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- Tricks of Light I January 3, 2020
- Covehithe Ochres and Gissing Whites: Hand-Made Paints from Foraged Pigment November 2, 2019
- Indeterminacy: The Blueberry Interlude: Cold Dyeing with Blueberry Stems October 15, 2019
- More Notes from a Melody Not Yet Written October 14, 2019
- Notes from a Melody Not Yet Written October 13, 2019
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I love the smell of the studio after unwrapping a roll of paper and stuff. Haven’t tried a new one yet, maybe later after I rested.
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Yes. Rhubarb leaves simmering have a delicious scent, though are poisonous of course! Be careful! I always keep a window open.
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Had no idea!
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Oh, yes! I’ve heard some horror stories. One natural dyeing enthusiast I came across online managed to end up hospitalised, but I can’t recall the details. (It wasn’t rhubarb). I read that during WWII, here in the UK, folks were encouraged by an ignorant government, to eat rhubarb leaves as a substitute for green veggies, there being a shortage. People got sick and there were some deaths. You’d have to eat about 11lbs of rhubarb leaves in one go to kill yourself though, so I don’t really understand that. (It’s the oxalic acid in the leaves that causes the problem). Even picking some plants/fungi is dangerous. I’d recommend India Flint as an authority on eco printing – well, she started the whole movement I believe – and her scientific knowledge is second to none. Well, you might know all of the above. Do take care.
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I will indeed take care! I’m still confused about rhubarb though. I remember rhubarb pie from my childhood. But I think it was the stem part of the plant used? So it’s just the leaves? I’ll look it up on the internet (what a wonderful thing – knowledge at one’s finger tips). I’ve so far mainly taken stuff from the garden so it should be okay.
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Yes, it’s the only the leaves that are poisonous – mega-levels of oxalic acid. Somebody told me that the stems (the edible part) are better to dye with (not die with!) than the leaves anyway. I’ll try it sometime. ‘Stuff from the garden’ isn’t necessarily okay, though! From ‘This Old House’ web site: “Swallowing hydrangea is like popping a cyanide pill.” I don’t know if you have hydrangea in your neck of the woods, but I strongly recommend you get hold of a list of local toxic garden and wild flowers. Not wanting to scare you, of course …
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Oh dear! No I don’t have a hydrangea thank goodness but they are prolific in the area. I’d better study this carefully before I continue. I use my stove, the only one I have, to boil or steam the plants in, so …. thanks for alerting me to this, I had no idea!
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Don’t want to scare you off, though. I use my kitchen gas burners, but of course, use separate pans and utensils than used for cooking!
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