Thursday, March 8, 2012

PS about woad Lisäys koskien morsinkoa

Louisan kommentti edelliseen postaukseen muistutti minua kolme vuotta sitten keväällä tehdystä morsinkovärjäyksestä, joka meni myös pilalle ja sain vain todella vaaleaa punertavaa väriä. Postaus siitä täällä. Silloin ajattelin, että tulos johtui siitä, että lehdet olivat edellisvuotisia, tai lannoituksen puutteesta, mutta mm viime kesänä sain toisen vuoden lehdillä ihan hyvää sinistä, tosin kylläkin myöhemmin kesäkuun lopussa.  Nyt kun luin tuota värjäyksen kulkua kolme vuotta sitten ja katselin kuvia tulee mieleen, että lehdet olivat liian pitkään liian kuumassa ja siksi en saanut sinistä vaan tuota punertavaa. Jos vain jotain morsingon lehtiä on talvehtinut, niin pitää heti toukokuussa kokeilla uudelleen, samaan ajankohtaan kuin silloin kolme vuotta sitten, ja uudelleen kesäkuussa, jotta näkisin onko ajankohdalla mitään vaikutusta.

IN ENGLISH
Louisas comment to my last posting reminded me of  when three years ago I dyed with second year woad leaves early in May. That resulted also pinkish color, but with no blue in it, I had written about it here. At the time I thought that is was because the leaves were second year leaves or because I had fertilized them very little, but last summer I dyed with second year woad leaves and got good  blue. That was in late June. Now when I read and looked the pictures about the dyeing three years ago, I think that the extraction lasted too long and it was too hot for too long, or at least that is part of the reason why I didn't get blue. 
If any of my woad leaves have survived the winter I will try to dye with them again in May, like three years ago, and again in June, to see if there is a difference.

6 comments:

  1. After I extract the blue from my woad leaves I reuse the leaves for a second dye bath... I boil them up with some alum and dye my fleece/fibre pink then... add dip some of the pink dyed fleece/fibre into the vat of blue... so getting blue... pink... and purple... from the same woad leaves...have you tried this..?

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  2. Hi Tricia, thanks for the idea:) I haven't dyed with used woad leaves, but what a good idea to over-dye the pink with blue and get purple, all from woad! I have used cochineal with blue, but of course it would be good to use the woad leaves again to get all the possible color from them!

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  3. I too have used the extracted woad leaves for a second bath on alum-mordanted yarns. The colour I get would be described as more like a pinkish-beige - at least to me! I haven't tried dipping that back into the blue vat though. Good idea.

    Interesting that you had the "pink experience" with woad too, Leena. I think you are on to something here in that it has to do with the temperature of the extraction. I'll have to experiment this summer. So far I'm just getting ready to plant some garden seeds indoors under the lights. Not too early though or the garden won't be ready when the plants are!

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  4. Hello again... here's a link to a photo of wool & alpaca fleece that I dyed with woad leaves to give you an idea of the 'pink' & purple... I like to dye before I spin...:)

    http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1564544

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  5. Thank you Tricia! I will try the leaves your way. It is an amazing feeling how many colors you can get just from the garden, very rewarding.

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  6. Your welcome Leena...

    Yes... I have great fun growing my own colours...

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