the week gone by is really beyond words. the level of intensity required to achieve what we wanted was pretty high.  usually my man and i mediate each other. when one is pushing into superhuman mode, the other stops, makes tea, cooks some nourishing food. this time, not so. we were both so driven to accomplish, we went through these past days kind of, sort of, unstoppable. to the dear 2015 hill and hollow crew:  you deserve  the highest of accolades. the first of many events at the now blessed hill and hollow farm stay was, hands down, a huge success. the magic of blue: an introduction to natural dyeing at the farm stay at hill and hollow. done.

the farm stay, still under renovation remember, was transformed. on it’s acres and in it’s rooms we gathered: 10 adults,  8 children, and a new flock of 10 sheep for a day of sharing. a day so rich we were each deeply nourished. we dyed. we dined. we wove. we spun. we made connections that will last and yarn in the deepest colors.

i am still in awe of the event and still swirling in the delight of our day. creating such beauty with such amazing folks, wow.

harvesting the japanese indigo plant

picking the leaves off of the stems is way more fun with a group

oxygenating our dye vats

one guest erin  is a skilled weaver. natural dyeing offers moments of down time, when a dye pot is steeping, when yarn is immersed in the vat, these are moments we took to offer even more opportunity to work with our farm’s fiber. with a table loom warped with hill and hollow yarn, each guest was able to weave a pouch. this weaving below was later cut into each individual’s pieces. what a lovely image representing the timeless beauty of fiber, friendship and collaboration.