Once upon a time I was a dyer of wool.
A collection of old enamel pots of various sizes and shapes were selected and filled with plants or nuts gathered in the fields and the woods, or maybe grown in my herb garden, and set on an open fire outside. A wooden spoon stirred the simmering mixtures, all pungent with their earthy smells.
A collection of old enamel pots of various sizes and shapes were selected and filled with plants or nuts gathered in the fields and the woods, or maybe grown in my herb garden, and set on an open fire outside. A wooden spoon stirred the simmering mixtures, all pungent with their earthy smells.
Through a path in the woods I strolled this morning to gather flowering goldenrod. I snipped the yellow blooms and green leaves and stems to place in a stainless steel pot. The smell wafted throughout my kitchen and out the open windows as it simmered on my kitchen's stove top.A small skein of wool sheared from my past flock of Romneys was carefully lowered into the dye bath.
The creamy white wool is now a sedate shade of yellow, not unlike some of the colors of autumn.
And on this beautiful Saturday in October I was a dyer with natural things once again, and I loved it as much as I love the word dye bath.
And on this beautiful Saturday in October I was a dyer with natural things once again, and I loved it as much as I love the word dye bath.
4 comments:
Beautiful!! What are the green balls in the one photo as well as your header? I have never seen anything like them before.
That is BEAUTIFUL. Naturally-derived colors are the prettiest of all.
The green balls are osage oranges and were found lying on the ground from a tree growing on the edge of the woods. They have a delightful aroma of citrus; an arrangement of them presently adorn my dining room table.
Oh, I have seen them before! One of our librarians brought them in and told us about them. They do have the most beautiful smell. I think she said the grow along the fence rows in our county, but I haven't seen any. Now I am going to keep my eyes open more than ever! Thank you for sharing!
Blessings!
Deborah
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