black magic dye-pot

This makes six in a row for my monthly dyeing ritual using a fresh flower bouquet gone past its prime. I've loved having an excuse to buy flowers.

The rusty dye-pot has been outside since last summer and there was a delightful surprise in the bottom. 

I've been thinking about this month's moondala stitching and what colors feel right. I thought about a blood moon -- no. A green moon -- no. How about a total eclipse, totally black moon? -- yes. A pysanky moon? -- yes, yes.

Since one of the guidelines of this little mandala-making ritual I invented is to use eco-dyed wool, I wondered how I was going to pull off a black wool moon in just a few days. Then I remembered the egg-dyeing using silk neckties for color and pattern that I did a few years ago. I'm going for it. Even though it's technically not using plant material, recycling/reusing the dye in the silks seems almost as good. Several scraps of the darkest silk I have and one little scrap of white wool went into that rusty iron pot. It cooked for a little while and I turned the heat off. Added some iron water, cooked, heat off. Added alum. More iron water. Some acorn brew from last fall, cooked, heat off. 

Black! Magic!

Thanks for visiting and may there be magic in your dye-pot, too. xo