Author Archives: Margaret Ford

Marled Magic Shawl by Stephen West

Posted on April 28, 2020

I like Stephen West’s designs (https://www.westknits.com). I have made them before. He backs the sale of his written patterns with videos which elaborate and demonstrate some details of his designs. Buying the pattern for Marled Magic Shawl, I was attracted … Continue reading →

Posted in Clothing, Knitting, Stash-busting yarn | Leave a comment

Brown Onion Dip

Posted on February 7, 2020

A new blog is well overdue but I’m not very productive or innovative at the moment so I am sharing something I did two nights ago after seeing a new you tube video from “Rebecca from Chemknits“:   The first … Continue reading →

Posted in brown onion as dye, Natural dyeing, Scarf | 2 Comments

Three-dimensional armatures

Posted on November 20, 2019

Recently I demonstrated simple techniques for wrapping a wire armature at my contemporary quilt group.  This is a summary:   Requirements Figure 1 Machine weight thread and decorative threads Figure 2 Wires, wire cutters and pliers for bending   Method Select … Continue reading →

Posted in Hand embroidery, Three dimensional armatures | Leave a comment

Dyeing wool yarn in a slow cooker with food colouring

Posted on September 30, 2019

  In her book The Modern Natural Dyer (1), Kristine Vejar emphasises the importance of keeping baths for scouring, mordanting and dyeing at steady temperatures  suited to the dye material and the fibres being dyed.  I have often ignored this … Continue reading →

Posted in food colours as dye, slow cooker dyeing, WAFTA | Leave a comment

Oh, What a Feeling!!

Posted on January 25, 2019

No, not Toyota***, but related.  I’m watching the first day of the Brisbane Test match Australia vs Sri Lanka.  As I start this blog the score is Sri Lanka 7/105, which partly accounts for my happiness. In parallel, as one … Continue reading →

Posted in Bag, Crochet basket, Stash-busting yarn | Leave a comment

Mulberries: maximising their impact

Posted on December 24, 2018

My next door neighbour knows I like to use natural dyes.  Still, coming home in early summer to find a couple of containers of fresh mulberries on my porch was a real surprise.  I knew, however, that she didn’t intend … Continue reading →

Posted in Dyeing with mulberries, Natural dyeing, soy milk, soy milk mordant for cellulose fibres | Leave a comment

Avocado pips and soy milk on cotton damask

Posted on December 11, 2018

I have previously used avocado pips in a high pH bath to produce pinkish colour on cotton. This time I wanted to explore the effect of variations in dyeing conditions. The conditions  that we know affect colour are, inter alia, … Continue reading →

Posted in dyeing with avocado pips, Natural dyeing, soy milk mordant for cellulose fibres | Leave a comment

Natural dyeing : a tongue in cheek look at the vicissitudes of a cotton sheet’s life

Posted on December 10, 2018

Life as a cotton sheet can be fraught.  Not always of course.  The lucky ones get bought by people who use them on their beds for years.  They get to serve a very passive but important role. They mature and … Continue reading →

Posted in dyeing with avocado pips, Geranium leaf printing, Iron mordant, Natural dyeing | 2 Comments

Is soy milk a mordant?

Posted on December 3, 2018

Jenny Dean (1) doesn’t think so.  She says…”I am rather puzzled by the many references I have seen recently to soya milk/soymilk “mordant”, as I would not describe soya milk as a mordant, rather as an assistant in certain dyeing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural dyeing, soy milk, soy milk mordant for cellulose fibres | 7 Comments

Stash scrap helmet [or a beanie cover]

Posted on August 20, 2018

The brief: “Mum, I’d like a sort of hat that goes over the other hats. Neutral colours please.” For fishing and camping in the Snowy Mountains. The design points: *keep it simple *use stuff from the stash and choose thick yarns … Continue reading →

Posted in Beanie, Clothing, Design, freeform crocheting | 2 Comments