Thursday, August 23, 2007

It isn't easy being green

I'm still having trouble with green. I don't know if I'm the only dyer with green problems, but here they are:
1. blue and yellow "strike" the fiber at different temperatures and different acidity levels. I sometimes have a pot full of exactly the shade I want, but when I pull the fiber out, a lot of the blue dye is still there, and the fiber is a lot yellower than intended.
2. To mix up green, I have my choice of cobalt, turquoise, and navy, and "yellow" and "gold-yellow." Each blue, and each yellow, has different implications to the final shade.
3. I also have a "green" dye that isn't much green at all, but in fact a lovely shade of blue-green. It has to be mixed at about a 1:1 ratio with yellow to make what I would call green.
4. I don't keep notes.

Some of these problems are things I could solve, but won't (like No. 4). Some of these problems, I'm getting better at (like No. 2). Problem No. 1 is problem No. 1. I think I have just the right shade, it looks great dabbed on the paper towel, but somehow in the pot everything ends up a lot more yellow than I think. Here is some green that is not at all what I meant, but it's kind of interesting nonetheless:



Now here is some fiber I feel less ambiguous about. Check out the one with the spots of orange, dark purple, and chocolate brown. When I spin it, the intense spots will blend with the white to make long, streaky strands of wonderfulness. I can't wait.



And here is my wheel. Oh, sugar sugar. It only takes me about 3 hours to make a sock yarn, but I've been at it for days. The toddler is not being patient with me spinning, and not playing with her. Oh well, wool can wait.

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