deliciously balmy….
To backtrack just a bit, while “everyone else” was getting buried in snow and ice, we were “basking” in a balmy 78° last Sunday – unseasonal and it brought out creatures unseasonal as well. As I had a project to complete for my son, and the day was my only window, naturally, I took full advantage.
from the home-grown
In the process, I also “approached” cleaning and organizing in the studio. This meant throwing out a couple of vats. The first to go was the fresh-leaf which I was discouraged with and had ignored for more than a few months.
The results of that were ugly. In cleaning up before actually pouring out the indigo solution, I realized that the liquid was a rich, deep blue which caused me to hesitate and provoked a few questions. The image shows the final results of that serendipity. There’s still more left to work with.
fermentation of another kind
Over this holiday, someone gave us an Amish Cinnamon Bread starter – not just tasty but engaging. Having a bag of fermenting “stuff” to “mush” daily brought to mind, of course, the vat.
It needed to be stirred for roughly 10 days, feeding midway through that time; then again, feeding it at the end before turning it into bread. Walking through that process was a simple reminder of the need for similar activity with indigo – a thing to be looked forward to in the next season.
Out with the old…
Spring. We haven’t had enough winter cold yet and we need some before we are ready for that balmy season. I do look forward to that cold, but I’m also looking to the softness of spring and its promises.
糸で/ Ito de/ By Thread 
