thinking of the book from so long ago
“Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”
where Sissy Hankshaw is a woman born with a mutation
of enormously large thumbs, though she considers it a gift…
mine are not so big but lately bluer than usual.
the woad bed is growing quite nicely.
here it is at
the end of June
I harvested some of the plants that needed thinning
and gathered up 3.5 pounds
simmered the leaves up
the dye liquor produced the right brown shade
I adjusted the pH and it changed to a lovely green
reduced the oxygen
the pigment settled
and was drained off
and is now drying to a powdered extract
bottom line numbers
3.5 pounds of leaves yields 2-4 grams of woad extract
I need 30 grams of extract to make a stock to then dye with.
it’s slow and peaceful.
it’s happy work for me.
