Naturally Dyed Ironwood Merino Roving

Hi. One more quick post today. If you've been admiring the Ironwood Merino and thinking, "I wouldn't mind trying out some of that," you're in luck. I dyed a few extra ounces and they are now listed in my shops!

Ironwood Swirl ~ It's what I'm spinning!

I find myself with a little free time this Monday afternoon so I thought I'd show you what I'm spinning right now.

Over the weekend, I did some more ironwood dyeing. I experimented with how the natural dye would work simply using my regular dye method. This time I used Merino roving and even threw some Firestar into the pot. The result is the lighter shade you see in my swirl picture. It's very soft and natural looking. My first thought was that it would make an excellent skin tone people who do lifelike felting.

The darker color is from my first ironwood dye batch. That time I used BFL and let it soak for a long time.

For my yarn, I'm making a striping single alternating between the two colors and using shorter lengths of the Firestar that I also dyed in the ironwood, to join the colors; dark, sparkle, light, sparkle, dark, sparkle.... and so on. I only have 50 yards or so done, but I can tell it's going to be pretty. I'll be sure to post pictures of the yarn when it is complete.

Handspun Yarn from Springtree Road

It's Monday of a new week and I find myself between projects. I have some yarn on my spinning wheel and some colors on my "To Dye" list, but while I'm working away, I thought I'd share some fiber art from another Etsy seller.

This pretty handspun skein is called Komono and it comes to us from Sringtree Road. I love her blend of colors here. She has painted Blue Faced Leicester in shades of pink, brown, green and blue and then spun it into a lovely sport weight single.

I always like yarn spun from hand painted wool. I'm conscious of getting a glimpse into the mind's eye of the artist and as a result, a more personal connection is made. This is why I think people are drawn to handmade. Visit Springtree Road to see more from this artist and have a great week everyone!

Ironwood ~ Natural Dyeing ~ The Results

So here I have the results from yesterday's dyeing. The pictures show the ground ironwood and then the glass of dye stock and finally the resulting colored roving. I was actually a bit surprised to see this honey color emerge. When just looking at the wood shavings, I felt like I was seeing more red and that perhaps the color produced would lean towards chestnut. When I strained the dye stock, the color as you can see in the glass, had the appearance of a bold coffee in my mind. Yet, from the moment I introduced my dye to the dye pot, it became clear that what I had was more of a nice honey color. Those reds my eyes detected were just enough to bring in some subtle oranges. I happened to have a honey jar on my counter when I was dyeing and I couldn't help but notice how alike the colors were.

For my fellow fiber geeks, I'll go into a little more detail about my method. In this case, I used two cups of the ironwood and 12 cups of water to create my dye solution. Now that's a lot of water to use and I did so knowing that my dye stock would be less concentrated, but I kind of had to go that way. I have a couple pots that I use for dyeing and I think it's important to have dedicated equipment. My pots are no less than 5 gallons and so I needed a certain amount of water just to cover the base and have a couple inches to simmer. I realize I could have used more ironwood, but I kind of hated to use too much on my first batch. I wanted plenty in reserve for future dyeing. I knew I could make up for the less concentrated dye stock by simply using more of it when it came time to dye.

I put my ironwood and water mixture on the stove at 10:30am and brought it to a boil. Then I turned down the heat and let it simmer for the rest of the morning and until about 4:00 in the afternoon. I checked on it from time to time and gave it an occasional stir. After 5.5 hours, I really felt like I had extracted what color I could hope to gain from the wood.

I chose Blue Faced Leicester for my first batch of wool. I presoaked the wool in just plain water. Originally I had considered adding a little soda ash to the soak, but when I thought about it, I really couldn't see any real need or reason for the soda ash. If I was dyeing cotton, sure, but this was a nice porous protein fiber. I told myself I could try another batch later using soda ash if the wool failed to absorb the color well. Another reason I chose the BFL is because it has a little more staple length than say Merino. It would have less of a tendency to felt and this was a consideration as I thought it may need to spend more time in the dye pot.

Some dyers are seriously scientific. I feel to the need to pause at this moment to say that I am not one of those dyers. I am only scientific to the extent that I keep a record of what I do and the specific amounts I use. I have a system and I take notes, so I guess that's a little sciencey, but I also go by my gut a lot. So when it came time to decide how my dye stock to add to my dye pot, I went by sight. I have done enough dyeing over the years that I just kind of know what I want my dye water to look like. I can tell if I need a little more or less to get my desired color. In this case, I wanted to go for as much color as I thought I could get form my ironwood stock. I ended up using 2.5 cups. I know that sounds like a lot, but remember, my dye stock was a little less concentrated.

From there I used my regular dye method only I did keep the wool going for about twice as long as I usually do. You get to a point where you just kind of know that the wool has absorbed all it's going to. Maybe if you let it go overnight you'd get a little more color, but not much and you'd run the risk of having your roving turn out uneven or blotchy.

It's been a good experience working with the ironwood. I like the pretty honey color that it produced. I feel like I played with this wool a little too much while it dyed, so I may just keep this batch and spin it up myself. I'll dye another batch to sell at Wind Rose. I'm also planning to dye a couple different kinds of fiber to see how they each take the color. I think some ironwood Firestar could be pretty fun!

Ironwood ~ Natural Dyeing

When one of the members of the Telaraña Weavers and Spinners Guild asked if anyone would like some Ironwood for dyeing, I said "Sure". Then I Googled Ironwood. I assumed it was a tree, but that was about all I could come up with on my own. Also, I have no real experience dyeing with raw ingredients like this. I've worked with fiber reactive and acid reactive dyes and I've brewed a lot of tea, but that's about it.

So here I sit in front of my computer, with an Ironwood concoction simmering on my stove downstairs. I'm a learn by doing sort, so I didn't research to find a dyeing process. I think my instincts are pretty good and I like putting them to the test.

Varieties of Ironwood can be found around the world and it is endemic to the Sonoran Desert. It is referred to as a "nurse plant" and is one of the biggest (anywhere from 15 to 30 feet tall) and longest living trees in the desert. While the wood is too hard for animals to burrow into, the falling of their leaves provides a healthier soil for other plants, like cactus, to grow. Small animals can make their homes in the plants shaded and nourished by the Ironwood. The great canopy of the tree becomes home to a variety of birds, insects and lizards.

Desert Ironwoods are a member of the pea family. The shape of their flowers and leaves resemble the Sweetpea and their seeds provide another source of food for desert wildlife. The actual wood of the tree is among the hardest woods known. In Mexico, the Ironwood has become known as the "Axe Breaker". The wood is so dense it will sink in water. It must have been and industrial strength food mill that ground it up so fine as you can see in my photograph.

So back to my dyeing process. Right now I am simmering 2 cups of the Ironwood in 12 cups of water. It has been shaved so fine, that I think if I heat it long enough, the wood will break down into more of a pulp or thick liquid. This will intensify the color I am able to achieve and also make straining my dye water easier. Because I have no deep knowledge of the plant, I am covering my nose and mouth as I work with the Ironwood. It may be perfectly harmless, but better safe than sorry.

Once I have some fiber dyed, I'll be back to share my results.

Tiger's Eye Glass Cabochon Beaded Cuff ~ Finished!

I finished my first ever bead embroidered cuff! It feels to good to actually finish something! I'm feeling really good about this project. Often when I make a creation for the first time, I end up with a long mental list of things I'll do differently on my next effort. There are only a couple changes in my mind after making my bracelet.

Next time, I'll dye the material that I sew the beads onto a darker color or a black so that the white does not show through. I intentionally left it white on this bracelet for two reasons. The first and most important thought was that I might have had a hard time seeing what I was doing on a black surface. I wasn't feeling confident enough yet to work on black. Secondly, with white focal beads, I felt like I could get away with a white background.

The other change for my next bracelet will be to make it a little longer so that the cuff isn't too tight a fit. I was relieved that I could fit this project over my cuff when it was done. I failed to allow extra length for thickness and to acommodate the bend in the aluminum.

While I'm at it, let me share an excellent source I found. I was looking for cuffs to use as a base. I had already ordered some brass cuffs from Fire Mountain Gems when I discovered a wonderful Artfire shop. Not only did they have cuffs, but they also had a super deal on Lacy's Stiff Stuff Beading foundation. The name of the shop is Beadwork-Supplies.com You can buy a set of twelve 2" aluminum cuffs for $13 or a six pack of Lacy's Stiff Stuff for $19.99. I might not be the best comparison shopper, but I think these prices are great. They also totally sold me on using aluminum for my cuff bases because it's lighter than brass. Beadwork can have a fair amount of weight to it, so wrapping it over brass would make it even heavier.

Ok, my post is getting a little long, but one more quick thing. I'm excited about the fabric I found for my backing. Most of the articles I've read have people using suede to back their cuffs. I'm not as hot to use leather products so I was looking into Ultrasuede or microsuede as alternatives. When I got to the fabric store, I was really unhappy with how these two fabrics looked. There was even some fraying and I knew at the very least I wanted a fabric that wouldn't fray. I started looking at the felts. Then I found this great fabric. It looks and feels just like felt only its stronger. The ends have no fray at all. Guess what it's made out of? Recycled plastic bottles! How cool is that? I don't spend a lot of time in the fabric store, so maybe everyone already knows about this stuff, but it's new to me and I think it's pretty cool!

Tiger's Eye Glass Cabochon Beaded Cuff ~ Almost Finished!

The beading is now complete on my bracelet. I still have the final process of backing and sewing the fabric onto a cuff. Still, it's nice to have the beading done.

When I had just a little beadwork left, I decided to alter my pattern. I wanted to take my symmetrical design and throw a small wrench in it. Why? I guess it feels like a signature to me. I definitely have those two sides to my personality, one that likes order and perfection and the other that completely rebels against the same.

It's a personal preference, but I tend to be drawn to things that are flawed. They just seem more real to me and those deviations make them more interesting and possibly even more beautiful.

Tiger's Eye Glass Cabochon Beaded Cuff

Every so often I like to pop onto my blog here and show one of my current projects. I usually have a handful of things going at once. I'm still working on my Spindelnät Scarf that I started in September, but it has currently been shelved to allow me time to make presents for the holidays.

Though I don't have any experience making these, I have started working on beaded cuff bracelets. I have always loved them and I'm hoping some of the women in my family will like receiving them for Christmas.

What I like about projects like this one is that you get to design as you go. It helps to have a general plan, but it seems to help even more to keep your mind open to different possibilities. I am probably crazy to think I'll get several of these made. It's not a particularly fast process and I already have plenty demands on my time. I'm going to try to make them anyway though because I think they are pretty and I really do enjoy the process. I need something that I can wind down to at the end of a long day.

Medieval Feast ~ Recipe for Rose Petal Bread

I think this is the first time I have shared a recipe on my blog. I usually try to stick with fiber art and artists, but my family and I had such a good time with dinner tonight that I am compelled to share.

My youngest son is in the fourth grade and right now he is studying the middle ages. We decided that this weekend we should have a medieval feast! I love some of the stories and sayings that have come from this time period, so we tried to incorporate those into our experience.

For example, dishes like our roast chicken were often served on a mess. Mess was the bread under a meal that would absorb the meat juices and keep them from running out on the table. The mess was not eaten, so at the end of the meal, you had to clean up the mess!

Tonight we ate our meals out of trenchers which is the hollowed out bread loaf you see in the picture. No forks and knives. They were not commonly used. Tonight we ate with our fingers. The kids loved it! In medieval times the trencher would have probably sat on a mess, but I decided to only make one mess (I used pizza dough) and use it as a platter for our roast chicken.

The goblet is filled with mead. When I lived in Virginia, I used to do a lot of craft shows. I became friends with a potter and had her make these goblets for me. My husband is a mazer. All I can say to that is YUM! It's so awesome to be able to say, "Hey Honey, let's have a glass of mead tonight!" With our medieval feast we enjoyed a 2 year old Blueberry Melomel.

To the right of my goblet is our Rose Petal Bread made by my husband and my son. (I helped a little.) Today we often use the words "upper crust" to refer to socially important people. This saying actually came from medieval times. The first course in a feast was a loaf of artfully decorated bread. The decorated top crust of the bread was carved off first and served to the most important noble at the high table. My son, Sir Westen, received the upper crust this evening.

Candle light, Celtic music and a vase of roses rounded out our experience. It was the most fun we've had at a family dinner in a long time. I think it was even more special because we all chipped in and helped to make the feast. At the end of the meal, each of the kids shared three facts about the middle ages. We toasted their knowledge and off they went!

I know, I know. What about the recipe? Here it is! It's called Rose Petal Bread and the recipe comes from the book Knights and Castles by Avery Hart and Paul Mantell.

Rose Petal Bread

You will need:
1 package of active dry yeast
1.5 cups lukewarm rose water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cups flour
Cornmeal and butter
Food Dye
1 egg white

To begin, make the rose water by simmering rose petals in a small amount of water. Remove the petals.

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the rose water. Stir sugar, salt and some flour into the yeast. With clean hands, knead the dough. Add more and more flour until it won't take anymore.

Push the dough around on a floured board. When the dough becomes smooth and elastic, cover the bowl with a clean cloth and go play for an hour!

When you return, the dough will be bigger. Punch down the dough, and divide in half. (we made ours into one larger loaf) Form each half into a circle, oval, heart or long loaf. Place the loaves on separate buttered baking sheets that are sprinkled with cornmeal. (We just placed ours on a silicone baking mat on top of a cookie sheet.)

Next comes the art part. Mix a food color with a little bit of egg white to make "paint." Paint vines, leaves, flowers or any other art on the top of the loaves. (my son chose blue food coloring. We painted the whole top of the loaf and then decorated with rosemary and chives.)

Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes at 400ºF. Delicious!

Tussah Silk

This post may look similar to the one before it, but the fibers are very different. This is Tussah Silk also known as Peace Silk. It has been given the name Peace Silk and sometimes Vegetarian Silk because the silkworm is allowed to live out its natural life cycle. The silk is only harvested after the moth emerges from the cocoon. The silk is then degummed and processed into a light and fluffy roving with approximately a 3" staple length. It is extremely soft and full of that particular luster only to be found in silk.

You can now buy Tussah Silk at Wind Rose Fiber Studio in:

1oz, 2oz and 4oz amounts at Etsy
1oz, 2oz and 4oz amounts on ArtFire

Bamboo Roving for Spinning and Needle Felting

Hi all! I'm still working my way through my studio and listing fibers in my shop at Wind Rose. I basically have two jobs, so I always feel like I'm playing catch-up. Even so, I mostly manage to stay on top of things.

That's why I was surprised that I didn't have any bamboo currently available in either of my shops. It was sitting patiently in my studio, waiting to be noticed.

Today I have corrected this oversight and now have bamboo available in 1oz, 2oz and 4oz lots. You can find it both at Wind Rose on Etsy and in my ArtFire shop. I don't have much bamboo dyed at the moment, but I'll get there... one step at a time!

(Click on the links to go to my Etsy store and the Photo to go to the Undyed Fibers section of my Artfire shop.)

Floral Bloom Necklace by Claudia Chavez-Scharn

I still have a few treasures left to share from my trip to Santa Fe. While there, I spent a Sunday afternoon walking around the downtown square. I am not someone who enjoys traditional shopping. I avoid places likes malls and superstores and marvel at how others can tolerate weekly trips to these places. On the other hand, give me a beautiful day and streets lined with tents and tables and I am in heaven!

There is just nothing to equal the experience of discovering something you have never seen before. The adventure increases when you get to have an actual conversation with the very individual behind that creation. On this particular day in Santa Fe, I had the true pleasure of meeting the artist I would like to introduce you to today.

The beautiful necklace before you is a one-of-a-kind original by Claudia Chavez-Scharn. This design is called the Floral Bloom Necklace.

On this particular day, I had my husband and two sons with me. They don't exactly share my enthusiasm for street fairs. What it boils down to is that even mom should get a turn every once in a while. Consequently, I have adopted the habit of perusing displays quickly, only stopping if something really catches my eye. Claudia's display of Floral Bloom Necklaces was just such a thing.

I love how wonderfully delicate her necklaces appear. They have a floating quality as though the flowers and pearls are suspended only by air. I wanted to touch the pretty necklaces, but I hesitated. Claudia immediately reassured me and encouraged me to pick one up. I was impressed to realize that they were in fact sturdy feeling. Claudia uses very high quality materials in her work. Stainless steel jeweler's wire makes a durable base for the glass flowers, gemstones and pearls wrapped with sterling silver.



Ok, so you can tell I liked them, because I bought two! I just couldn't pick a favorite so I solved my dilemma by allowing myself more than one choice. The one above will make a nice birthday present for my mom in a few weeks, and the one on the left is probably staying home with me.

If you would like to learn more about the Floral Bloom Necklace or how to purchase one of your own, contact Claudia at ccbeadzone@yahoo.com