This beautiful calendar and booklet were gifted to me by Fran Rushworth, of South Wales. Fran and I met on Ravelry in the "Plants to Dye For" group, and I quickly became a fan of her dyeing, as well as her writing. I am absolutely smitten by her conversations with "Elinor Gotsland!" You will just have to visit Fran's blog to meet Elinor. So, when Fran mentioned she was traveling to the U.S. to attend the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat in February, we quickly made plans to meet up. Between classes and events, we had several times to sit and chat, and it was simply delightful, getting to know her!
Fran is a natural dyer who has written a series of articles for the magazine "Yarn Maker." Her booklet "Dye Plants" is filled with information on choosing, sowing, growing, harvesting, and dyeing with plants -- Coreopsis tinctoria, Dyer's Chamomile, Weld, Woad, Japanese Indigo, and Madder. She also offers tips on dyeing with bark, twigs, acorns, leaves, lichen, and mushrooms, and the booklet is filled with beautiful, color photographs. I particularly like Fran's info on when to start your seeds indoors, when to put them out, and when to harvest. That is so helpful.
Fran's calendar "Plant Dyes for All Seasons," offers a dye project for each month, with great instructions for making the color happen. The projects include bark dyeing, solar dyeing, contact leaf prints on fabric, as well as where to find a couple of her free hat patterns using small bits of plant-dyed yarns. I really LOVE this calendar! It is one of those calendars you will keep forever.
You can find Fran as "sanmarzano" on Ravelry, or visit Fran's blog here and find links to her booklet and calendar.
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