Beginning to weave one of the fingers on Clarissa’s latest Chilkat robe “Egyptian Thunderbird” – August 2015
I dye my own weft yarns in shades of golden yellow and a variety of blues. A couple of years ago I was trying to dye a beautiful turquoise, however, the yarns were unevenly dyed: I panicked! I couldn’t believe it; how come this was happening!? I did everything by the book: I mixed the colors evenly, I gave a gentle wash in gentle soapy lukewarm water after I had soaked the yarns for a few hours, I consistently stirred the pot!—And then to top it off, I was so enthralled by the beautiful deepening colors, I just kept stirring! HELLO!? Finally, I snapped out of my self-induced panic spell and snatched the yarns out of the dye pot!
And being the resourceful person that I can be, I wasn’t about to throw out dollars worth of yarns, so I saved it for a rainy day.
That rainy day came. I have used these unevenly dyed weft yarns for this present day robe I have been weaving this year. Using a Ravenstail technique within a Chilkat form, I am having a blast. Stay tuned for more close-ups of the robe as I move along with the weave in between all else that I am up to these days! I am carrying on as usual.