Olds College days 3 and 4

This week has gone by way too quickly!
As I am about ready to go to sleep,
yes at 7:19pm,
I am thinking of how very much I have learned
and how much fun I have had.
Day 3 was all about woolen spinning.
Worsted spinning, Day 2, is a smooth, fine, sturdy way to spin.
Woolen is the fluffy, warm yarn that is not the strongest of yarns.
Two completely different preparations,
and two completely different ways to spin.
You choose different types of wool for each,
based on what end product is desired.
Today, day 4, was the natural dye day.
We all brought white yarn skeins...
150 yards divided up into 25, six yard smaller skeins.

One skein was left undyed,
one skein was soaked in plain water overnight,
and the other twenty three skeins were soaked overnight
in an alum/cream of tarter mordant.
(a mordant helps the dye stick to the yarn)

We separated all the skeins into six groups,
and dyed with six different natural dyes:
Onion skins, marigolds, brazil wood shavings, osage orange, annatto, and cochineal.
Some known products, some technical names,
and one...crushed up bugs that live on cactus in Peru!
Interestingly, cochineal bugs are used as red food coloring,
since red #4 is bad for you.
You are welcome.

After half the dyes were taken out of the baths,
iron powder was added to the bath with the remaining yarn skeins.
What a difference iron makes!
Many beautiful variations of olive greens, deep purple reds, and yummy mauves.

I really will get pics up as soon as I get home.

Tomorrow is my last day of class,
a day of silk and merino blends,
a quiz, and a lesson on our final workbook requirements
to be completed this year at home.
We classmates have collected each other's emails,
and started a ravelry group just for our class.
Hopefully we will all take the remaining five classes together
in the next five years,
and will travel to Canada for graduation together.
I have really enjoyed my teacher Coleen, and other classmates.
Well, I had a problem with one student, as we all had a problem with her,
but we were all accommodating,
and the teacher has a heart of gold and so much patience with this girl.
I don't know if I would have been so patient.

Overall, it has been a wonderful experience
and I look forward to the upcoming year's homework and  assignments.
I plan on setting aside at least one day a week for schoolwork,
research and writing papers,
as well as lots of fiber fondling!
Again, thanks so much honey for this opportunity~
I am blessed!