For the background,1 click here.
Garry, the Yoda to my Skywalker (in the ways of fiber and dye and weaving), suggested a new approach: copper and ammonia can make a mighty fine dye and requires minimal effort.
He had me, of course, at “minimal effort.”
Step one: text your husband to see if we have any copper in the house that can be spared.
Step two: put spare copper, ammonia, and water into a non-reactive container.
Step three: wait.
Step four: when the liquid is blue-green-ish, add yarn. This was handspun that came from the Fenimore Farm’s sheep, who may or may not be mostly a Cheviot-Merino cross.2
Step five: wait.
Step six: feel very sad and gray. Rinse everything.
Step seven: acceptance. I mean…it’s not awful? But not what I’d hoped.
Will there be more lazy dying this season? Stay tuned!
Some links, as a treat:
Chuck Wendig eats a bunch of apples every fall. His reviews are perfection.
It’s a question to ask right now: Who goes Nazi?
This is why I’m not writing a book right now (or ever again, most likely).
You may not know this part of the story of the Erie Canal.3
I had the opportunity to write about a great place for Modern Daily Knitting.
Why am I doing this? What was the first adventure? Why do I have so much wool? All of these questions are answered there…
There are questions about who all has been hanging out in that pasture. The wool is…a mixed bag.
NB: no mules named Sal in this story.
Oh, man - I was hoping for a more exciting outcome as well!
I use 1 part ammonia to 2 parts water. Toss in as much copper as I can scavenge—wire, pieces of pipe and tubing. My local hardware store is happy to give me the odd bits left over after they cut copper pipe for customers. I let the ammonia eat the copper for about a month. Then I add a handful of fiber to the pot and let it sit about 30 minutes, sometimes longer. If that batch of fiber looks good after a reasonable length soak, I dye another half handful. If that looks good after 30-45 minutes, I will dye another half handful. I stop when the pot isn’t dyeing the fiber. At that point, I add more copper and more 1:2 ammonia and water, then let the pot sit for another month.