washing wool and more

What a busy Monday!
I started dyeing this morning. I felted 3 white scarves yesterday and wrapped some marbles in again shibori style. I dyed them separately today, each in only a minimum amount of water with dye powder sprinkled on. Now they hang under the carport for drying

It took quite a while until they were all finished, so I used the time between to dye some silk scarves. The results are not 100% what I wanted, I like the pinkish one and the red/orange. With the others I am not sure at the moment, I might add a bit more colour.

Then I took another fleece out to wash

first sorting out the good and not so good bits

nice lamb locks

soaking in hot water with dishwash liquid

after spinning in the washing machine drying

not abolutely clean but a big part of grease and sand has been removed

Here is another scarf I made some days ago, it is just grey gotland wool and and in the center some white polwarth. I am not really happy about, it looks a bit boring I think it needs something, I have to think about....

Between all of this I got 3 loads of washing done, already folded and we also went for a little cruise around our favourite beaches. It was such a nice sunny day and we had yummy chips at the matauri bay top shop. I collected some pebbles at Mahinepua, I am thinking about to combine some with felt.
But before, I want to finish the little dress for Storm I started on the knitting machine....

I guess that will keep me entertained tonight

more scarves

After spending a wonderful weekend away with a visit to Tiritiri Matangi I finally did some more experiments today.
Last October I made a scarf  of alpaca, and I didn't like the colour very much. First I started to put some pearls on, but still it was not right. It looked so plain.

plain alpaca scarf

So I did some stitching shibori style to over dye it with a pattern

stitching

After finishing stitching I soaked it in water and then tied it

pulling

and tieing

Finally I dyed it together with another scarf, which was done with glas marbles. It is white polwarth wool this time

white scarf with tied glas marbles

detail

after dyeing

back of the marbles

detail

both scarves

opening up of tieing

open, still wet and not stretched

Now the scarves are left for drying. I can't wait to see the result!

Eco Print follow up

Remember the eco prints I made in December? Yesterday I finally opened one of the bundles.
This was the layout originally

I did use eucalyptus leaves, flax flowers and kangaroo paw flowers with vinegar as mordant. The silk had already some lichen prints on.

This is the result:

the bundles outside in the sun on an old sheet of corrugated iron

just before opening

open

strings removed

drying on the washing line

one can see a flax flower left

doesn't really look very impressive I must admit

dry on a chair

flax flower print

flax flower (bottom) and kangaroo paw (top)

silverdollar gum leave, hardly visible

silverdollar gum (top) kangaroo paw (middle) flax flower (bottom)

I have mixed feelings about the result. It is great to see the flower prints but I am disappointed about the eucalyptus. Maybe the leaves were too dry? Or I should have left it longer? Or use a different mordant?

Nevermind, it is all a learning process. I am not sure yet, if I will leave it how it is, or if I will add more prints. I will try out some plants, maybe I can achive slightly different colours.

I put the used silverdollargum leaves in a container with water, closed it and left it outside in the sun, just for soaking. I will have a look in some time, if there has anymore colour appeared.

I will leave the second bundle for another month. Let's see, what appears on it then.

the finished the green set

the green set (the bag has still the zip missing, I couldn't get the right one here in Kerikeri)

the embellished belt

beret

Flower day

These are the flowers I made this afternoon.
I went this morning to bring  a flower for my husbands birthday to the cemetery and somehow got inspired to do some more flowers. It is such a wonderful old graveyard, peaceful and full of history.