In the Dye Studio: Mood Indigo

Have you heard Mood Indigo by Nina Simone? I just turned it on - knowing that it would be the perfect writing warm-up song. It worked! It's about feeling sad, though it sounds so happy, making it hard to feel anything but happy about the feeling or color blue.

Indigo. I see it popping up everywhere right now. Due to deadlines in the dye studio, I haven't had much one on one time with my indigo vats. Though, last weekend, I taught my Intro to Indigo and Resist Dyeing class. It is one of my favorite classes to teach. There are thousands of permutations of indigo dyed cloth. The limits are endless. Watching my students pull their individually wrapped fabrics from the indigo vat, as they unwrap the fabric, and seeing them smile. Every yard of fabric made is a success. I am teaching this class again on Sunday, August 4th. Here's a piece made by one of our talented students, Nancy. 


Also, on this day, I am leading Indigo Lab, where I will start the vats, and keep them reduced, while you just get to dip fabric, yarn, and fiber. Fun, right?

Teaching this class, I turned a corner and have had a week full of indigo dyeing. In the vat are skeins of our line of yarn, Floating, an insanely soft blend of alpaca, silk, and cashmere. Notice how the skeins are only half submerged, that's because the yarn is going to enter a 2nd dye bath inside the dye studio. It's a surprise - so I can't say too much. Let's just say that those who are in the Pro-Verbial Yarn & Fiber Club are in for a special treat.

  

 

I've been wearing a Merchant & Mills apron for the past couple months. Look at that dyeing patina. The cloth used in the apron is tightly woven and feels like it might have a bit of a wax coating on it. Let me know if you would like one, I can order it for you. It's nice and long and criss-crosses in the back, fitting nice and tight.


Until next Monday. Kristine