Weekend Dyeing Fun!

Since I am client training this week away from home, I knew I had to get some crafty goodness under my belt to get me through the week!  Saturday I decided to use the day to get some wool dyed in preparation for a couple of art fairs I'm going to do in the next couple of months.  I grabbed a large turkey roaster, a large bag of ice and lots of Cushing Dye packs and got to work!  The idea for ice dyeing came from one of my most favorite blogs, Primitive Spirit.  Karen Kahle is a well-known fiber artist, and I just LOVE pretty much everything she does!  (I may be a little stalker-ish....don't judge)!

So once I got all the supplies together, I got started.  The color recipes I used are at home, so I'll add them to this post later, but have lots of pics to share!  Let me know what you think.

After soaking a yard of taupe wool in lukewarm water with a few drops of Dawn and vinegar, I plopped it into the roaster with about 1/2" of water in the bottom.

I then added a layer of ice and began sprinkling the different dye colors onto the ice.  Be careful with this step, and you might want to wear a dust mask.

Put the top on and turn the roaster to 300 degrees for a little over an hour or until the ice has melted.  I took the wool out of the roaster and put it into a strainer (used ONLY for dyeing) then gave it a spin in the washer and hung it out to dry. Repeat the process four times with different colors, and Here's the results!  Can't wait to use these colors in a rug as soon as I get back from my work trip!

Our garden is producing gangbusters, so last Wednesday I got to work making bread and butter pickles, but with honey instead of sugar.

 Getting the cukes ready!

Yummy pickles!!

So now I'm in Springfield, MO to do some training for one of our new clients, but come the weekend, I'll be back home crafting and canning!  I can't wait!!