Colour Palette of the Month - October!

While I was looking through my image collection for this months inspiration I came across this image which was "snapped" in August, when we were exploring out new area.  During a walk we came across an old tree that had been blown over in the wind and in the hole where the roots had been a lot of bracket fungi were growing.

I was really taken with the autumnal colours, even in August, and the fern just set off the browns, yellows and ochres.

These colours are very "tweed" like and I could see this as a coat fabric with the lime green fern colour as an accent with lime green accessories!  
I've been mulling over which dyes I'd use, but thought I'd leave that to you! What do you all think?

Centre Pull Ball Dyeing in Two Colours

This is a short presentation showing how to dye centre-pull balls in two colours using natural dye extracts.  I hope it will give you some new ideas to increase your creativity.  Enjoy!

More Places to buy Pure Tinctoria Extracts

You can buy Pure Tinctoria Dyes from the following places:

Eco-Haberdashery Shop
Unit 1.10 OXO Tower Wharf, facing the river.
Opening hours: 12pm-6pm, Tues-Sat.
http://www.anniesherburne.co.uk/shop.html

Jane Deane
Duchy Square Centre For Creativity
Tavistock Road
Princetown
Devon
PL20 6QF

Tel: 01822 612338
Email: jane@janedeane.co.uk
http://www.janedeane.co.uk/puretinctoria.html 

We will be having a stockist in the Netherlands soon, so watch this space!

Shetland Tops in Natural Dyes

Well I've spun up one of the Shetland tops I dyed at the demo on Saturday. (Tops 6)

I spun it on Monday and have been knitting a lovely spiral scarf that I was shown in The Hague.

This is the pattern:
Cast on 20 stitches
K one row
*Slip the 1st st, K 8, Yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (10 st)
Sl 1st st, K 6, Yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (8st)
Sl 1st st, K 4, yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (6 st)
Sl 1st st, K 4, (pick up loop under next st and k together with that st, K 1) repeat once, Pick up next loop and k with st. P to end
Repeat from * until desired length is achieved, cast off and secure ends.

It's a really easy pattern and can be knitted in any yarn with any needles! Thanks to Dineke of De Spinners who showed me how!