Spring Cleaning: Find #4

By Leigh

I was cleaning out my spice cabinet the other day and look what I found...

A can of turmeric! It is commonly used as a culinary spice in Far East cuisine. According to this article in Wikipedia, it is also used as a food additive for coloring foods and protecting them from sunlight, as a dietary supplement for digestion, as an antiseptic in Ayurvedic medicine, as an experimental cancer treatment in clinical studies in Western medicine, in cosmetics, as an ingredient in radiator stop-leak sealant mixtures, in gardening to deter ants, and as a dye.

It's been eons since I shopped at a Kroger. The last I remember was when I lived in Houston, some 18 to 20 years ago. The fact that this tin is still full after all those years, gives you some idea of the kind of cooking I do (or don't do.) But that's okay, because since that time I've become a fiberist and am going to use this for some natural dyeing. Hopefully time has not effected it's potential as that regard, but that is something I intend to find out. More on that soon.

© 24 March 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Spring Cleaning: Find #1 - madder roots
Spring Cleaning: Find #2 - my heirloom coverlet
Spring Cleaning: Find #3 - prints for my wall

Spring Cleaning: Find #1

By Leigh

I realize that since it isn't spring yet, then technically I can't be spring cleaning. But with our daughter moving out, moving everything from our rented storage unit in, and rearranging boxes and furniture, it seemed as good a time as any to give the place a little more than it's usual lick and a promise. Besides, if I get started now, then surely I'll finish by spring. Especially since I'd much rather weave/spin/knit/dye/read/blog/anything rather than do housework. I do love a clean house however.

There are rewards. I've re-found some things that I knew I had somewhere , I just wasn't sure where exactly. Things like this....

Find #1:

I know this may look like a pile of old sticks, and you may be wondering, "what in the world is she toting that around for." I'll tell you why, it's madder root! It was given to me by a spinning friend awhile back. A way while back.

Madder is used as a natural red dye. My own previous experiment with madder produced more of a coral color (pic here, madder obviously on the right, indigo on the left). How to get red is something I'll have the opportunity to learn during the Online Guild's April workshop: "Roots, Woods and Bugs: Working with the Red Dyes." (For more information on that, click on over to their Programme Calendar and scroll down to April.)

One thing I'm curious about is the shelf life of natural dye stuffs. These roots are at least four or five years old. I figure that at the very least I will learn something in the process. Hopefully of course, I'll also end up with some good color.

© 28 Jan. 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Natural Dyeing?
Spring Cleaning: Find #2
Spring Cleaning: Find #3
Spring Cleaning: Find #4