… there is nothing better than one last dye session of the summer! I know, I know – summer isn’t over… but for me it is time to put away the dye pots, measuring spoons and dye powders because in one week I am boarding the plane for Europe!

Back to the dye session: Monday was Labor Day. For most neighbors it marks a day for the last leisurely boat ride of the summer, pulling the boat from the lake followed by removing the dock or boat lift to avoid damage when the lake ices over.

I really don’t want to think that far ahead. Hosting the monthly Weavers’ Group meeting at our house to dye silk was a perfect distraction.  27 C felt like 33 C and with steaming pots full of dye and silk changing from natural to jewel tones we made sure we were well hydrated.

A potluck meal was well received and provided much needed nourishment. We also fit our monthly meeting with show and tell in. What a motivated group!

With few participants bringing dye experience to the gathering much of the weighing and measuring was executed by me. Everyone was busy adding hockey tape with their initials to each skein. Weighing the dry yarn was a must as it determined how much dye needed to be added to the lightly salted water.

Soon eleven dye pots were distributed on hot plates and my kitchen stove. Nine guild members chose to dye their silk yarn, another three provided help with weighing, stirring and monitoring the dye pots once they reached the simmering point.

How fast six hours slip by when you are occupied. I tried to capture more detailed images, but with rinsing, hauling water and monitoring the dye amounts I had few opportunities to remove the protective cap from the lens.

Here is the last happy and tired group on their way home:

During clean up I quickly filled one more dye pot with my favorite color. Colin is planning to weave that gorgeous silk into a scarf.

I chose red – because I love it and because I can!

Here is a “mountain” of red silk just rinsed and ready to be dried.

A special thank you to Linda Judd for her gift of a hand-woven tea towel. Love the colors and there is nothing better than a handwoven towel to absorb the water from plates and glasses! This towel will brighten the upcoming grey winter days…

04 Sep This entry was published on September 4, 2013 at 5:58 am. It’s filed under Art, Creativity Update, Journaling, Special Project, Studio / Workshop / Creative Space Challenge and tagged Craik Weavers, Dye, dyeing with weak acid dyes., group dye session, Photography, Silk, silk dyeing, Textiles, Yarn. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.