Monday, January 09, 2012

More Eco Dyed Fabric



I forgot to show some of the browns from various dye pots.   Some have been over-dyed in more than one dye pot: birch bark, acorns, leaves, spinach, and rosemary.


Yesterday, Fee and I went to lunch, dropped by to see Bryce Eleanor for a brief visit, then went to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.  I read a bunch of John LeCarre's Smiley novels years ago.  Some, at least 30 YEARS AGO.  I enjoyed the books, but when watching the movie, the only thing I could remember were the names George Smiley and Karla.  I may try reading through the entire series from first to last, especially since I never read all of them, just the ones that were available at the library at the time.

The film was good, but occasionally difficult to follow with all of the flashbacks, especially since I couldn't remember a thing about the plot.  Gary Oldman did a great job as the laconic George Smiley, but John Hurt, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch were also quite good, as would be expected.

It rained and rained last night and has continued to do so throughout the morning.   Although tempted to stay in enjoy the weather by having a cup of tea and reading (something I haven't been doing too much of lately), I decided to  go to the 10:15 tai chi class anyway.  The class is Yang style, and I practiced Wu style.  

You would think trying a new style wouldn't be too difficult; however, I'm finding it pretty demanding.  I've only been to 2 classes, and hopefully, things will begin to fall into place eventually.  Most names of positions are the same, although with slight variations, and the movements the same, but with many slight differences, including uprightness or leaning, direction, hand positions, etc.  These important details take some time to nail down.

 Yang style is more open and sweeping; Wu style more restricted.   Sometimes it is difficult to recognize a movement from one style to the other without paying close attention.

 Wu style has a 13 form, 24 form, 48 form, and 108 form.  Yang style has a small circle form, an 8 form, a 16 form, etc.  So sequences changes as well.  Nevertheless, I'm going to try to keep two classes a week in my schedule because...tai chi feels good.  :)  Like yoga, much of the benefit is in the breath.

Five people playing one guitar...very, very well.

5 comments:

  1. Jen, I love the fabric. I have not been reading much lately either. I get through about one paragraph and my mind wanders. I think it's this crazy quilt thing - that's about all I'm thinking about these days. I miss reading but I'm definitely going through some kind of phase. At least, I hope that's all it is!

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  2. Your cloth dyeing is so cool. Does it take alot of the dye objects (like rosemary, for instance) to get a reaction?

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  3. Deborah - I was reading like crazy up until the end of the year, then all of a sudden, a dry spell. I'm reading 1Q84 right now, but very, very slowly.

    I can see that the crazy quilt challenge would be distracting; any new creative challenge demands time and attention. My cycles alternate--first one interest, then another. Surely we will both get back to reading...eventually!

    Debra - I have a couple of dedicated pots, and I fill the bottom of the pots with plant material, then cover with water. I think more rosemary would have been better because the color was so subdued, but maybe I should have left the fabric in longer or maybe rosemary doesn't produce strong color. All of my efforts are experimental and each batch a surprise. I'm a complete novice!

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  4. Jenclair, it always amazing me when I've done dyeing how things come out! Your examples are awesome!

    Sounds like you had a wonderful day yesterday!

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  5. Sherri - Thanks, Sherri! Now I have to figure out what I'm going to use the pieces for. :)

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Good to hear from you!