Dye Results

I was busy yesterday dyeing some yarn. I had some new things to dye with and was curious as to what the results would be. This is a photo of the results. Furthest left is Marigolds. Next is a mushroom called Dryad's Saddle (Polyporous Squamosus) over-dyed with Sumac. The lightest yarn is Dryad's Saddle alone. The one on the right was dyed with just Sumac. All the yarn was pre-mordanted in 8% alum. The Marigold had an iron after bath.

I had some Marigolds in my freezer that I had been collecting over the summer. I collected the flower heads, including the calyx. The Marigolds were the mid-sized plants with 3" orange flowers. I put the frozen flower heads in a dye pot and covered them with water. I boiled them for about 45 minutes. I then let them steep until cool enough to work with and strained the liquid, added a bit more water to the pot to accommodate the wool so it could move freely. I brought the pot to a low simmer and held it there for about 45 minutes. As I periodically checked the dye bath and wool for color I noticed some green developing. I decided to try to enhance this by making an iron solution to add to an after bath. I created the iron solution be soaking some rusty nails in a container of 2:1 white vinegar and water. I added a small amount if this to the dye bath and let it cool. The color change was significant.

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Next, I strained the liquid from the Dryad's Saddle. This had been soaking for a number of days in water with 1/2 cup of ammonia added. It was a fairly dark liquid.

I was hoping for more color, but was not unhappy with the light ecru color I obtained.
(Third from the left above).

I then filled a pot  half full with sumac cones. The ones that I used were bright red and sticky.

I covered them with water and boiled this for an hour. I cooled the liquid and strained it through several layers of cheese cloth. I simmered some wool from the mushroom bath to overdue it. I also added freshly mordanted white wool. There was a difference in the depth of color between the over dyed yarn and the yarn dyed in just sumac. (Second and fourth from the left above).

All in all, I am happy with the results that I got. I will definitely use these again for dyeing.

Stashing

I have been unable to do much dyeing or spinning this summer because of my knee surgery, but that hasn't stopped me from 'stashing' for the winter! This is some of the fiber I have gathered. There is a bag of white and silver llama, a couple pounds of Merino, some rag wool, and also some silver-grey Shetland. I am getting so anxious to spin!

I have been steeping this mushroom in water and a bit of ammonia for about four days. The mushroom was given to me by a friend. It is about a foot across. It is called a 'Dryad's Saddle', or a Polyporous Squamosus (see previous post). A lot of color has developed in the liquid so I think it is time to try it out.

Today a friend, Linda, and I went foraging. We found some goldenrod. We also gathered a few ears of dried corn for the squirrels. We found some beautiful Sumac.

 We found about three bags full, careful not to take too many from any one place. Some of the reddest, stickiest ones I will save for 'tea'. The rest I will use for dyeing.  Add these new finds to what is already stashed in the freezer and I should be busy for a while! 

I have also been working on a pattern for some fingerless mitts that will be available soon in the My Patterns page of this website. 

It has been quite a summer. I had a total knee replacement the first of August. That has really put a damper on my activities! I have been learning how to walk and use my knee for the past four weeks. I thought I would be able to spin...I could treadle the wheel just fine, but I couldn't sit with my leg down for long. I spent the first week out of the hospital with my sister-in-law, Carolyn, and her husband and daughter. We were up in the Bemidji, Minnesota area. We made some short trips each day for exercise. One of these trips was to the Bemidji Woolen Mills. It was not what I was expecting. The only yarn they had for sale was Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. Nice yarn, but I was hoping for something more unique. I understand the mill has been out of production for many years.

Another stop we made was to Northern Woolen Mills in Fosston, Minnesota. We talked with the owner, Stephenie Anderson. She gave us a short tour, due to my knee. It was interesting to see the mill. I also looked at some of her yarns and purchased some roving. It is so wonderful to have access to two woolen mills in driving distance. Northern Woolen Mills, in Fosston, Minnesota; Dakota Fiber Mill, Kindred, North Dakota (check it out on Facebook).

I also bought a llama fleece from a person I met while at a show in Battle Lake, Minnesota. I ended up with 2 1/2 pounds of beautiful roving, processed by Dakota Fiber Mill. I now have about six pounds of roving, some wool blend, Merino and Llama waiting for me to get my wheel out.

Yesterday, a friend stopped by and brought me a gift. She found this beautiful Polyporous Squamosus (also called Dryad's Saddle, pheasant back, or hawk's wing). This one is about a foot across and probably too old to be edible, but could be interesting in  the dye pot! I can't wait to 'cook it up' and see what happens! This was found on a stump from either Box Elder or Silver Maple. These can be found on living or dead hardwoods, mostly on the Eastern part of the country. We have had an extremely wet summer. There was a large amount of rain a few days before Linda found this. I am anxious to get out into the woods and see what else is out there. Should be a good mushrooming year!

Kombucha

I was visiting with relatives recently and the conversation turned to Kombucha.  My nephew and his wife make it regularly and drink it daily. I had never heard of it. I was interested in giving it a try and planned to look it up as soon as I got back home. The day after I returned, I received a newsletter from the food co-op I belong to, The Granary Food Co-op in Ortonville, MN. They announced they were having a class on making Kombucha.

I talked about this class with members of my knitting group that afternoon.  One member said she had been making and drinking Kombucha for several months and could even supply me with my own SCOBY! She also gave me detailed instructions on making it. A day later, I started my first batch.

This is my first jug of brew! You can see the SCOBY floating at the top. It is not unusual for it to float, lay sideways, or move around the jar. The jug is covered with a flour sack dish towel and sealed with a rubber band. You want the mixture to breath, but you must protect it from dirt, bugs, and other contaminants.

Kombucha is a mixture of black tea, sugar and water that is fermented using a SCOBY instead of yeast. A SCOBY (an acronym for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is what causes the mixture to ferment. It is very much like the 'mother' used to ferment vinegar. Other kinds tea can be added for flavor, but you have to add the black tea. I use a decaf tea. Also, you need to add a cup of sugar. This is non-negotiable. It has to be sugar, not Splenda, Stevia, or any other substitute.  Good quality water and the SCOBY are the only other ingredients necessary. You can add fruit, juice, ginger, or other things for taste as you become more familiar with the beverage.

Kombucha is rich in probiotics. There are numerous other health claims about it, but few have actually been proven. It is generally thought of as a healthy drink. (There are some websites listed below for more information). There is a very small amount of alcohol in the finished product, but very little. However, if you are sensitive to alcohol you should probably avoid Kombucha.

This is my SCOBY after making two batches of Kombucha. It is ready to split the baby off the mother. (Remove the bottom layer from the top).

After removing the SCOBY from the jar, I strained the liquid into a gallon plastic jar. I put the cover on and let it sit a day or so on the counter until the container was obviously "bloated". That adds some 'fizz' to the finished product. I then chill it and keep it in the fridge and enjoy until it is gone. By then I hopefully have another batch ready! I was amazed at how good it tastes! I had no idea what I was in for, but I am hooked.

Here are a few good links with brewing information, health information, etc.
    http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-kombucha
    http://wellnessmama.com/8638/continuous-brew-kombucha/

I hope you will try this and enjoy it as much as I do! It looks a bit odd, smells a bit odd, but is delicious!

What's Up Wednesday...

It has been a while since I have posted anything.
I thought I would catch up. We went camping over the July 4th weekend. We visited family up near Bemidji, MN. Carolyn, my sister-in-law,  and I always take to the back roads and woods to see what's going on. These Lady Slippers were found in a ditch north of Bemidji, MN. There were hundreds of them!

We also found several meadows that were full of Yarrow, Birds Foot Treefoil and pink clover.
I took some video sweeps of the meadows. They were amazing to see.

Carolyn is also a gardener. She has an herb garden with a large amount of Comfrey, which she offered me a piece of, as well as leaves and stems to dye with. She also has some beautiful Hyssop that was in full bloom.




My nephew, John, and his wife Katy were there with their new baby, James. Here he is in a sweater I designed and knit from some hand spun alpaca/wool blend.

John and Katy live and teach school in a small village in Alaska. John brought me a box of moose antler to play with. I see buttons and who knows what else in that box!!!

On the home front, I have been busy spinning. I have several new yarns including the black alpaca spun with colored mohair locks. There is only a small amount, but it will work well with plain black to set it off.








I have also been blending dyed wool on the drum carder and creating some beautiful blended yarns. This latest is a base of walnut hull dyed wool with bits of other colors blended in. The neighbor boy, Nathan who is eight years old helped blend the
colors.


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