Thursday, October 15, 2009

A Dying Art? Depends...

With a laugh, someone said to me the other day that tatting was a dying art.  I thought you guys were exaggerating  when you said that folks actually said that!  My apologies!  I have now heard it first hand!

As for dying.....  hmmmmm.. Look at these heritage carrots that my son bought for me.  They are beautiful to look at, tasty to eat, and the water that you boil the reddish one in turns a fabulous purple/magenta colour - a  gorgeous saturated shade.  I couln't throw it out and wondered if perhaps I could....






I have never dyed anything in my life!

I plunked it in the hot water and left it for a couple of hours and when I  looked at it , the thread was a subtle shade of what I call French blue. Pale but definitely there!  I then rinsed it and let it sit in cold water with salt added - Why? I have no idea!  It just seemed as I was supposed to do that.




 


I let it dry and then used it for the ball thread in this!


Anon,

Posted by Fox at 6:46 PM

6 Comments:

  1. Hi Fox!
    A "dying art"? Them there's fightin' words!!! I hope you gave 'em what for (whatever THAT is).

    PRETTY ruffled heart! I like your thread - that is so cool that you dyed your own thread! I imagine it gave you a happy feeling to tat with it!

    :) Ann
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  2. How cool to dye your own thread. It turned out very pretty--it coordinates with the other thread well.
    Oh my, I get "it's a dying art" all the time. I usually respond with--"that's what people tell me, but it's really a thriving art".
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  3. Hi Ann! Yes, it felt so good, I didn't even notice the glaring error! I skipped a picot and that is why it is lopsided! All that talk about paying attention and focusing! Rubbish! Too much talk and no results!!! But the thread is very cool! : )) Fox

    JB, Thanks! I said, "Do I look dead? I'm the one performing the art." There was a moment of discomfort and then I joked with the person. I made my point. Nicely. heh,heh : ))
    Fox
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  4. I like that blue! Very interesting how the boiled water dyed the thread that color. Those carrots do look tasty! I'm going to have to be on the lookout for some.
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  5. People that make the "Dying Art" comment about tatting are just advertising their own ignorance.

    Your dyeing project looks pretty! I did do a few "natural dyeing" experiments with wool back in the day, but I don't know anything about dyeing cotton with carrots. That tatted heart sure is lovely!
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  6. Mmmm, yum, I love purple carrots. My local co-op carried them once, three years ago, and I still look for them every time I go in. I did a bit of research at the time and found out that this was the original standard color for carrots. They originated in Afghanistan and were first domesticated for dyes. Good instincts, Fox! They were apparently pretty flavorless and woody back then, but then someone got the bright idea to breed carrots that were good to eat (still mostly purple). Once this happened, they spred from Afghanistan to everywhere else like wildfire. The orange carrot that we know today was bred in Holland from a mutant yellow one by supporters of William of Orange. Really.

    Dying art? I always just tell them to google it and see how many thousands of hits they get.
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