Fun with inks and plants for Wonderwool

Hi! This weekend I have been recovering from teaching 59 children from 3 - 11 to dye yarn multicoloured, to make pencil cases which they then dyed in a woad vat ( the week having a Celtic theme) all that is except for the 3-5 year olds who made smiling faces in felt and naturally dyed merino tops. It was great fun but I have been knackered so yesterday I did nothing except walk the dogs and today I indulged myself playing with the new Natural Dye Inks. I painted three sheets of watercolour card ready for my new series of Colours of the Earth as I am now down to the last four and I have edition 2 ready and waiting to be printed. I really enjoyed painting with the inks, they flow smoothly except my green is a bit watery which I will have to rectify and they are also clear and bright. Today I played around with mixing some of them particularly the grey and yellows for a limey green and also the reds and yellows. I am hoping to have the new edition of the dyebook ready for Wonderwool. http://www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk/ and also some of my new inks which visitors to the stall will have a chance to play with. So if you are in the vincinity come along to Wonderwool which incidentally is on the 26th 27th of April at the Royal Welsh Show Ground · Llanelwedd · Builth Wells · Powys Event Opening Times: 10.00am - 5.30pm

Enys rang me up and said she will have quite a few dye plants to bring including; Woad, Isatis Tinctoria. Japanese Polygonum,Polygonum Tinctorium, a few Madder Rubia Tinctoria, a few Weld, Reseda Luteola, and Vipers Bugloss, Echium Vulgare ,which we will grow as a dye plant for the first time this year as it is is a member of the Boraginaceae which is the same group as alkanet (Alkanna Tinctoria) and has been said to give purple with the root by some of the members of Natural Dyes Online

Bye for now!