Three full days of dyeing wool is great exercise. I'm glad I get a break for a few days though as I wait for a dye I don't have to come in. I love experimenting with new colors and found myself warming to the task as the days went along. I started off with some basic colors (actually they look kind of like a candy store to me) and then started pulling out old dye formulas I haven't used in years and giving those a go. It is amazing how many colors you can make--I think the combinations might be infinite.
 |
| Candy store colors |
I still have a large pile of yarn to turn into balls so it can be used in workshops. I've never seen an electric ball winder, but wish I had such a thing!
I used an emerald green dye I found in my dye stash and ended up with a yarn that looked like it was intentionally variegated it was so uneven. I believe some dyes are more prone to this than others and if I use this dye again I'll have to experiment with another leveling agent. All I used on this skein was glauber's salt. I considered overdyeing it, but decided that it would probably look interesting in a weaving and I'd see what happened.
And I was reading Debbie Herd's blog and pondering her question about whether posting photos of tapestries online before they are exhibited is a good idea. I do think this is a good question. It goes along with my questioning of whether blogging is a good idea in general. I think that the internet can be a benefit to us as artists... but consideration of how we use it is always important. I agree that going to an exhibition and seeing work that hasn't been shown anywhere is exciting. Sometimes I follow this little rule about not posting photos on my blog or website until the show has gone up, and sometimes I don't. It all depends. I think if I were doing a solo show I would wait to post photos until after the opening.
I have also been debating the value of blogging - and especially of pre-showing work. I think I began doing it to have a permanent record of the work in progress, to prove copyright ownership. But, as it is often viewed by those who go to the exhibits, I am wondering about why I do it anymore.... I've been kind of backing off a bit from blogging myself, but I do confess that I truly enjoy reading other weaver's blogs and watching their work progress. It inspires me to keep going.
ReplyDeleteLove the colors! There's something so satisfying about all those colored skeins. And I actually checked on an electric ball winder, but was afraid to take a chance. As soon as the two little boys go back to their parents, i'm going back to the dyepots. This weaving/dyeing hiatus has made me itchy to get going again.
ReplyDelete