Japanese Indigo Plants ready to be picked
My Japanese Indigo seeds are started indoors in early spring. Indigo plants need warmth and moisture to flourish so in cold weather climates we need to give them a head start before we can plant them outdoors which is usually mid April when the soil is well and there is no chance of freezing temps.
Only the leaves are selectively picked. The stems are fibrous and contain little dyestuff. Indigo plants are hardy and rebound quickly from the picking. New leaves will sprout just above where the original leaf was picked. Indigo is truly an amazing plant in many, many ways!
Leaves harvested and yarn for dyeing readied
Leaves in the dye vat, just added After one hour of 160 degree heat
When the leaves are done, they are removed and the now brown liquid is poured into a bucket and ammonia is added. The liquid is then poured back and forth to add air to the mixture, which turns it blue.
Yet another step is needed and that is to add a reducer that allows the leaf liquid to release it color. This turns the liquid a greenish yellow.
Yarn in the dye vat
I spin my Romney fleece into handspun yarn and then tie loosely into skeins. I want the dyebath to flow freely through the fiber but the yarn needs to also stay in some sort of order or it become a frustrating tangled mess. This batch is 3 ply and includes the natural colored yarn mentioned in the previous post. It is very important to add the yarn carefully to the vat. I do not want any air to be introduced into the vat at this time. Notice that the liquid is a greenish color.
TO BE CONTINUED
No comments:
Post a Comment