Dyeing Wool Fleece

 

   Dyeing the wool right after it has been washed can make for some interesting effects. It kind of has a mottled look when several colors are used and then subsequently blended in the water as they simmer.
     This makes for my favorite felting affects because the colors are naturally blended really well. Every time, the end product is unique!

      The supplies are simple and familiar.

• food coloring
• vinegar
• pot and water
•  washed fleece (about as much that can comfortably fit in your pot without being compressed.)

  

 First soak your wool in warm water for about 20 minutes to an hour.

  Then put about three parts water to one part vinegar in your pot. Add your wool.

   Turn your stove on to medium so as to bring the pot to a slow simmer.

    Now comes the fun! Drop in your dye and allow the colors to blend by themselves. This is a good place to experiment with colors and shades until you get the desired effects. If the wool does not sink and submerge the dye, simply push the wool down gently with a fork. Simmer for 45 minutes.

           Once done, rinse in warm water without felting it. (No friction. Just run it under the water and squeeze it gently dry.) Then let it dry on rack or somewhere it can drain.

            Another fun technique is to make stipes in white roving. Presoak the part of the wool you will be dying and then simmer that part in the dye on the stove.

     Take it off the stove to cool and squeeze out the excess water in the roving.  Then repeat the procedure with the next color.

             In this case, I am going to repeat the procedure one more time. When my roving is completely dyed I will rinse it off in warm water to take off any extra dye and then let it dry!

                                                      

         Food coloring is safe to work with and easy to use. It won't stand up to soap and washing or soaking in hot water. So, it is best to use these beautiful colors on things that won't require washing. We use these bright colors in needle felting cute ornaments or doo-dads. 

         Here we have two snowmen faces started! Needle felting is fun and easy and so portable! We should dig into what its like some of these days.

Maid-N-Meadows: Fall 2022 Update

         

     "We have come a long way, baby!", but somehow this year felt particularly challenging. Lol, I guess adding an expensive pasteurizer, a flock of sheep, more chores, more cheese, new recipe development and a first employee, probably has something to do with it. There was more fighting this year, fewer family suppers, and just over all exhaustion. I think when energies run low and there feels like no reprieve, tempers running short shouldn't be a surprise. The oldest children really held things together this year. They were the rock and foundation.

        That sounds crazy, to me because I never wanted or expected my children to be the foundation of our business operations. I wanted them to help, sure! But I wanted them to have a life of their own and seek out their own opportunities. Both Karson (17) and Jaden (15) pulled weight no one expected and well beyond expectations, while also holding a strict boundary of Sundays off. 

     They did the work they knew how to do and did it well, in a predictable fashion. And this is what held everything together this year! While Daniel and I burned out regularly, became unpredictable, and erratic in our function as we burned the candle at both ends, they were the turtles that just kept on marching toward the goal. They worked when they needed to and rested when they should have....and just basically showed up the adults in common sense when it comes to work life balance.

       Jaden brought home another blue ribbon for her cheddar to top it all off!

      Remember that pasteurizer?! Well, its 100 gallons bigger than we first intended! It arrived in July but the probes for the temperature recorder didn't arrive until October! So, we have yet to use it in a full run yet. But that has to happen fast now as we only had a year to complete the project, per the USDA grant. Its a bit overwhelming! But think of the fun stuff we can do with it! I can't wait for fresh mozzarella and cheese spreads galore!We can finally up our output too! 500 gallons of milk can be processed in a day!

       A few sheep are lambing and there is fencing to do. There are so many repairs on barns and fence posts....the garden fence needs repair. Our spring house roof is literally falling off! 😂 Laugh with us so we don't cry! This winter isn't going to prove much of a rest. But we have put our foot down, and the family is eating together again. Family movies are happening again. And life is just more cooperative and together in general. I guess we just needed a season of strife to remind us how much value we have in the slower pace. Karson will finally be moving in his own direction this summer. The younger boys are going to move up in responsibility, and somehow, we adults need to rebalance how we handle it all. Throw us some pointers if ya got any! Winter is a good time to chew on things like that.

The girls....chewing in the barn!