Wandering down another path

I used Sticklac last week. When I strained each batch I took a look at what was left and thought I might be able to pull more color from the used Sticklac. I saved all three batches from the light, medium, and dark depth of shade dyepots and put the strained Sticklac in a crockpot with a bit more water and a little more citric acid. I let it simmer on low for a few hours and then turned off the crockpot and let it steep for two days. I had a cone of this beautiful undyed wool boucle that I thought I would try it out on. It dyed beautifully with full take up. There was little to no dye left in the pot when it was finished. It is a medium shade of reddish purple, quite bright and exotic looking. What fun! I could probably re-use the Sticklac again and get lighter and lighter shades but I am getting a bit tired of this color and am ready to move on.
I had a bit of a break today as I went to the spinning group and met with old friends. I do enjoy getting out of the studio now and then, chatting with friends while spinning or creating. It is one of the pleasures of a creative life. I am spinning a roving called "potluck roving" as it is made up of odds and ends of different fleece. It is fun to spin and I have departed from my usual fine, even spinning to try a deliberate thick and thin yarn. Yes, it can be done even when you have been spinning fine even yarn for years! You just have to concentrate a bit more. One nice thing about it is that it spins up fast. I will put a picture of the yarn up when I get it skeined. Soon.
Now it is back to skeining and the challenge of dyeing with Madder root. Madder root will take a bit of time to process so I will probably slip in some easy dyebaths such as Fustic or the Logwoods. Check back soon! -Renee