Sunday 19 April 2015

Navadna krhlika (Rhamnus frangula) - Alder buckthorn


 
 
Navadna krhlika me mika že precej let. Tule sem že pisala o njej - ko mi je končno uspelo dobiti tako zaželeno rdečkasto barvo. Zdaj sem imela na balkonu v vrečki 40 gramov skorje krhlike, starane cela tri leta. Ponovno sem prebrala navodila Helen Melvin o fermentacijskem barvanju s krhliko. Krhliko sem v mrežasti vrečki dala v steklen kozarec in jo prelila z vročo vodo (verjetno bi bilo bolje, če bi bila samo zelo topla). Nato sem posebej pripravila pralno sodo, raztopljeno v vroči vodi in izmerila pH. Sodo sem dodajala, dokler ni bil pH 10, to nalila na krhliko v kozarcu in vanjo dala oprano in čimžano volno.
Naslednji dan sem volno potegnila iz barvilne kopeli  - bila je močno oranžna :-(
 
Alder buckthorn bark has been tempting me for a couple of years. Here I wrote about it when I finally obtained the long wished for reddish colour. Now I found on my balcony a bag with 40 gram of bark aged for three years. I reread Helen Melvin's instructions for dyeing with alder buckthorn bark using a fermentation vat. I placed crushed bark in a netted bag into a glass jar and poured hot water over it (I had probably better used warm watger). Separately I prepared a solution of washing soda in hot wter and measured pH. I continued adding washing soda to reach a pH of 10, poured the soljution onto wet bark in the jar and placed a skein of washed  and mordanted wool yarn in the dyebath.
The next day I took the yarn out of the bath - it was intense orange :-(
 

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 Izmerila sem pH - padel je na 7, zato sem spet dodala raztopino pralne sode in vanjo vložila štreno oranžne volne.

I measured the pH - it had dropped to only 7. I therefore added more washing soda dissolved in water and placed the skein in the bath.
 
Naslednji dan sem stvar ponovila: oranžna je bila malo bolj rdečkasta:

On the next day I repeated the whole procedure - the orange had some more red in it.
 

Ker je pH spet padel, sem spet dodala pralno sodo in volno pustila v barvilni kopeli še en dan. Ves čas je bila na temperaturi malo pod 40 stopinjami.
 
 

Po tretjem dnevu je bila barva precej temnejša. Štreno sem pustila na zraku nekaj ur, da je barva oksidirala. In voila - moja lepa barva!
Zdaj se barva druga štrena volne. Jutri nadaljujem :-)

Posušena in zdrobljena skorja navadne krhlike je videti takole.

The pH dropped again so I added washing soda and let the wool yarn sit in the vat for another day. The temperature was maintained a bit below 40 degrees Centigrade all the time.
After the third day the colour was considerably darker. I let the skein hang in air to oxidize the colour. Et voila - my beautiful colour!
Dried and crushed alder buckthorn barks look like this:


 

Ko sem na nekaj drobcev nalila vročo vodo s pralno sodo, je takoj začela puščati barvo - lepo rjavkasto rdečo.

When I poured a little hot water with washing soda onto a few small pieces of the bark it immediately discharged colour - a beautiful brownish red.



Tudi to sem uporabila. Tri dni sem v tem pogrevala čimžano belo prejico in sukanec za klekljanje. Na bombažu in pri tako majhni količini krhlike je barve seveda bistveno manj - dobila sem nežne roza.

This was to be used somehow :) I placed a few metres of alum mordanted cotton yarn and bobbin lace thread in the solution and gently heated it from time to time for three days. Cotton takes much less vegetable colour than wool, also the amount of dyeing material was really modest, so there was not much colour to fix onto the yarn - I got pastel pinks.

Barvanje s krhliko je zahtevno in zamudno, ampak je vredno. Meni je barva na volni zelo všeč - pa vam?

Dyeing with alder buckthorn bark is a demanding and lengthy task but a rewarding one too. I like its colours on wool very much - how about you?

Sunday 5 April 2015

Veselo Veliko noč! - Happy Easter!


Veselimo se in praznujmo - Kristus je vstal!

Let us rejoice and be happy - Christ is risen!

Friday 3 April 2015

Velika noč-voščilnice - Easter Postcards




    

S takimi voščilnicami sem letos prijateljem, sorodnikom in znancem voščila za Veliko noč. Oblika pirha je narejena z rastlinsko barvano česano ali filcano volno. Modra je pobarvana s silino, rdeča z barvilnim broščem in najtemnejša s košeniljko. Nekatere voščilnice so narejene tudi z ročno izdelanim papirjem, ki sem ga pred leti delala iz starega pisarniškega papirja in odpadnih škatel za jajca.
Tudi izdelovanje in pošiljanje voščilnic je del moje priprave na praznovanje Velike noči.

This year I wished a blessed Easter feast to my friends, family and acquaintances with these Easter cards. The shape of the egg is filled with natural dyed carded or felted wool. The blue is obtained with woad, the red with madder and the darkest wool with cochenille. Some cards include hand made paper I made a few years ago from waste office paper and egg boxes.
Making and sending handmade Easter cards is also a part of my preparation for the Easter feast.