Dye Jag

I am elbows deep in wool, with some angora, mohair and alpaca thrown in. It's time to convert all this fuzzy stuff into money. I have the dyes and the electric, and the sunshine so there is no excuse. It's amazing how quickly the fiber dries in this weather, although rain forecast for this week might throw a damper on my schedule. I sort, wash, immerse in dye pot, simmer for an hour or so, then turn off the burner and let it cool down overnight while I sort and pick more wool. I'm going to the milk room now to turn the dye pot into the washing machine to wash again to get the dye residue out. After washing by hand in the machine tub I'll spin it and put it out in the sun. The cycle starts all over again with the next batch. Very labor intensive, but this is how I turn a bag of dirty, nasty wool into fiber I can sell for $35 a pound. I had to force myself to get into this part of my business this year, as it is just too much fun to sew in front of the TV and fan. Don't get me wrong - when I open the box from the carding mill and see those colorful balls I get a real thrill - and fortunately, so do my customers. The louder the colors, the better it sells. I love the muted, natural colors as I have some lovely colored sheep, but sometimes I even dye the dark wool. It's ghastly hot and humid again today, so I'll work hard this morning and head to the pond later. I swam with Mary's fabulous artsy Cape Cod friends yesterday. DLinda is a metalsmith and Mary Beth is a graphic artist and geese chaser with her Border Collie, Madge. What good fun that was. Mary brought some of her homemade salads and hummus for a snack - sooooo delicious. Back to work before it gets so hot I'm moving in slow motion.