NEXT MEETING: ANNUAL DYE DAY - JULY 12, 2008
at Linnie's house, 1280 Elmwood Dr. Walnut Creek, 10AM

This will be a "natural dyes" day and we will be painting the dyes on sock blanks or skeins/roving of wool and/or silk. You are responsible to mordant your own fiber or yarn before Dye Day. Directions below. Remember, if you don't mordant the fiber ahead of time, the dye will not stick!

Linnie has already contacted you with information about ordering the 'sock blanks' for the project. If you were not able to get your order to Linnie by Friday, June 27th, you can order your sock blank directly from www.knitpiks.com Or, you can work on your own roving, or yarns of wool or silk. We are not emphasizing cellulose fibers this time [which includes Tencel]. The mordanting process is a bit different than what is below.

On Dye Day, bring your wet, ready to dye fibers and a lunch for yourself. Dyes are being supplied by the Guild. Happy Dyeing everyone - this is always a favorite event of the year.


MORDANTING DIRECTIONS FOR PROTEIN FIBERS [as per earthues natural dyes]

Alum is the mordant chemical used and is available in the 'seasonings' section of your grocery store [as is cream of tartar]. This food grade alum is in it's purest form and is perfect for wool and silk. The alum in your nursery is a less pure grade of alum as it contains iron, which is great for your plants, but will make the colors you dye with slightly darker or muddier looking.

When mordanting, coil your wool or silk in a cinnamon roll shape on top of a sheet of netting and fold it around the coil, burrito style, then bring the open ends on top and tie them twice. This gives the fiber some room and also a way for you to move the fiber in and out of the process much easier with out too much mussing.

1. Soak the fiber or yarn in hot water with your favorite shampoo or soap; after 30 minutes remove the fiber, rinse it, and extract the water in a washing machine if you have LOTS of fiber or just blot with terry towels for smaller amounts.
2. Use alum at 2.5 tablespoons per one pound of fiber. Dissolve the alum in a little boiling water and add to a kettle.
3. Fill the kettle with enough warm water [110 degrees] to what you think will cover your fiber.
4. Add the clean, wet goods to the mordant bath.
5. SLOWLY bring the bath up to temperature over 45 minutes: 185 degrees for silk, 200 degrees for wool. Rotate the fiber regularly while the temperature is rising.
6. Hold at temperature for one hour, then cool for at least one hour or overnight, in the bath.
7. Lift the fiber out of the bath and let the fiber drain till no more water drips off.
8. Keep the fiber damp till you are ready to dye. Enclose your fiber in an airtight container [like a plastic bag] and keep for no longer than one week before dying. It's best not to let it dry before dyeing.

Cream of Tartar [optional]
This is used to soften the wool, brighten shades of color or to change the color of some dyes. [e.g., the fuchsia of cochineal will change to a true red].

1. Use cream of tartar at 3 tablespoons per one pound of fiber. Dissolve the cream of tartar in boiling water.
2. Add the dissolved cream of tartar to the alum mordant bath at step # 3 above.


"I never experienced a colder winter than one summer in San Francisco" Mark Twain

Well, I have news for Twain. He never spent a Wednesday night at a picnic in Pleasant Hill! A big pat-on-the-back for all those who braved one of our summer nights and came to our First New Annual June Picnic. At about 7:15, while we were eating and trying to figure out who's idea was this anyway, and the wind got even windier and colder, we began to remember why the June Picnic must have died out - more than likely, it was frozen out! As we were! My husband had to run over to Ross where he got an incredible deal on a sweat shirt - a $98 sweatshirt for $10!!! If you can believe the tag. The Second New Annual June Picnic , next year may not happen. It was only the Margaritas and Carol's "hot" beans that got us through.


SHEEP TO SHAWL COMPETITION
Alameda County Fair, Sunday, July 6th, 10AM till about 4PM

Our team, Web Slingers West, will be competing again with Kate as the weaver this time. Good luck to us all. Come by and say hello if you are there on that last day of the fair.

Will also has his Man Made team again this year. Good luck to them too - they'll need it [oh, sorry].


NEW ELECTRIC CARDER FOR THE GUILD

Speaking of Will, he and Kate just brought back from Oregon [where they were at Black Sheep] a beautiful, used but looks like new, electric carder that Carol found for sale on the web. We are going to try to organize all the equipment that our Guild now owns and create a better way to borrow it out and get it back in a timely manner. Mostly, just so we know where everything is at! This carder is not super heavy and most of us should be able to get it home and back again without too much trouble. We got a good deal on it, its in terrific shape and it should last us a long while.