Indigo modra s silino - Indigo blue with woad

Letos je bilo tako deževno leto in tudi silina, ki ima rada sonce, ni rastla tako bujno. Tako sem prvič barvala šele v začetku septembra. Tistih klobk še zdaj nisem poslikala :-(
Sinoči sem se pa končno  spet spravila k barvanju s silino. Naredila sem dva kosa predfilca iz bele volne, da bom imela za krašenje filcanih izdelkov. Liste siline sem na gredi odrezala že v temi, doma se mi je grel lonec vode in sem hitro začela. Liste sem splaknila v hladni vodi, ker so bili spodnji blatni. Polžke je pa dobil moj Miško, želvica rdečevratka, tako da je še on imel svoje veselje z indigom!
Prvi kos filca je bil proti mojim pričakovanjem precej močne modre barve in drugi skoraj nič manj. Hitro sem naredila še en kos. Ko se je ta namakal v indigu, sem naredila še enega, potem še enega. Na koncu je bilo že pozno, bila sem utrujena, pa sem naredila še štiri kroglice in jih čez noč pustila v kopeli indiga.
Močne barve od siline skoraj sredi oktobra mi kar ne gredo v račun. Sem mislila, da je bolj jeseni manj indiga v listih, pa se očitno nabira ves čas, kar raste. In prvič sem porezala samo dva grmička, ostali so pa zdaj dali tele lepe barve. Komaj čakam, da bom lahko barvala še s preostalo silino! 

This year we had such a rainy summer my woad plants that love full sun did not produce an abundant harvest. I made my first woad dyeing session only in the beginning of September. It's a shame I haven't yet taken pictures of those balls :-(

Yesterday evening I finally set to dyeing with woad again. I had prepared two pieces of prefelt from white wool to use later in decoration of felted items. I cut leaves of woad late so it was already dark. A large pot of water was heated on the burner and I immediately started dyeing. I rinsed the leaves in cool water since the lower ones were muddy. I also removed a few snails and gave them to Miško, my little red necked turtle so that he too enjoyed my woad.

The first piece of prefelt came out surprisingly intense blue and the second one was practically no less intense. I hurriedly made another piece of prefelt. When it was soaking in the woad bath I made another piece, and then yet another one. Finally it was late in the night, I was tired and only made four small balls, dipped them in the woad bath to stay there overnight.

The intense blues obtained from fresh woad in mid-October came as a great surprise. I had believed that later in autumn there is less indigo in the woad leaves, but now I'm inclined to think it accumulates in the leaves during growth. When I dyed with woad in September I cut the leaves of only two plants and the remaining ones now gave me these beautiful colours. I am impatient to make another woad dyeing session!