Naturally Dyed Eggs

Twice recently, I've come across articles on how to dye eggs using natural dyes rather than food coloring. The premiere issue of Taproot magazine tells how; so does the current issue of Stop & Shop's Healthy Ideas magazine.

I took this as a sign and this morning gave it a try.





I used the eggs I had on hand, which were brown. For colorings, I used turmeric, which produced yellow; beets and coffee grounds, which yielded a speckled pale pink; and blueberries and red wine, which created a deep reddish-brown.





There's more than one way to color eggs with natural materials. I used the hot-water method: put the eggs, dye materials, and 2 tbsp. vinegar in a quart or so of water and bring it to a boil. Then, turn down the heat and simmer the eggs for 20 minutes. (My yolks were well cooked but not green.)



I love how they turned out. Their imperfection reminds me of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi.




Next weekend, I think I'll get some white eggs and see how they work out. Have you ever dyed eggs using natural dyes instead of food coloring?

Here's a blog post with instructions; here's another; and here's one more.

Embroidered to the Soul

The blog's been a little quiet because I've been so busy knitting, pattern writing, and stitching. I'm working in my studio every day, living the sentiment expressed in Rebecca's Love Sampler:


Love Sampler by Rebecca Ringquist, from Dropcloth

I've been embroidering lots of wrinkles, using perle cotton and linen. One piece, which I'm calling 30 Days, I'm working on every day, for 30 days, alternating black and white each day:



I like how the wrinkles, being random and abstract, take me out of myself and my own desires and plans. I follow them and see what happens. It is a free and easy way of making art, quite a change for me. I anticipate that 30 Days will hang unstretched, probably with raw, unfinished edges.

This next piece is finished. I don't have a title for it yet:



Yesterday I stretched it over a canvas:



I've been reading the poems of Pam Rehm lately, since I came across one of her books while Christmas shopping at Amherst Books. Stitching metaphors appear in them here and there, so maybe I was meant to discover her work just now:

"I can imagine the body embroidered to the soul" (from "Another Dimension" in The Larger Nature)

"I love to hold onto something / Sew it to myself" (from "Indebted" in Small Works)

On the knitting front, I'm inching along on the silvery grey socks. Given how overextended I am, I decided to simplify them after the upper leg, so that it won't be months before I can wear them.


Pattern: Kelmscott by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Fiberphile 2-ply Squooshy Sock in Mithril
Needles: US 0/2.00mm

I liked that Mithril color so much, I chose it for my next pattern (an open-front cardigan knit in Fiberphile's DK weight). Here's a sneak peek—fingers crossed it will be available in April:



I'm also working on a second Shallows, as well as knitting up a spring sweater, a top-down pullover by Pam Allen:


Pattern: Petra, by Pam Allen
Yarn: Quince and Co. Lark in Bark
Needle: US5

After getting past the stitch pattern on the yoke, I knit it onto two needles so I could try it on. Looks fine—I expect the neck will widen into more of a boatneck once the sleeves and body are knit. Now it's full speed ahead in stockinette, round and round, making this a perfect travel project—just right for heading down to sunny Florida.

Busy, busy, busy. I'm looking forward to a little break. (See you soon, Mom!)

All Kinds of Cute

New cute: Tokidoki Cactus Friend Carina. Old cute: Hello Kitty

French knot cute: embroidered sheep by Salley Mavor

Pomegranate Sighting

Amy over at Spicy Jellybean Knits just finished a stunning Pomegranate.

Pattern: Pomegranate by Bonnie Sennott

Yarn: Quince and Co. Chickadee in Iceland

See more photos on her blog.

Isn't that Iceland colorway to die for?  Beautiful work, Amy!