our magic carpet

up close
a bit farther away
the carpet, changing every day
lovelies
tiny lovelies
anemones, lots of these, too
the dogs were anxious that something had happened to me, I was lying on the ground to get the close pictures
the soaking seeds gave colour, promising
spindles and a raglady
this is the alkanet dyed wool yarn from last year. it was a bright purple, quickly turned to grey, the camera sees more purple in it than I do. it was not really exposed to sunlight, it faded anyway. It is a great grey, a lovely colour, I want to try it on cotton and linen....soon

this is purple basil and coreopsis on silk. (different dyebaths, of course, not mixed) the coreopsis is really spectacular, last years plants are still there, I am looking forward to their flowering this year.I am sowing seeds, Indigofera tinctoria and woad, for the indigo adventure, and genista tinctoria because we have many of its relatives growing wild around here, and st johns wort, also native. I have little madder beds started, although there is madder everywhere, to watch it grow in my garden.

this is the time of year, the season when last year I began to be interested in dyes from plants. This year I want to document with pictures the explosion of wildflowers which lasts until May, when they all dry up and we cut them down, for fear of fires.