Onion-dyed Skein

The weather wasn't optimal for this solar-dyeing experiment, but I am pleased with the results. Ideally, it would have stayed hot for the full period, however, we moved into a cooling trend after just a few days. In all, the dye bath temperature was quite warm (I could still stick my hand in it) for the first 3-4 days of the 11 I left the yarn to steep, cooling to ambient (45-90 degrees) for the remaining time. I left the jar outside overnight, meaning it cooled down substantially and then had to re-warm during daylight hours, a slow process at best. This was 32 grams of handspun wool (Corriedale) with an equivalent amount of onion skins. I remembered to agitate it occasionally (maybe five times at most). Even so, the wool dyed very evenly.

Bike Caching

It's been a long time since I did any serious geocaching, but since they introduced "Treasures," I've started participating again, at least as a cache hunter. Collecting "Treasures" is kinda like collecting Pokemon, except you have to find a cache to earn one (and the requirements vary). Since I had business in Yelm this morning, I threw my bike in the car and, with twelve caches on my list, set off on a ride south from Rainier (town of). I found 11 of them. The last one was strongly defended by bees (I'm allergic), so I prudently retreated without giving it much effort. My ride wound up being about 7 miles in all, proving that the old Crow still has life in her yet.

Aphis Nerii, Oleander Aphid

While I normally take great joy in announcing a new find, I am not exactly thrilled with having discovered an infestation of Oleander Aphids (Aphis nerii) on one of my milkweed plants. The field guide says, "Its bright colors advertise the fact that this species is chemically defended, thanks to chemicals borrowed from their host plants." What, you couldn't have guessed from the black spines (cornicles) sticking up from their backs? The bright orange colour and black legs/cornicles differentiate this species from another less orange aphid, A. gossypii. Although the ants were doing their damndest to get the infestation under control, I took soap spray to the infected pods and leaves. This particular aphid is an introduced species.

Eggplants

The variety is called "Millionaire," and I had no idea what to expect of it other than its being purple-skinned. I now know that it is harvestable at "fingerling" size (or perhaps larger), and that it fries up to be tender and flavourful. The round one was the exception to that statement. It was the first one to form, and where it got the idea that it was supposed to be round is anyone's guess. It was tough as an old boot, and I didn't bother cooking it. The "fingers" were split into quarters lengthwise, and were fried in butter with a little salt, pepper and a dash of chili powder until they just began to crisp a little at the edges. Small though they are, they were much better than any store-bought eggplant I've ever cooked, and the best part is that the plant is bearing heavily. I'll have another batch tomorrow.

Farewell-to-Spring Seeds

I've been keeping an eye on the Farewell-to-Spring plants at the Nisqually-Mashel roundabout in the hopes of gathering some seed for the Barren Wasteland, and last week, they looked like they were ready. I always have some kind of container in the car for botanical opportunities (and usually a shovel and a pair of snips for more ambitious projects), so I hopped out with test tube in hand and began picking pods. Then it occurred to me that since the pods were already dehiscing, it would be easy to simply shake them out into the tube. As I was collecting, a truck pulled up and a woman stepped out, obviously with the same general idea. I wonder how many other people intend to contribute to the spread of native Clarkia outside its range? It's really a very lovely plant, pink or not.

Trying Dyeing

I've been dying to try this, and now I'm trying to dye this! For the last ten days or so, I have been spinning some very fine wool with the thought of solar-dyeing it with onion skins after turning it into a three-ply yarn. The farther I got into the project, the less willing I was becoming to sink it in a dye bath and risk ruining it. Then it occurred to me that I probably had a short skein of white Corriedale somewhere in my stash, and sure enough, I found just what I wanted: 32 grams, 38 yards. I've been saving onion skins for a couple of years (yes, really), so I weighed out an equivalent amount and put them in the "dye jar." I added tepid water to both jars, submerged my skein of wool in the other one, and set them out in the yard on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Once the wool has had an hour or two to hydrate, I'll transfer it to the dye jar. I have not mordanted this skein, but mordanting with alum can give a more vivid (but less permanent) colour. Wool is sensitive to temperature changes, so it's important to let both jars warm up at the same time. Every day for the next 7-14 days, I will slosh the wool gently in the dye bath until it reaches the colour saturation I want (or until no more dye transfers to it). Other colours can be achieved with solar dyeing using various natural materials like black-eyed susan petals, delphinium flowers, marigolds, etc. Some dye sources need for the wool to be mordanted, but the ones I listed do not. Using non-mordanted methods is a good way to break into dyeing.

Four Out of Three

This is the first time I have entered anything in the Pierce County Fair (a much smaller fair than the grand Washington State Fair), and I'm pleased to announce that I took four ribbons from three submissions: three "first place," and one of my skeins of handspun also received an "outstanding textile arts" award. Hey, four out of three ain't bad! These will stay on exhibit through Sunday. Next week, I'll be taking five different pieces down to the Puyallup Fair, and those will be on display from September 4-27.