A success

Sometimes I think the more experienced weavers at guild look down on my efforts (with good reason but still rude). So I was pleasantly surprised at the interest generated by the sari yarn runner that I brought for show-and-tell this past week. It's not often I get to impress those ladies. (And for the record, the sari yarn *is* silk, not polyester. I think I got it from Darn Good Yarn.)

Knitting: The Habitation throw is still in time-out. The cowl is nearly done, though.
Spinning: My wheel is set up and I started spinning some Shetland roving.

Weaving: The hemming on the sage towels looked so bad I ripped it out so I could do it by hand. I'm learning that one should weave the hems with a lighter yarn to reduce bulk. I will definitely do this in the future.

The presentation at the last weaving guild meeting was how to dye with "mud". It wasn't really mud but minerals derived from soil. Bengala dyes have been used historically to paint temples and shrines. It protects against termites and UV rays, so the colors don't fade in the sun. Unfortunately, it is rather expensive.

We played with it a bit, dyeing some handwoven fabric and yarns. The colors are subtle if the dyes are diluted with water, but used directly they are quite intense. I started by dipping my piece of cloth into different colors, to create subtle striping, then went overboard using the dyes directly. I also dyed a hank of what I think is hemp.


This is the simplest method I've come across for dyeing fabric and yarn, as it requires no heat, not much mixing, no special equipment. And it is very safe to use.