nature’s green

suddenly, summer is just a memory

the hollyhocks are finished

over the summer I freeze the dark purple blossoms as they drop

with over 500 gms. this year, I heated them to just below a simmer

and without removing the blossoms, dyed 60 gms. of handspun Corriedale for 1 hour

 turned off the heat and put in 65gms. of singles handspun mulberry (very white) silk

and left it overnight to cool

after removing the wool and silk it still looked like there was some dye potential

so I put in 40 gms. of cotton and heated it for 1 hour

from the bottom; cotton, wool and silk

it is interesting that the two wool skeins are exactly the same but one is a purple grey and the other a green grey

and the cotton is also a green grey

for none dyers – green is a difficult colour to get with natural dyes unless you first dye yellow and then top dye with indigo

the mysteries and surprises of natural dyeing

mordants were alum on wool and silk – myrobalan and alum on the cotton

the small wool felt square is a very definite green

and the silk is a beautiful soft purple

more colour while on a walk through Beacon Hill Park

he just jumped up there and posed – proud and arrogant

and he knows it