Two of our colored angora bucklings left today. Mr. Coco and Puppy are half brothers as well as uncle and nephew, born here last. They will be missed but we are making room for a new crop of expected spring babies. I think at least 3 of the 4 angora does are bred and the 4th may be in heat. The same with the dairy goats. Grace, last spring's triplet born to Lily, is still unbred although would like to be. She is recovering from a broken leg and needs to strengthen it before getting pregnant.
I'm posting photos of the boys last spring. They are bigger and have delightful, friendly personalities. One jet black buck kid remains.
We spent this morning preparing for the next 3 months which will bring some weather surprises I'm sure. My son Rene and I brought over several truck loads of hay to replace what has been used so far. It was warm and bright today and perfect for doing some barn work. It also feels good to see the barn full of hay. I have spent many years running out in March. This year we replenished what had been used so far. I think we'll make it until May. Yeah!!
We're off to Boston, Connecticut and then on to Georgia this week.
Happy New Year!
Some of you may know about my fascination with red dyes. Cochineal, madder and lac are all workhorse dyes for me and I need no excuse to play with them. I am currently working with a new batch of madder root extract which for me is producing a truer red than the extract I used in the past that produced a very orange red if not a true orange. I am experimenting with additions of calcium carbonate (chalk) in the dyepot. Madder likes hard water to produce its best colors. If your water is not hard enough, calcium carbonate will push the dye take up and insure strong red color. If your water is already hard the cal carb will push the color range to a darker more burgundy coloration. Jim Liles writes about the alkaline/acid issues associated with madder root dye in his book The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing. One teaspoon per pound is the usual recommendation.
Also keep in mind that madder is extremely sensitive to temperature. At lower temps the alizarin dominates, thus producing a good red color. At higher temperatures the browns in madder fix on the fiber. Some books recommend going no higher than 160°F while others say that 190°F is the upper limit for red. Monitor your dye bath carefully and stay focused. A few samples at both temperatures, as well as a higher temp will quickly illustrate this point. Additionally when mixing madder extract dissolve in warm, not boiling water. This may affect the final color.
Madder is extremely colorfast and benefits from careful mordanting. I use alum and cream of tarter premordant for my yarns. To prevent uneven take-up of the dye, it is suggested that the mordanted fiber or yarn be rinsed and wrung (carefully), and allowed to remain damp for several days. I typically put these yarns in an extra refrigerator I have, in plastic bags.
Perhaps my favorite way to dye is to mix two or more dyes for richer color ways. Cochineal and madder will produce a range of reds. Small amounts of madder mixed with fustic will produce beautiful oranges, warm golds, salmons and coral shades. These colors work well in color schemes that include natural sheep greys when knitting or weaving.
For more information on madder, including instructions for making Turkey Red see:
The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing by Jim Liles, The University of Tennessee Press. 1990. This book contains extensive information on dyeing with madder and includes instructions for wool, linen, cotton, and silk.
The Natural Dye Instruction Booklet, by Michele Wipplinger, Earthues. 2005. This book contains good basic information for dyeing with madder extract as well as extracting dye from madder roots. It includes formulas for combining madder with other dyes along with color pictures. It is the most complete book on working with extracts.
We see evidence of madder reds in Mideast carpets and rugs. Traditional ikats from Indonesia are often dyed with madder in combination with indigo as separate colors in the same textile. And South American textiles utilize madder along with cochineal bugs for a rich palette of oranges, reds and purples.
Currently we have madder extract in stock.
Two of our colored angora bucklings left today. Mr. Coco and Puppy are half brothers as well as uncle and nephew, born here last. They will be missed but we are making room for a new crop of expected spring babies. I think at least 3 of the 4 angora does are bred and the 4th may be in heat. The same with the dairy goats. Grace, last spring's triplet born to Lily, is still unbred although would like to be. She is recovering from a broken leg and needs to strengthen it before getting pregnant.
