Tuesday, October 25, 2011

light and shadow





hello babies.

i recently picked up a little knitting i began over a year ago.  i was gifted a whole lot of yarn.  i kept all the wool and cotton.  i would love to use it all up, slowly.  the cone of pale blue wool above on that table will be a basic pullover sweater.

the sun and shadows are real nice this morning.

just before it got dark last night i remembered i had to go pick more sumac.  i've been collecting the leaves from a stand just across the road from me.  i soak them over night, then boil and strain and then dye.  it's an alternative to purchasing prepared tannic acid for mordanting and as a first step to the greys and blacks i've been working on.  

i'm going to go out now and work some more on that.  i found a few handmade crocheted vintage table clothes at an antiques shop yesterday so i will dye them and have them in the shop soon.

and i've got a new indigo pot going.  my last one crapped out during my house move.

xx
liane  

8 comments:

nicole said...

Beautiful photos Liane! Can't wait to see more of your knitting, and the new dyed pieces in your shop!

mama J said...

so are you speaking of poison sumac? does it act as a natural subsitute for the fixative that helps hold in the dye? to dye with natural, hand picked sources has been a dream of mine for as long as i can remember. I have toyed around with it to no real success YET but I really have not done very much. You are an inspiration...AGAIN. I have wondered what to use as a natural fixative. I have books and always the internet but there is always so much information that I find myself sort of lost and intimidated. thanking your for 'lighting that fire' within me :)

No Carnations said...

I don't think its the poison Sumac. Right Liane? But Lemon Sumac(used in Lebanese cooking) or Staghorn sumac. Grows wild and makes a pretty good substitute for pink lemonade too! Poison sumac has white berries, smooth leaves and is extremely hard to find. Red berried sumac is everywhere and almost every state. So interesting that you are using this for dye. Are you getting a real difference in color with mordanted vs. raw?

Janis said...

I love that the resources for natural dyes are right outside our door. We don't have sumac here (I think) but we have pine nuts for tannin. I recently switched from procion dyes to natural materials and love the process.

Wonderful blog and looking forward to seeing what your dye session produces. Have fun!

Janis said...

oops, I mean acorns, not pine nuts!

Liane said...

hi pals- it's the red berry sumac i'm using. it grows all over here in NH and likes swampy wet areas. i'm using the leaves but the berries can be used as well.

BananaSaurusRex said...

pretty pretty pictures.

Holly C. said...

The light and your home is beautiful!