk chiffon, silk gauze, wool curls, wool nepps (tied these tiny goodies into a piece of tulle) and several pieces of Felbi (lightweight prefelt). I used and Acid dye and vinegar - no other chemicals - the dye bath was completely exhausted (not dye molecules left in the remaining water). The wool is soft and fluffy -- I was worried that it would get felted in the hot water but I was careful to wait until it was cool and rinse in water the same temperature. Lots of lessons learned and I can't wait to do more!

I've decided to do a giveaway each time I dye but this time, I'll draw a name from those who leave comments at random for the winner!