Sticklac

If you have ever wondered what Sticklac looks like, this is it. Not exactly the prettiest stuff but the colors it produces sure are. I have the skeins that were dyed using Lac extract drying. They are taking a bit longer as the weather is quite wet lately. I pretty much achieved the colors shown in the book but had some interesting variations between the different DOSs*. I ground the Sticklac up last night and soaked it overnight with citric acid. The colors coming out so far are far more red than the extract colors. I really like the results from the Sticklac. So far I prefer the colors I get with the whole forms of Cochineal and Lac rather than the extracts. The whole forms require an extra step or two but they are worth it. Tomorrow I will show the skeins dyed with the Lac extract and follow with the skeins from the Sticklac when they are dry to compare.
Last night was the Whatcom guild's final meeting for the guild year. The June meeting is the recycle sale. I brought assorted cones of yarn and magazines to sell and only bought one book. I heroically resisted buying more yarn and fleece even though it was quite difficult to do so. The Whatcom guild also has a guild sale. I will be posting sale dates for the three sales that I will be participating in as fall approaches. Like the other guilds I belong to, the Whatcom Weavers Guild has many talented and artistic members. They put on one of the best guild shows in the area. Last night's meeting wraps up my guild year so now I will be concentrating on dyeing, making items for the sales, fixing house and yard, and a trip or two mixed in.
Tomorrow I plan to start in with the Madder, one of my all time favorite dyestuff to work with. Stay tuned! -Renee

*see glossary