What’s the adage about creativity and messiness? Get in and get doing; so… clutter be darned..? I think my new motto needs to micmic this poster:

In preparation for the upcoming Black Sheep Gathering 2019, I am dyeing mounds of wool. Pot after pot of wool. The kitchen has looked this way two solid weeks now. It gets a bit on the nerves, though beats always hauling supplies up & down staircase whenever I need another color. Hubby is very tolerant and we tough it out for the duration.

Behold the Rewards of Glorious COLORrrrrrrrr! How I love turning white wool into fluffy clouds of color. Feast your eyes on this mouth-watering handful of tangerine tones, pink blush and lemony yellows. I didn’t know the color could ‘take’ that way, but you’d better believe I recorded details in my huge binder notebook so I’d have a better future chance to replicate this pretty result.

TIP: I try to make the endless task of dyeing easier on myself. This includes mixing with a scale to weigh the exact grams of dye powder & water to fill a squirt bottle in a 2% solution every time – because I lack space or interest to store 1/2 gallon jugs. Or the use of green masking tape labels on each jar, complete with dye name & number, maker and place of purchase. Then, when I need a new jar, the info is right in front of me. Of all the tape I’ve tried over the years, this green ‘frog’ brand masking tape holds best against water and handling.

Another good tip: Always dye a small strip of wool and tie onto jar lid. You can see at a glance the actual representation of the color you want to use. I always dye a wee strip of Merino, sometimes silk, or a coarser wool – which – curiously – often take the color different than Merino. Sometimes I show dark & light tones of the same dye color.

Now that my dye pots have cooled as I typed a blog page… I must toddle away to rinse and spin the wool, then hang to dry before loading up the drum carder with yesterdays colorful collection of wool. How I love the chaos of creativity!.

See you at the Black Sheep Gathering! Stop by our booth and say “Hello!”