Meanwhile: hesitations

In English:
When you are not absolutely sure of yourself or do not have enough experience of dyeing yarn there'll be all kinds of changes in a previously set plan. And questions. Questions you ask in a forum an those you don't because... yes, why?

For example, whereas I have cochineal colour water left since the recent dyeing, I also have a hank of pink yarn -- dyed with the second cochineal water. A kind of colour that I hardly use for anything -- well, maybe as one for a multicoloured pattern, but even this is not quite plausible. So, I want to redye the pink hank. Do I have to mordant it? -- I did. In the same pot with a hank of white yarn. The next worried question: maybe the yarn has been too much mordanted by now (before the previous dyeing plus today)?
And another: today the mordanting water became pink, and the white yarn in the pot got light purple spots on it. Which means: the colour of the cochineal pink yarn probably is not fast enough. What should I think now of other yarns dyed with cochineal on the same day? They were dyed in the first dyewater, thus they may be faster, and I hope so.
And then, there are questions concerning the madder dye water. Both the soaking water and the water got after short-time boiling of madder roots (see Plan for extracting the colour and handling the roots, points 1-2 in the previous post) look dark purple, more like dye water got from cochineal, not madder (or so I think -- I've never seen madder water earlier). Should I still be afraid of brown and yellow pigments in these portions of water?

I guess, even good experience wouldn't let one get rid of questions. For dyeing with herbs is always an experiment. And experimenting is fun. And thus you are going to have new experiments, new experience, and new questions all the time.

Madarapunast, tellispunast!

Alustan seda sissekannet keset värvimise ettevalmistusi.

Teejuhiks nagu ikka Liisi loodusvärviblogist ja kirja teel saadud nõuanded, Leena Riihelä Riihivilla-blogi, Jenny Deani õpetus, Marketta Klemola raamat "Taimedega värvimine" (Tallinn: Valgus, 1986) ja lahkeid vastuseid ja vihjeid nii Isetegija kui Kullaketrajate foorumi lõngavärvimisteemas.

Krapp liguneb alates 25. detsembri hilisõhtust ja las liguneb veel. -- Jäi enne likku panemist jaheda veega loputamata, järgmine kord peaksin seda ka arvesse võtma.

Villane lõng:
ilus lõng, vist 8/2, u. 240 g
jäme lõng (varem peitsitud maarjajää ja viinakiviga) 80 g
hall lõng, 6/1, Jõgeva E-villa, u. 250 g
3 vihti valget lõnga, 8/1, Jõgeva E-villa, s.o umbes 3 x 250 g

Peitsimise kava:

1. peitsida kõik lõngad peale juba peitsitu maarjajääga: ligi 25% lõnga kaalust -- esimesele poolekilosele lõngaportsule läkski juba 110 g;
2. järelpeitsimine? Mõni viht veel viinakiviga? Midagi raud- või vaskvitrioliga? Vaatame...
   

Värvileeme keetmise kava:

1. juured leotusveest välja kurnata;
2. juurtele keev vesi peale kallata ja korraks keema lasta;
3. eelmises punktis saadud vesi panna kokku krapi leotusveega (või osaga sellest) ja hoida eraldi alles, mõne pruunima lõnga saamiseks (ikka Jenny Deani juba viidatud õpetuse järgi);
4. hakata keetma, või siiski pigem hautama juurtest värvainet: vähese veega 40 minutit, kallata vesi teise nõusse; taas uue veega hautada juuri u. 40 minutit; vahest kolmas kord veel? (Ning kallata saadud lahused ühtekokku);
5. võtta juured välja, panna kuivama mingi järgmise korra jaoks.
   

Värvimise kava:

1. esimeses vees: 240 g valget lõnga 8/2, 80 g jämedat valget lõnga;
2. teises, s.o just kasutatud värvivees: 250 g halli 6/1 ja 250 g valget 8/1;
3. kolmas vesi segada eelmisest košenilliga värvimisest jäänud veega: 500g valget lõnga 8/1.

kuutsükli 28. päev. Nii et seekord jääb värvimine ise noorkuusse.

In English:
I am writing this in the midst of preparations for dyeing yarn with madder. I feel short of all kinds of vessels! The first hanks are in the mordanting pot, and I have to repeat the same mordanting procedure, with other hanks, twice more before I can start dyeing the yarns.

A great support and most of my knowledge how to dye comes from several sources: Liis's blog and personal advice via e-mail, Leena Riihelä's Riihivilla-blog, Jenny Dean's instructions, a book by Marketta Klemola, Taimedega värvimine (Tallinn: Valgus, 1986; translated from Finnish: Kasvivärjäys. Helsinki: Tammi), and kind hints and answers in the forums of Isetegija and Kullaketrajad, under the corresponding themes.

Madder roots have been soaking since yesterday late evening. Let them soak! It's a pity I didn't wash them with cool water first, like Jenny Dean does. Have to remember it next time!

The woollen yarns:
240 g nice white yarn, thickness abt 8/2
80 g thick white yarn, premordanted already, with alum and cream of tartar
250 g grey yarn, 6/1
3 x 250 g white yarn, 8/1

Plan for mordanting:

1. to mordant all the yarns except one hank mordanted earlier, with alum, 20--25% of the weight of the yarn (the first pot: ca 500 g yarn / 110 g alum);
2. post-mordanting? Maybe some hanks -- either with cream of tartar, copper or iron sulphate.

Plan for extracting the colour and handling the roots:

1. to take the roots out of the soaking water, to pour boiling water over the roots and let them boil for a moment, to lessen the amount of brown or yellow pigments;
2. to keep this water, roots drained out of it, and use it later on for getting some brownish yarn, maybe together with part of the soaking water;
3. to start heating the roots in a rather small amount of water -- up to 60gradesC, and keep them at that temperature for about 40 minutes, to pour the water into another pot or jar; to repeat it with another portion of water -- twice? thrice? -- to get enough colour extracted. (And to pour all these coloured waters all together);
4. to drain the roots and dry them for another use later.

Plan for dyeing:

1. 1st water: the "nice" yarn (8/2) and thick yarn;
2. 2nd water / 2nd use of the 1st water (i.e the same water I just used for dyeing): a hank of grey yarn and another of white yarn;
3. to add the colourwater I've kept since I dyed yarn with cochineal a month ago, and in that mix of two colour solutions: two hanks of white yarn (8/1).

Pööripäeval

...saab aastaring täis. Algab uus. Vist. Sest ega tööd-teod sellest ei küsi -- nemad on ikka kas pooleli või valmis.

Sellest sissekandest peaks saama kokkuvõte möödunud aastast või ehk pisut pikemast ajast -- ajast, kui jälle käsitöö juurde tagasi tulin. Näpud kihelesid juba pikka aega, aga ma justkui ei saanud aru, mille järele. Tjah, midagi vist õmblesin vahepealsetel aastatel ka, aga "minu päris käsitöö" on pigem kudumine: niisugune mõnus villaste lõngakerade vahel nahistamine, millega ei kaasne masinamüra ega suurt pabistamist, et äkki rikun kanga ära vms. Lihtsalt vaikselt teha, rida-realt. (Hea küll, harutamisest ja "loomevaevadest" kootava eseme kavandamisel praegu ei räägi).

Uue alguse algus: Timps tegi kogu aeg midagi. Ilusat ja innustavat. Ja kui ma tema kaudu Isetegijat uurima hakkasin, siis pidin lõpuks 1. juunil 2007 ka liituma.

Siit algab järk-järgult täiendatav osa: pildid ja juhised-märkused -- nii palju kui ma neid iseenda jaoks olen seni paberile pannud. Endalgi lihtsam neid logiraamatust vaadata kui mööda mappe-kaustikuid tuhnida.


Praegu, aasta lõpus on suureplaanilistest asjadest pooleli nii kui
Ja nende koostegemistega ma teistest maha jäängi, nüüd on peaasi, et iseenda meelerahuks lõpuks kõigega valmis jõuan.

In English:
This post started at winter solstice was meant to be a conclusion of what I've made with my hands during the past year or so -- a period after years of no or little handicraft in my life. It will be complemented gradually, for I intend to rewrite some notes here that I've taken down on paper, with pencil, while working on some handicraft item and thinking I need a clue for future projects.


Õmblemine.


1. Detsembris valmis ammu alustatud tuunika. Sattusin riiderestile, mis oli mu meelest nii ilus, et pidin ta ära ostma. Mõtlesin, et kui kardinariidest pluusi ei julge kanda, siis teen kas või laudlina. Riidetükk oli lühike, veidi viltu lõigatud -- olin nii hullupööra kokkuhoidlik, et palistasin nii allääre kui käiseotsad viltustena, mõeldes, et ehk sobib.
In English. The small piece of curtain fabric seemed so beautiful in a shop several years ago that I was thinking: if I dare not to wear a blouse made of it, I may make a tablecloth. I made a tunic, though, and got it ready only in this December. The hems are slightly slanted, as the piece of fabric was so short and I didn't want to lose any centimetres. Maybe it looks funny to have "a curtain" on, I do not know, but I like to wear it anyway.

Seljal on sissevõtuvoldid, otse vanikumustri kõrval.
On the back pieces there are vertical darts at the waist, just next to the festoon patterns.

Kaenlaalune.
Armpit.

2. Uus kate vanale käekotile.
A new jacket for an old purse (sewing, crotchet, beads)