A Little Update

It surprised me to see I hadn't posted in three weeks. The month of June seems to have flown by until poof it's now July. Daddy told me as I got older time would become a fleeting thing and he was right!

One Friday evening in the middle of June Angela, Mom and Daddy did the Survivor's Walk at the Relay for Life event in Bedford. It was pretty special watching them walk arm in arm around that track knowing what they have gone through and what Daddy and Angela still face. Heather and Angela did the Caregivers lap. Because of the "boot" I wasn't able to make that lap, but halfway around the track Jaidy joined them so that was fun. Debbie and I sat in the bleachers for the most part but Deb did get a few photos.

Market has continued to be profitable for Angela and I. Her hats and felted bags are popular and my yarn is getting a good response. So yay!

This morning Jack, a fellow who sells beautiful wooden bowls at Market, gave me a bag of Osage Orange shavings. Before he tries a new-to-him wood Jack does a little research. He found that Osage Orange was a safe wood for his bowls and was once used by Native Americans to make a yellow dye. He thought I might be able to use it and brought it along this morning. The next time he uses Red Cedar he will save me another batch of shavings.

Natural dyes is something I want to explore this summer. Last year I dyed with Indigo but I really want to expand into things like native woods, plants and wild blooms. I'm looking for a Coleman type camp stove so I can continue to dye outdoors. Keeping my mess, and the heat, outside is always a good thing.

Please Angela in your prayers. She will begin chemo again a week from Independence Day.

Take joy,
Penny

The Yarn From Last Week's Dye Day

I left the Library early one day last week to have a "Dye Day". My co-workers suggested I come up with a new name/phrase as an alternative to me saying "I'm dyeing on Wednesday." or "Sunday is Dye Day". They also feel it is a bit disconcerting to hear me say the reason my cuticles are green, blue, fuchsia etc. is because I dyed yesterday. [smile]

The balls in the photo are all approximately 44o yards fingering weight wool. This wool is from Corriedale type sheep and is pretty soft and felts great. I think each skein is enough yardage for a pair of socks or a scarf.

There are ten more skeins waiting to be finished this weekend and I will post photos of them next week. I hope to have at least three dozen skeins of various weights ready for the Greencastle show.

Tomorrow I'm ordering sock yarn that is superwash wool with a little nylon added to the mix.

My inventory has a dozen skeins of worsted weight wool and half of it is already dyed.The worsted weight is approximately 220 yards so I am dyeing those two at a time so there will hopefully be enough of similar colorways to make a project. There are two skeins waiting for the ball winder I think would make a awesome felted bag ... photos coming soon.

The next order will be more of the Merino/silk blend. It comes out very soft with just a little sheen. One of my favorites!

If the weather warms up enough before the show I really want to do some Indigo dyeing, yarn and Shibori. I saw on the Fiber Event workshop list a class will be offered in Shibori so it would be neat to have a few pieces available. I have planned to have some ready for market and the fall Quilt Guild show we are vending in November. Praying for above 65 degree days so I can get the Indigo vat going.

We are still requesting prayers for Angela's health. She was diagnosed with viral pneumonia on January 17th and is still sick. This is too much for anyone but if you have all the other health issues that Ange has it's very serious. I'm still having coughing spells and feeling snarfy so if you want to add me to your prayers I would appreciate it too!

Better get a wiggle on. I have to go to Bloomington to pickup a gift certificate for a friend's birthday. It comes from a greenhouse and is my traditional gift to her. I was in Bloomington last Saturday but forgot to get it. Last Saturday it wasn't raining like crazy. @@

~ Penny ~

P.S. Picking up the new chicks tomorrow!!

Cleaning, Dyeing & Life

While I've been neglecting the blog I haven't been a total slacker.

With the help of my neighbor, Nicholas, my backporch has become an outdoor living room. We cleaned out, scrubbed and rearranged to make a pleasant sitting/work area that I have been enjoying immensely. It's been so nice to sit in one of my wicker chairs and relax with a cool drink after work. A simple pleasure. Smile

My indigo vat is up and running. I remove the lid of the vat (a five gallon bucket) move the "flower" to the side then immerse a skein of wool yarn. The yarn comes out a strange yellow/green color but after it is rinsed and exposed to the air it changes to blue. Very cool!

Nicholas has taught me Shibori and I love it. We did a few samples (pictured above) using small squares of muslin and after I practice a bit more will move on to silk scarves.

This has been one of the hottest and wettest summers I can remember! The farmers (my daddy included) should be on their second cutting of hay but many are just now finishing the first cut. This first cutting is not the best hay. It is heavy and rank so it is slow to cure. I hope the humidity drops down soon so our animals have good, and plentiful, winter rations.

My chickens are doing very well. No eggs yet but Daddy has already made them a nest box. It is a bit large for their hutch but should work just fine.

Angela has a pre-opt appointment with the neurosurgeon tomorrow. She still has pleurisy and a cracked rib (I think it is the fourth cracked rib this summer) which must be healed before surgery. Sigh

The heat advisory is suppose to be over at 7:00 p.m. so I think I will head home and throw a few skeins of wool into the indigo vat. I have super wash sock yarn plus a few skeins of worsted I want to dye for Market on Saturday.

Stay cool!

Let the Dyeing Begin!

Yay my order arrived yesterday.

I bought a Indigo kit, several dyes (for cotton), a few inexpensive silk scarves (for practice), a good hand cleaner (because I rarely remember my gloves), soda ash and Synthrapol.

It should be a good start to fabric dyeing and Shibori. I plan to practice the fabric dyeing on muslin then move on to the better quality "Bella" by Moda. We will use more muslin and the silk scarves to practice the Shibori.

I bought a book on Shibori and it seems pretty straight forward. Basically anything goes when it comes to finding objects to use in the resistance dyeing. Marbles, popcorn, rubber bands, coins, PVC pipe, wooden blanks .... it's all good.

Angela is making diaper covers (longies and shorties) out of wool yarn and we are planning a "Dye Day" . She enjoys playing with the colors too so we should have a lot of fun. =)

This a little unique.

Saturday is Market at Orleans, Indiana followed by a wedding on the Orleans Square. The couple met at Market three years ago and decided that was where they wanted to be married. Everyone is to bring a clean mason jar and a hoe or rake. The farmers market will provide flowers to place in the mason jars for us to hold during the ceremony and then we'll all form an Arch of Hoes and Rakes for the happy, married couple to stroll under after being pronounced husband and wife. Angela and I decided to forgo the hoe/rake arch ... with our junky hands we would probably lose our grip and clobber the bride and groom!

It's been A While ...

.... since I last posted. A lot has happened in the last two weeks.

June 4th & 5th Angela and I vended at the Hoosiers Hills Fiber Arts Festival. No photos. =( We called this our "nursing home" set up. She had pleurisy and two cracked ribs. I have pinched nerves in my neck and my usual aches and pains. We decided this booth was definitely not photo worthy!

It was not a very busy show. We made some money but I think the best part was making new contacts. We were invited to participate in a three day quilt show next March at Rising Sun, Indiana. The show is held in a casino so that should be interesting. Our sister Debbie has begun saving her nickels and quarters for the trip. (wink)

This upcoming show has motivated me to try my hand at fabric dyeing. It is something I have always wanted to try but have never gotten around to doing. Plus, Nicholas, my 14 yo neighbor across the street, and I are going to play with Shibori. It will be my first time dyeing with indigo ... can't wait!

Angela and I went to the Midwest Eye Institute on June 7th. Her neurosurgeon wanted her to see a neuro-ophthalmologist in case the pituitary tumor was putting pressure on her optic nerve. After many hours of testing the doctor reported no pressure on the nerve and said the surgery was a go.

Now we wait to hear from the surgeon when she is scheduled for brain surgery. This is a very big deal and as always we covet prayers.

Daddy and I have spent two of my days off putting together a chicken run for the girls. While making the hoops that will support the netting to cover the run I commented now that we know how to assemble hoops we could make a hoop house to cover my little walled garden. I got "the look". You know the one ... that "Are you crazy??" look. LOL I suspect Nicholas and I will be making the hoop house. =)

We are celebrating Father's Day this afternoon and Mom just called to tell me she and Daddy haven't had electricity since 4:00 a.m this morning. We had some wicked storms last night. (sigh) Hope we can sit outside under the maple tree and catch a breeze or two!

Have to pick up a loaf of bread for Mom so I had better get a wiggle on.

I'm Still Here!

This will be a quick post to let you know that I'm still around.

My hand surgery back in July went very well. About six weeks after surgery I was able to begin knitting for short periods of time, which made me very happy! Although the surgery was done with a local anesthetic I think it messed with my Fibro. I have been fighting fatigue more than usual and it is making me crazy. I'm behind on everything!

I'm still trying to have the Open House but it will be moved back to November if I'm able to pull it off. The down time I've experienced with my hand/fatigue issues have really put a kink my plans.

This afternoon is dyeing day and I will take some photos to post in the near future. There are several skeins of worsted wool, fingering wool/silk blend, and fingering wool waiting for me at home. I also bought a couple of skeins of a natural gray Shetland/Mohair blend at the Farmer's Market that I want to practice my overdyeing on.

On a sad note note the bunny I was to be gifted with had to be put down. His owner came to tell me early last week that he began to have trouble with his back legs, then appeared to be in pain so they made the decision to put him down. My hutch was almost done and I was making plans to winterize it for the little guy. So now I will wait until spring then begin looking for another English Angora that needs a good home.

If you feel lead please include my sister Angela (The Country Cellar) on your prayer list. She is fighting pneumonia again and has recently begun treatment for her liver issues. The treatment includes some chemo and is making her pretty sick. Thanks a lot!

~ Penny ~

A New Year and a Fresh Start

It's been many months since I last posted. I ran into a few difficulties and got discouraged but I'm over that now and ready to begin again. So here is what's going on at The Black Sheep Cottage.

Beginning next week I will be teaching a few classes a month at the Old Jail Art Center. The Center is the old Lawrence County Jail that is being renovated to accommodate classrooms, a gallery and a residence. It's large building built of our native limestone and a fantastic resource for our community.

The classes will be : January/Make Your Own Soy Candles, February/Melt n' Pour Soap Making, March is one class each of the above. In May I will be adding Dyeing Wool Yarn with Kool Aide.

While I enjoy making candles and soaps it's the yarn dyeing that I love the most. It is so neat to start with a plain white yarn and watch it come alive with color! I get the "Mad Scientist" thing going on ... a little of this ... maybe some of that and poof colors appear.

I always try to dye two skeins at a time. I can never expect to do an exact repeat of a color scheme. Dyes sometimes split, I add more (or less) of the vinegar, I get sidetracked and leave the yarn in the dye pot longer than I planned ... you get the picture

Two skeins of fingering weight is enough to easily make a nice scarf or a pair of socks. Other weights can be used for a small project, combined to use as an accent, etc..

My lunch hour is almost over so I had better close.

P.S. Thank you Angela for tweaking my blog and kicking my backside to jump start me on blogging again!

Penny

Snow Day

Yikes! My day off has turned into a snow day. South central IN is under a snow/blowing snow advisory from noon today until tomorrow afternoon.

Instead of running errands I stayed in my jammies until early afternoon but now I'm getting some laundry caught up and working on a few other household chores. Later I will sit down with the natural dye book I got on inter library loan.

The book, The Complete Natural Dyeing Guide, is out of print and I haven't found a copy I can afford to purchase. It's a fabulous book if you are interested in natural dyeing. Great photos and recipes for using many different plants, trees and shrubs.

I'll be spending the afternoon taking notes of the recipes I want to try and making color swatches using my Prism colored pencils and I may break out the watercolors too.

I love dyeing. It's so much fun to play with the dyes and see the colors emerge from the dye pots. I usually dye on a sunny day and hang the skeins on my front porch to dry. Folks driving by slow their cars to see all the colorful yarn hanging from the porch of my tiny cottage. I enjoy sharing my fun with the neighborhood.

Penny