Clarifying the Pictures in the last post

I wasn't sure how they would come out when I did all four. Going clockwise starting at the top left: Third one, fourth one, first one, and second one.

One of these days I might learn how to do this. (Maybe if I didn't wait so long between blogs. lol)
Linda

Silk Dyed with Black Food Coloring

I may have to correct the order but I'm going to try to post them right. I have not been able to catch the exact color of any of these. I've taken several pictures and these are the closest but not exact. The lighter blue was the first I dyed with 1/2 bottle of black food coloring. The second one was mostly a greenish color and brown with other colors thrown in. I added vinegar to this one. After taking the second one out, I added the rest of the bottle of black food coloring. The third one is mostly turquoise. I added a little more vinegar after taking the third one out. The fourth one is beautiful. Bob said it looked like my head. (He is feeling better after the lump went down) He said it was lavender, pink, blond, and dark. Ok, I haven't dyed my hair for a long time. Everything is natural. I need to find out where the lavender is though. He said the pink is my head. The red with the last one is wool. It is several shades of pink and red.

I've started spinning the fourth one. It is beautiful. I'll post the yarn when I get it done.

Dying with black food coloring

I got a small bottle of black food coloring to try on some silk. I put half of it in a pan of hot water with a smidgen of dish detergent. I put the silk in and let it heat for a while and then let it set. When I rinsed it, it was this beautiful blue color. The picture does not do it justice.

Using the same dye, I added a little vinegar. The silk isn't dry yet but I'll publish a picture of it when it is. It is a dark blue green. I added more water and the remainder of the food coloring. I put the third piece in this, let it heat and set, like I did the other ones. It is a turquoise color. Then I put a little vinegar in the dye water and put my last one in. It is still in the pot but, so far, looks like it has some red in it. I put some wool in the last batch to see what it would do.

I'll add pictures of the last three after they are dry.

The second picture is a better one of the last silk I dyed in the Muscadine juice.

Dying with Muscadine grape juice

This first picture is silk and a small amount of wool (so I could see how they differed) My friend gave me a quart of Muscadine juice. They are grapes. After reading about them, I think I might hunt for them. They are supposed to have a cancer fighting affect. They also can make jellies, preserves, syrup and sauce. The article didn't tell what a beautiful color it dyes silk.

I put the quart in a pan and added a little water. I put the silk in and decided to try a little wool at the same time. The darkest silk is the first one I dyed. When I finished with it, I didn't want to lose the rest of the dye so added a little water (so it would cover my next silk) and put the second on in. It is the one that is a little lighter. Then I repeated for the third. It is a very soft beige color. Personally, I don't think silk can look bad in any color but this is absolutely fantastic.

When asked if I wanted more of it - I immediately said YES. The article said they were ripe in September and October. I am going to Arkansas the second week in October so maybe I can find some. I've tasted the jelly and it is very good.

My needle felted sheep

I got the idea for these from a book called Rainbow Sheep. They aren't hard to make but the next time, I'll dig out some colored wool to make a few. The white one is made with a wool that has about a 35 micron count. The face of one of them is the same wool. The other is Jacob.

Pictures of my second Yorkie

The Yorkie is my second attempt at needle felting. I used beige Alpaca for the front and gray Alpaca for the back. He may not be beautiful - but he feels fantastic.

I'm retiring in the silkworm raising

I got about 250 China silkworm eggs and about 250 Zebra silkworm eggs earlier this year. (when I counted the worms after they hatched, there were over 600 worms.) They hatched and were doing very well on silkworm chow. Then the leaves on the mulberry tree (the only thing they eat) started coming out. I ran out of chow so started feeding them the early leaves.

By that time, some of the silkworms were spinning their cocoons. After a couple of days, the worms started dying. I ended up with about 200 cocoons. By researching I think the problem was that I fed them leaves that were damp. I should have dried them before feeding them. They were dying from bacteria. They are so delicate that it is hard to raise them sometimes. More information can be found on here:
http://www.wormspit.com/

I made hankies out of the cocoons that I had. I let some of them emerge and lay eggs for this next year. To make hankies out of cocoons: Put water in a crock pot set on high. Add washing soda and detergent. Put the cocoons in and let set until the cocoons get 'globby'. Rinse the cocoons in water with vinegar in it, rinse in fabric softener and then plain water. Gently pull the cocoon open and remove the pupa and stretch over an 8x8 frame. Keep adding until there is 10 to 12 cocoons. Take the hankie off the frame and let dry. After they are dry, they are ready to spin.

Pull one layer off. Put finger through the middle and start pulling into a roving. It is ready to spin. When I spun it, I just have to turn the wheel. It doesn't need anymore drafting. This part is very easy.

I decided that I don't mind playing with the silkworms but I don't like playing with the pupas. When the silkworms finish spinning their cocoons, they change into a pupa. At this point they have to be put aside to wait until they emerge or put in an oven and killed. I kept thinking about it when I was doing them and decided that I don't want to kill them anymore. I could let them be 'Peace silk' but I would have to do something with the eggs and I don't want to let them all hatch.

I feel two-faced because I still spin silk. I also couldn't kill a cow but I do eat beef. Life can be soooo hard sometimes.

I love silk. It spins nice and is very shiny. I have several pounds of silk roving. It is a dream to spin. I got it from Mountain Shadow Ranch in Pleasant Hill, OR. I also got some Mystery Batts from there. They are fun. They are a variety of fibers. They remind me of the fiber sandwiches I have heard about.

I'll get pictures posted of my latest work.