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I just returned from a two day workshop which encompassed natural dyeing, weaving and embroidery taught by artisans from Uzbekistan partnered with US artisans. For the dyeing portion of the workshop, Kathy Hattori from Earthues partnered with Modrim Matkorimov, Khiva Master Dyer, with language interpreting by Dilorom Nishanova. We dyed with raw materials as would be used in Uzbekistan. We used green leaves from apple, grape and camillia, onion skins, madder root, weld, cochineal bugs, black walnut hulls and indigo. We also had the good fortune to view a slideshow one evening of the exchange project as it unfolded in Uzbekistan where the US artisans first traveled to meet and work with the Khiva artisans. We were able to view and purchase exquisite textiles made by the Uzbek people from silk rugs, to fine silk fabrics, handwoven and dyed, to embroidered pieces. Uzbekistan is the third largest producer of silk in the world after China and Japan. It was a fantastic experience to both work and communicate directly with the Uzbek artisans, one none of us will soon forget!
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We got the first hard frost overnight with a crisp 26 degrees this morning. This heralds the beginning of winter. Buffalo, NY and parts of the upper mid-West received 24 inches of snow yesterday! I like the frost at this point; it kills the parasites the sheep leave behind in the fields, now we can give their fall de-wormer…nothing will survive these temps.
I am leaving shortly for a 2-day workshop with a number af artisans from Uzbekistan. I will, of course, be engaged in the natural dyeing portion of the weekend! I will share when I return.
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My walk with the dogs this morning was so peaceful in the woods and fields. The mist was still hovering over our ridge, the sun just beginning to poke through. We had some rain overnight so underfoot the leaves were soft, there was no interruption to the quiet; a few crows cawing in the pines and all the little birds we see across the winter months in the thickets, the nuthatch and chickadees, goldfinch and a few layovers. But other than those welcome sounds, there was no other. Welcome, Autumn peace.
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Sheep coats….I finally have a sytem down for washing and repairing. We change the coats throughout the year about 6 times. After shearing the sheep are in the smallest size and by the following shearing the largest. In between, they get torn and break the elastics so after a change, I wash and repair. Because I don’t want to muddy up our washer with the grease and dirt, I first boil them for 5-10 minutes in my big dye pot. Then I hose them off right away, while still hot, to wash away the excess crud. Then they are “clean” enough to run through the washer. Once clean and dry, the sewing repairs are done and they are put back in the stack ready to go. All the sheep, including the lambs are coated now, and from here on until shearing, I watch each sheep to make sure their coat fits correctly as their fleece grows. Too tight mats the outer fiber as well as restricting the sheep’s natural movement and too loose can cause the sheep to get hung up, legs caught etc.
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I bought a smashing violet colored Aster last week and when I set it at the back step, joining it with another new addition to our garden, the Black and Blue Anise Sage Salvia, with the backdrop of our favorite fall perennial the Turtleheads, the result was so rich I had to dye the hues on our yarns. The center skeins will be overdyed with Indigo to purple them up a shade, the results to follow!
