Chugging Along

Winding a warp onto the jacquard loom isn't a quick process. Thirty sections, 48 warp ends per section...

My right foot has been bothering me (probably plantar fasciitis), so standing for long periods is off the agenda.  So, between winding sections on the loom, I've been stirring a dyepot. Remember the wood dyes I demonstrated during Open Studios? Well, I saved the Wenge dye liquor, and today I added some dissolved ferrous sulfate to deepen the color, and tossed in a few pairs of socks that were a blah beige I didn't really like. Bingo! Nice deep brown, a color I'm more likely to wear.

The problem with dyeing socks with fiber reactive dyes is that the lycra or nylon in the blend with cotton doesn't take the dye, so the ribbed legs of the socks get a very strange stripy look - the cotton on the "outer" ribs takes the dye, but the lycra on the "inner" ribs doesn't. Using a natural dye solves this problem - both fibers accept the dye. The fact that the dye is essentially free of charge makes it all the more appealing.

I periodically turned on the gas under the pot, being careful not to exceed 140(F), and now the pot is resting overnight, wrapped in towels to keep in the heat as much as is possible in a studio with windows on 4 sides of the room. Tonight's temperature will be well below freezing, and all that glass cools the studio down very effectively, even with shades and curtains drawn!