Who says we don’t have fall color? I’ll count blue as one of those colors too.

Today we were holding a class in the front part of the garage and I needed to organize the corner where I’d been piling natural dye plants, pots, walnuts, torn sheep coats and more for months. The reason it was on the table is that the shelves along the walls were filled with STUFF–the stuff that accumulates when you don’t have a space to put it and you think you might want it someday…maybe. Or at least you can’t throw it away because maybe it’s useful. I don’t have a photo of the BEFORE. But here is part of the AFTER. I feel so much better after that. I think I should go do some dyeing. Notice those stainless steel containers on the top shelves on the right. My Dad had a lab at UCSF a long time ago. He used those in his lab. They never wear out. Some still have his name on them — R Pratt.

I opened a bag in a cupboard and found all of these bags of various mordants or dye aids and natural dyes that I don’t grow. The two with clothespins are ones I collected (madder root I grew and osage orange across the road).The rest were purchased by someone. Maybe me many years ago. This is the kind of thing you find when you get into deep cleaning. I don’t have a photo of the table full of stuff that Maybe My Kids Will Want. Fingers crossed.

I found these warps of rayon chenille waiting to be dyed. I don’t know how long they have been there in the garage.

So I felt very productive today all the while getting the place organized for the class. Farm Club member, Siobhan, taught her Vegetarian Sheepskin class to five people. they came from Auburn, Pleasonton, and Oakland as well as more local. We sure lucked out on the weather. It was cold but not rainy or windy.

We had roving and fleece for everyone and Siobhan supplied other needed supplies.

Participants arranged the fiber on bubble wrap and netting.

They applied soap and hot water.

The table is a good height for working on the fleece.

Lots of pressing and rubbing…

…followed by rolling.

Unfortunately I didn’t get photos of everyone’s finished pieces. Hopefully they will share photos later and I can include them in another post.

Siobhan spent the previous night here so we could get organized for the class.

She found this book on the Farm Club shelf. I’m not sure where I got it. It’s possible it was donated by another member. Imagine Siobhan’s surprise when she recognized the author’s name.

She recognized the author as her husband’s relative, but wasn’t sure the relationsihip. I gave her the book to take home and it turns out that this author is Shiobhan’s husband’s great-great uncle. How random is that?

I finished the day with a walk Across the Road. That is a view of Mt. Diablo from a spot where i take a lot of photos with the intent of showing the year progression in this field–I just never get around to putting it all together. That didn’t really finish the day. I worked on one of the looms with things I’m trying to finish before Christmas. I’ve been at the computer since just after dinner. I’m ready for bed, but right now hearing a party going on well across the road or up the road or somewhere. That’s unusual. It’s almost always very quiet here.