Sunday, April 12, 2009

New books Uusia kirjoja

Viime viikolla tuli taas mukavaa postia, siemeniä Bettinalta ja pari täältä tilaamaani värjäyskirjaa. Tammikuussa Gail suositteli tuota Dorothy Millerin japanilaisesta indigosta kertovaa kirjasta, Indigo, from Seed to Dye, ja ei suotta, se tuntuu oikein mielenkiintoiselta, vaikka ei olekaan kovin paksu. Rita Buchanania taas ovat monetkin suositelleet ja tämäkin kirja, A Dyer's Garden, on vain reilut 100 sivua, mutta sen verran olen sitä ehtinyt lukea, että huomaa selvästi tekijällä olleen paljon omaa kokemusta värikasvien viljelystä ja värjäämisestä.

In English
Last week I got very nice mail again, more dyeplant seeds from Bettina (thank you again!), and couple of books I had orderd from here. In January Gail recommended Dorothy Millers book: Indigo, from Seed to Dye, and so now I had to buy it:) It is all about japanese indigo and seems very good even though it is not very thick.
I have read many people recommending Rita Buchanans books and this one: A Dyer's Garden seemed like a good choice as I am now growing some dye plants:) It is about 100 pages but you can really feel that the author has long experience with growing dye plants and dyeing with them.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Leena! I've also bought Rita's A Dyer's Garden and find it a well organised, concise and simple dyeing manual equipped with appropriate pictures of dyed materials. I also like the info on different parts of plants used, first and second baths and different mordants (although not tin and copper) - very instructive indeed. It gave me the incentive to dye with St. John's Wort flowers last summer and I got really nice four colours as she says. A good help for a natural dyer (at least a beginner like me).

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  2. I have that book too, couldn't resist it at the time:) it's a bit silly really as I already had quite a few, but usually I find at least some new snippets of info in each new dye book! I still want to buy Trudi van Stralen's book, indigo, madder and marigold - have you had a look at this one before?
    I hope the seeds will grow for you!
    happy easter, Bettina

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  3. I just wrote an overview on R. Buchanan's book yesterday - and now discovered your post on the same subject :) I agree - it's a very good dye book.

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  4. Thanks for comments:)
    I think I always find some little new thing in every book, they all complement each other. I have now read Rita's book and I agree with everything she writes, and there are now thing for me about growing dyeplants.
    I don't have Trudy van Stralen's book yet, so many say that it is good, so that is on my list of books to get some time:)

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  5. Yes I think both books ar excellent-you can tell the authors are writing about something they know and I found Dorothy Millers book very interesting and useful. Trudy Von Stralens book is good too I think it is one of the books that really helped me when I started and again she writes about what she knows. I don't use her recipe for Indigo sulphonate though -she only dyes with this not an indigo vat- as I prefer Liles recipe for it. However I have used her method for dyeing with cochineal for years.

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  6. Hi Leena! Thank you for recommending A dyers garden. After I started reading your blog, I have had a growing interest in dyeing. So I thought that it would be nice to start by planting and continue with dyeing :) I read your blog often and think that it is interesting and detailed.

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