A few of us got together Saturday here at the farm and dyed with indigo. I prepared the stock in the morning and we made a vat at noon. I had a few skeins of dark gray yarn, Diane had two skeins of oatmeal Icelandic from her flock and Maryanne brought some raw fibers of mohair and wool in mesh bags. We had great success, the vat had good PH and reduction; we had to correct it after an hour of dipping, but that gave us extra time to visit. Dyeing with indigo really is a patient process. The dips can be as little as 20-30 minutes apart or as long as a day, it's such an individual experience, as the number of dips determines the shade of indigo desired. In the villages of far away lands there is usually one indigo dyer. He can manage up to 100 or more vats all the time and if the village or group moves, so does the indigo dyer. We did two to three dips yesterday and I did one more on Sunday. Each of us are allowing the fibers to rest for 24 hours and then begin the after dye process of a vinegar soak and lots of rinses.
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