Cherokee Ethnobotany

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to attend a conference hosted by the Cherokee Nation on ethnobotany.  I am really looking forward to it, both professionally (primarily the plant identification) and personally.  More later.

Weld and Indigo

The weld gave a beautiful, soft baby chick yellow with an alum mordant on the yarn and fabric.  I wasn't sure it was going to take, but after removing it from the dye pot, I'm so pleased.

A long time friend graduated with her doctorate this weekend and I wanted to give her something special.  I chose to dye her a silk scarf in indigo using shibori surface design.  I actually used four different types of designs and made a duplicate of each.  For me, choosing the article of which to make a gift is a lot like choosing the perfect teddy bear, it's all about appearance.  My arashi was a little loose and two of the scarves came out looking marbled.  It was perfect.  Giving a gift that I make or dye or both is like giving a little part of myself.  It was well received

Weld

One accomplishment for the weekend was harvesting weld for the first time from my dye plant garden.  I've simmered the foliage to extract the color and it is sitting on my stove waiting for the insertion of yarn and fabric.  The smell of simmering weld is akin to that of cooking asparagus.  More on this adventure in future posts...

A Balancing Act

A busy weekend lies ahead.  I bless all those individuals who commission me for work and are patient, because balancing my "real" job, my fibery "extra" job, family, and home work is a feat.  For instance, I have a daughter with a birthday this weekend, my weaving guild meeting, a soccer game with the other daughter, dance pics for the youngest, a haircut appointment, church on Sunday, laundry, garden, a commission for 5 pins, a purse commission to finish, rug hooking kits to finish, bills to make out, and a home that desperately needs attention!  Oh, did I mention it's Mother's Day Sunday?  Calgon take me away.

The rug hooking talk went really well last night.  The audience was wonderful and receptive.  It was a lot of fun and I'm so happy they invited me.

Newbie!

Alright, I'm taking the plunge and blogging.  Catch me tonight at the Murrell House in Tahlequah for a talk about the history of rug hooking in America.  Lecture starts at 7pm.  See you there!