Colors of California

Toyon, Oak Galls, Japanese Indigo, Fennel, Coyote Brush, Distaff…. this just-finished set of samples was so vibrant and joy producing, I had to share…. the preparation took several days of harvest, dye vat creation and skein winding!

The Sally Fox Cotton Yarns and Mary Pettis-Sarley’s wools illuminate the regions colors and fibers.  Indigo blue is so striking this time of year…

Those blues have inspired a lot of indigo growing, my crop is doing well.  All seeded and planted by hand.  Hand weeded, hand fertilized with cow and duck rich manures, and hand-sprayed with compost tea.  This agricultural source of blue is an addition to the native palate, and so well worth all the work of my hands!

This latest sample book illuminates the beauty of a ‘weed’ like fennel (soft yellow), and how lovely it combines with the indigo– providing an array of turquoise that moves into a range of deeper blues which were created with indigo all by itself.

Enjoy!!

Off to the farm for an evening weeding session

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