About Time too!

Well, it's such a very long time since I posted and I must try harder. It's not because I've not done anything but between computer problems and family events there has been no time to get down to it.
The above photo shows woollen skeins dyed in preparation for a workshop I am leading with two Weaving and Spinning groups next year. I started with the 3 primary colours, red, blue and yellow, and mixed them in set proportions to create secondary colours. In the workshops we will be mixing several colours, in pairs, to create a colour chart for Kemtex acid dyes. Hopefully in the future we will be able to choose the exact shades we want to use, rather than mixing in a hit and miss fashion, thought sometimes this is creative and gives combinations you may not have thought to combine. It surprised me just how many skeins are needed to do this with only an handful of dyes, so it will be great to get others to help each other create a useful shade card in a day.

Feeling proud

Several months ago I agreed to write an item for the Journal of Weaver's Spinners and Dyers about Fibre Reactive Dyeing. (www.thejournalforwsd.org.uk. www.wsd.org.uk)
I have been dyeing silk and other fibre and yarn with these dyes for several years and thought I'd like to share my experience.

When the Summer 2010 issue had been published I was very pleasantly surprised to see a photo of my weaving on the cover. I had sent photos of the process and finished spun and woven items but never dreamed of my work being shown on the cover. My photos were obviously of a better quality than I realised. I often get things out of focus but maybe so do professionals!!! There are also several photos of my finished work inside the magazine.


Most of my clothes are cotton or linen and I don't enjoy wearing synthetic fabrics, woollens irritate my skin, so I only work with wool for someone else.
Yesterday, I decided to dye some woollen fibre with acid dyes, some of which I have had for years. For this I used the microwave as it's too hot to stand over a heat source at the moment and the time taken to fix the dye is shorter.
Next I am searching for some new colour combinations as I so often realise that I have returned to old favourite combinations like purple, blue and green.



Some time ago I posted about a shawl that I was weaving for our younger son's girlfriend to wear to her sister's wedding. I have a photo of them at the wedding but must get a close up of the shawl.
They have bought a lovely thatched cottage and begin moving in this weekend. What an exciting time for them. Perhaps in the not too distant future a shawl for another wedding day will be needed!!!