Solar Dyeing in the Hot, Hot Sunshine

OK, it's been hot for two months now.  Maybe two more hot days, then Fall, please?  But, I did some solar dyeing.  It was a lot of fun.

Ah, the Turkey Red.  Don't forget to label your dye batches!

Just a little bit, let it run down the sides.  Two colors per jar, poured down opposite sides.

The dye jars are settling in for a long, hot bath. Don't disturb them!

These are the regular size Mason jars.  Each has 0.5 oz of merino roving.  The secret is, it has to be really sunny and hot, all the live long day.  It was over 100 degrees in the backyard over this particular weekend.  I put the jars out on Saturday morning, and did not bring them in until Sunday afternoon.  I let them cool off completely before I poured out the fiber.  Really nice results.  Kinda like Halloween, eh?  And zero power output.  The trick is, will the day be a hot one?  I actually missed one really hot day because it was not predicted by the NWS.  But then I dyed again the next weekend, using bigger jars that hold an ounce of roving.  Large jars purchased at North Park Hardware, where you can find anything.  Fantastic!

My latest obsession: garter stitch lace.  I am collecting patterns to make a shawl from some wool/alpaca blend I finished spinning.  It was roving from Morro Fleece Works.  What a delightful preparation.  I am practicing with some Blue Moon sock yarn (Typhoon Tina), making a scarf using a garter stitch lace pattern.  My, it takes a long time to knit a scarf with sock yarn! But it looks great on both sides.

And I am thinking about knitting a sontag from some grey/white wool blend I spun up.  That's a lot of knitting.  I have to think about that one.