The Mystery of the Spiders
Warning: Arachnophobics Look Away!
These disgusting spiders are purple. Dead, and purple. They came out of the dyepot. The question is: how did they get *into* the dyepot?
I had 4 more bobbins of silk spun for my shirt:
I ran the warps and washed them in a bucket (an empty, white bucket), then I washed out the crockpot (an empty, tan pot) and filled it with clear water, soap and some washing soda for the de-gumming. No spiders evident so far.
After de-gumming, I rinsed the silk, washed out and re-filled the crockpot with water, a cup of vinegar and dye (Lanaset, Violet and Turquoise, both 2%, about an 80/20 mix). I re-entered the warps, put on the lid, and walked away. Three hours later, I turned off the pot. I did not lift off the lid. The next morning, I rinsed the warps, and The Spiders were in the bottom of the pot. And yes, they are purple. Where did they come from? How did they get into the dyepot?
Perhaps they were in the dyestock (premixed, but kept in sealed jars). That's the only non-see-through liquid in the process. But I poured it into a measuring cup first, and did not notice corpus delicti. It's a mystery.
Here's the dyed yarn:
And the pile of yarn so far:
I'm halfway to a new shirt.
These disgusting spiders are purple. Dead, and purple. They came out of the dyepot. The question is: how did they get *into* the dyepot?
I had 4 more bobbins of silk spun for my shirt:
I ran the warps and washed them in a bucket (an empty, white bucket), then I washed out the crockpot (an empty, tan pot) and filled it with clear water, soap and some washing soda for the de-gumming. No spiders evident so far.
After de-gumming, I rinsed the silk, washed out and re-filled the crockpot with water, a cup of vinegar and dye (Lanaset, Violet and Turquoise, both 2%, about an 80/20 mix). I re-entered the warps, put on the lid, and walked away. Three hours later, I turned off the pot. I did not lift off the lid. The next morning, I rinsed the warps, and The Spiders were in the bottom of the pot. And yes, they are purple. Where did they come from? How did they get into the dyepot?
Perhaps they were in the dyestock (premixed, but kept in sealed jars). That's the only non-see-through liquid in the process. But I poured it into a measuring cup first, and did not notice corpus delicti. It's a mystery.
Here's the dyed yarn:
And the pile of yarn so far:
I'm halfway to a new shirt.
posted by Sara at 7:14 AM
9 Comments:
Brilliant color, absolutely gorgeous! All of that silk fit into a regular crockpot, or did you use one of the bigger roasters?
Maybe the spiders wanted to add their spinning to the pot?
Clearly this is a miracle.
That, or I've been watching too much Fox news.
That is a glorious pile of yarn! Love the blue.
That is a glorious pile of yarn! Love the blue.
That is a glorious pile of yarn! Love the blue.
That is a glorious pile of yarn! Love the blue.
can i kiss the hem of your skirt? thou art the goddess of gorgeous dyes. that is a stunning shade of blue (and i'm partial to blue!) as for the spiders, maybe they crawled into the crockpot whilst you had your back turned. who knows. i find them in amazing places here as well.
Can you dye them other colors besides purple? Can you dye them saralamb color?
I'm appalled that Shelobs can get into a covered pot. That doesn't bode well...
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