Snow Days

It feels like January here in Idaho. Snow is not supposed to happen till next month. Just two weeks ago, I was running the air-conditioner! And here we are at 1 degree and more snow than I can describe.

Now what??

 As I was muttering and sputtering two evenings ago- in absolute disbelief- I remembered! That snow thing I wanted to try. I am CONSTANTLY thinking fiber. Somewhere I had read about it and now I could try it. So, remember, I am only two days into this, OK? But, I will share with you what I have been playing with and what I have come up with. This is turning a snow day into a play day, you know?

I am NOT a professional 'snow-dyer' - I am merely a woman who feels 6 again-snow, color, playing, and wonder.

So, start with, of course, soaking your wool. My favorite result that you will see was actually an old skirt. The others are 'dud' colors that I botched up on another dye day.

Wring out your wool and scrunch it up and lay it to one side of your big pan. I used an old turkey roaster. Remember, you will want a pan that is big enough that as the snow melts, you won't risk it running over. You will be adding a 'dye/snow' mixture on top of this so cover your wool over with clean snow!

That old pink skirt being covered with snow.

OK- so I tried this two different ways. I will show you the results of both with the understanding that I am NEW to this and am not claiming to be an expert- LOL!!

I am going to start with my latest first as I think it will be easier. I think. LOL

Above you will see that I am dissolving my dye in just enough boiling water to dissolve all the dye particles. This is a raspberry color, one of my favorites. Stir and dissolve.The idea is, at least to me, is that I want to add snow to this concoction to make it frosty cold so that it does not immediately sink down into my wool. Right? Right. Right? LOL You are probably asking how much dye? I had about 2/3 of a half yard in this batch and I used a heaping and generous tablespoon size scoop of my dye. Same with the lavender color I used. I mixed my dye and snow in a separate little pan- adding snow until it was like a 'frosty.'

Are you getting the idea? I have to say that at this point, I was 'in my element'- giddy with having way too much fun! Now watch....
Pat these colors now onto your snow.

Can you stand this? My hubby thought the 'maple seed' was a nice touch. I kept it in there- you never know..........

For this batch and because I am impatient, I put my roaster in the oven with the lid at 300. I checked it every 10 minutes.I probably had it in there for close to an hour and toward the end, I carefully added a vinegar/water mixture to set it.

The above is my absolute favorite piece.Look at the far right- could that be where the 'maple seed' laid? I don't know, but it's a neat thought. So that is that batch, but below, I want you to see my first.
My artist son loved it, "Cool Mom! Wow, like, you are turning into a hippy! That's like a galaxy!"  LOL

So, what was done differently with this 'galaxy' piece? Unfortunately, I did not take pictures but it's pretty easy. These are the things that were done different.

1) I propped my turkey roaster up on one side so that as the snow melted, it drained away from the wool.

2) I did NOT use my oven.

3) I just let it melt slowly and as it melted, I scooped water out. I DID scoop a bit of the drained and very colorful water and re-pour it here and there - A LITTLE BIT. So, by the time that the snow had all melted, there was not a lot of 'drainage' left but then I un-propped it and let it sit in what was left of that dye water. I carefully added vinegar and put it in the oven to set it. Again, I am an imprecise soul ,so, maybe a half hour - 45 minutes at 300?

I have decided that winter does have it's perks! Again, I am not a pro- not even-but I love fiber and I had more fun with this- if you have any questions at all- please don't hesitate to contact me here on my blog or my e-mail: yvonne@vintageheartprimitives.com