Followers

Thursday 8 January 2015

   It has happened, we are over the hump. The days are getting longer and brighter, if only just slightly, minute by minute. I have been human hibernating (which I'm pretty certain is a real thing) and recovering from the frenzy of the holidays.  Something is feeling different, the new year is foretold to be lucky, as declared by me. Or maybe it's just the new glasses...
 
   Somehow all I feel like doing is dying. (Where did your mind go just there?) I dyed my hair, some wool, the bathtub…
   Snow dying is a great way to tell winter thanks. I will put up with all this shovelling if the result is endless pristine snow with which to dye, and this great colour!




If you would like to give it a go, all you do is soak some natural fabric in vinegar, scrunch is up on a screen like so.
    Then we add the snow. The effect will differ if you use crunchy snow or fluffy, if you pack it or decide to use ice.

   Adding dye is the fun part. I used dry powder and sprinkled it. If you decide to change it up and use liquid the effect will be different still.

   The hardest part is waiting patiently for the snow to melt. When it has melted, I let it sit all day to be sure my dyes saturate in spots. Then rinse in water until the water runs clear, wring out excess, then iron it.






Then you get this! I was worried, the colours looked all muddled before unfolding and then Bam! Now what to do with it. All my Hooker (rug hooker) friends swear I can never cut it up. We'll see about that!