Hackling days are here again....lol

That's the one thing we'll miss about our old rig, the extra bunk we used as storage space! I saw a Merc coach at a dealer in Virginia last autumn. Very nice, but well out of our price range. I know what you mean about walks. We do far more walking when we're camping, partly because there's more to look at than there is just walking around the neighborhood.

Spent the afternoon re-dyeing a skein that didn't strike using my friend's pickle jar method. I think Brazilwood needs more heat to strike. Anyway, now it's a lovely purple instead of washing out to a blah pinky-beige and the dye bath is still the color of concord grape juice concentrate, so I'll be mordanting more skeins tomorrow, with alum again.

Actually, this is a 50/50 success story. I extracted the color from half a cup of sawdust by soaking it in a cup of ammonia in a jelly jar for over a month. Probably only needs a week but I got busy. So, that part of the method works and yields a LOT more color than just simmering the sawdust in water.

Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net

Hi Helen, Oh I like the overhead space, but DH is gonna make cupboards across it and then it'll look neater than a curtain, although there is a lace curtain across it..very pretty, but cupboard doors that pull upwards would look alot neater me thinks..it only holds the awning up there anyway..oh and a couple of maps, and our camping club info sheets...membership cards etc.

Dyeing sounds fun, and you do need to soak bark and woodstuffs a while to get the full benefits from it all...

I want to do some dyeing, but am determined to get the white spun up first to complete this sweater I'm doing...it's more of an Aran weight really, so the jumbo flyer comes into it's own here. Also it is great to be able to spin and spin without having to niddy it up too often..

Oh well onward, gotta get this finished...lol..

Thanks and hugz .... Cher

Ah, our awning is attached to the side. We were thinking of putting cupboard doors on our spare bunk too, but then the engine started acting up before we got round to it and we ended up replacing the whole vehicle.

Yep, and it seems ammonia works a lot better than water for getting purple from brazilwood, though you do get additional red color out of it if you follow the two ammonia extracts with a boiling water one. Next time I'm just going to do a third ammonia soak, and keep that up until I don't get any more color from the sawdust. For such a bright orange wood, it sure makes a lovely purple!

I've been spinning white Romney for a couple of months now. I'm down to the last bobbin's worth of combed rovings, then I'm going to-card the combing waste and re-comb the resulting batts.

Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net

Hi Helen, ooooooh yes our awning goes on the side, but I think you have a roll out canopy awning we have one of those too.. I shall have to take some pics and send to you..

Well I've done the back and halfway up the front of this sweater, drop sleeves - much easier for quickness.. then gotta spin up enough for the sleeves and that is it..

I'll dye whatevers left. Never used amonia though, doesn't that weaken the fiber??

Dandelion roots with alum give a weird purple red too..

Oh it's starting to cloud over and I hear the distant roll of thunder...long as it stays distant...

Thanx for all your info...Cher off to put up the pics in my blog for you hold on..

Cheeres.......Cher

And vice versa. ;)

Brave girl, not spinning it all at once! ;)

It's not that much ammonia, really. Just a cup in a 2 gallon pot. Doesn't even affect the luster of the wool.

I think your European dandelions are different. I could never get any color out of ours.

URL?

I don't have a blog, yet. Keep thinking I should.

Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net

Checkout your inbox, I've sent the pics in jpg format direct to you but not as an attachment...hope this is ok

Cheers...Cher