Sunday, July 19, 2009

Dye Day on the Mountain

I had a simply wonderful time up in Welches for my dye day! Eight people signed up so we decided that instead of splitting the class all of them would learn natural dyeing in the morning and then acid dyeing with me in the afternoon.

Here are the students dyeing away over pots of natural dyes. Stevanie, the one in black, was their instructor.

Blair found a shady place on the lawn to sit and read while all of this was going on. The place was simply gorgeous. It was delightful just to be there and soak up all of the greenery.


Here are a bunch of the natural dyed yarns hanging up in the sun to dry. I was really impressed with the colors they were able to get from a few plants, bugs, vinegar, and baking soda. Still I don't think I'm quite ready to give up my acid dyes.

We also got to visit all of the animals while we were there. This is the goat and chicken yard. Deb's husband Mark is there in the middle. He let the ladies feed the goats treats, which they were more than happy to receive. The goats were so soft and sweet. We also saw the itty bitty baby angora bunnies, but Blair wouldn't let me get one. He thinks that one bunny is more than enough and he is probably right.

We also enjoyed a lovely three course lunch. I should have taken pictures, since each plate was simply a work of art. It was also really cool to think about how the eggs in the quiche were laid by chickens right there that morning. The berries in the dessert were picked fresh. The corn in the salad was fresh from the garden. It was a very amazing experience.

I also forgot to take pictures while I was teaching. The group was wonderful and a lot of fun to teach. They came up with some awesome color combinations and unique points of view. I love teaching because I always learn something new from my students. I definitely would do this class again.

2 comments:

Nadya said...

It was a great class, a great day, and i love my yarn! Thanks, again.

Nadya said...

I posted about the day, and my pictures on my blog:
http://www.unibrain.org/2009/07/21/best-chem-lab-ever

if you want to see :-)