Indiana indigo

down a country road in the heartland of Indiana

and up a long driveway to Trading Post for Fiber Arts

where even the livestock love the blues

a fabulous group of folks from Indiana, Illinois

and Nebraska converged June 9th and 10th to learn  

how to dye with indigo,
the only natural blue dye
in the world.

fifteen in all, plus a very happy, smiling Charlie pup.

Peter spun this yarn, a two-ply, and then dipped it

to a smashing blue hue.

I was delighted to meet and work with Kate Larson

who came to dye with indigo and also landed the cover of the

Spring issue of Spin~Off plus two feature articles

in the Summer issue of Jane Austen Knits

With the help of Benita, who ran the wood fires

all weekend so the indigo vats hummed along,

I was able to focus on teaching the students how to keep

their indigo vats balanced so they got the maximum blues time.
you can see Benita's posts for more pictures here and there.

the blue hues were stellar.

Kate's sweater had been a dreary gray upon arrival.

never again...it is destined for many new occasions!

here is the result of a fold and clamp on fabric

Shawna came Sunday and worked until the last

minute putting a few pounds of roving

through her indigo vat.

the pool was a beeeautiful blue and

with the temps in the high 80's it was a welcome

relief for swimming and toe dipping.

Peter modeled his own handspun, hand knit socks.

guy time poolside, Peter and Charlie take a break.

  I had the very best time taking the blues to Indiana. everyone

absorbed the instruction to perfection and the results were magnificent.

from high above on the homeward flight, blue captured my view.

it is in the sky, the rivers, the oceans and beyond.

blue is precious.