#fiber farming

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NATURAL DYE RECIPE: OSAGE ORANGE "Although Natural Dyes found their way into my routine over a decade ago, I am just now beginning to feel confident in my ability to produce certain colors from locally foraged material. My goal is to provide a glimpse into the processes I use, although you will find that there are many different ways to approach this particular topic of interest. A majority of my dye work takes place outside, over an open fire. I tend to gravitate towards materials that are not as heat sensitive, and therefore are a bit more forgiving when it comes to long exposure over a flame. I have found that Alpaca and Cotton (and other cellulose fibers) do not take natural dyes as readily as wool, thus I gravitate towards material that will help give them an extra boost instead of the ones that look good upon first inspection, but tend to wash out over time. I was never a huge fan of the color yellow until I discovered Osage Orange. It should be noted that you may obtain gorgeous hues from flowers such as Queen Anne's Lace, Marigolds, Coreopsis, and Black Eyed Susan, but I have found that Osage works better for my approach especially when considering larger quantities of fabric/fiber. Sawdust is the best size to work with, although you can obtain dye from the fallen branches and smaller logs once they have had time to soak in water for several days / weeks.  The process described below was done using small wood chips, though I have since updated my Osage Orange Natural Dye Supply kits to sawdust to increase the potency of the dye vat.. Osage Orange is very high in natural tannins and is known as a substantive dye; therefore it does not require a mordant. (A mordant is a fixative that allows dye molecules to bind to fiber) Although a mordant isn't required, you can alter the hue by experimenting with different treatments before, during, or after the dyeing process. Because of this, Osage Orange can range in color from vibrant yellow to olive green. To extract the color from the wood, I usually heat a huge pot of Osage over my dye pit. For this particular example, I downsized to a normal sized cooking pot since most folks don't have a witch kitchen setup in their backyard. Both an indoor stove or an outdoor fire pit will work just fine. For this recipe I used several types of fiber in order to show how differently each one takes the dye. To keep things simple, none of the fabric / fiber has had a mordant treatment. All samples were washed in warm water before being put in the dye vat. For best results, hang all freshly dyed goods in the shade and allow them to fully dry before washing them with a mild soap.  (I use Dr. Bronner's for fabric (hemp, cotton, linen) and Unicorn Fibre Rinse for all yarn and raw fiber (alpaca, wool, cashmere).  From my experience, allowing the samples to fully dry before rinsing them seems to lock in the color. The samples above have been washed and dried. As you can see, Wool steals the show, per usual. The Hemp fabric is actually a lovely color yellow, though it looks pale in comparison to the others. Depending on how much you have dyed, you may be able to re-use your dye vat several more times before it is fully exhausted. This top (some of the nicest fabric I have ever worked with - a hemp/silk blend from Enviro Textiles) looks like it has been dipped in liquid gold. This particular mustard hue was derived using Osage + a tiny bit of iron. It is an incredible feeling to turn rough materials into the most luxurious products with a little bit of hard work and patience." Full recipe: http://www.fiberfarm.net/blog/

"To a word, each of the farmer presenters said it took 7 years to build their farming enterprise to where it generated more than it absorbed in money.  So, even though Lisa and Gary feel their progress is slow, they are on par with other start-up farming operations. Since taking the Intro to Farming class, Lisa and Gary have been working with NY FarmNet business consultant, Jeff Perry, to develop their farm business plan.  Lisa feels the planning process has helped them consider ways to grow their business and it has provided the discipline needed to move forward with business planning. In the future they envision expanding their herd to as many as 100 goats, offering more on farm tours, building a shop for retail sales, hosting classes, and perhaps developing a farmstay opportunity.  They are ideally located close toIthaca on a main route that provides both retailing and agritourism opportunities. One of their biggest challenges has been balancing animal management demands with marketing demands, especially with full-time jobs.  In recent years Laughing Goat Fiber Farm has been a stop on Cooperative Extension organized Fiber and Farm Trail tours.  This has brought family visitors to the farm and created connections to knitters.  Lisa has also ventured into off farm sales at community festivals that draw big crowds providing exposure and sales.  Her website is not getting a lot of action, but she anticipates it being more important in the future. Facebook and Twitter are also being used to generate brand recognition and customers. In considering what advice to give to other beginning farmers, Lisa says, “don’t borrow money, be patient, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”  She recommends business planning as a way to assess opportunities for business growth and stay focused."

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