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Dyeing the Fabric
In basic dyeing, there are four steps; washing, mordanting, dyeing, and
rinsing.
Washing, as explained in the introduction, is the removal of all unwanted
substances from the fibres to be used. After the first washing, if the water
does not remain clear, wash and rinse again. Let the material stay in the
last rinse until it is added to the mordant.
Mordanting the fibres is important and prevents fading and bleeding. Mordants
commonly used are; alum, potassium, dichromate, copperas, and tannic acid.
By using various mordants, different colors can come from on dye. When
mordanting, do not use too much or the maters will be seriously damaged.
Mordanting is usually done before the dye bath. After mordanting, roll up
the fibres in a towel and keep in a dark place for a few days. Drying must
be complete, and then the fibres should be soaked in warm water before
dyeing.
When putting the material in a dye bath, have the dye simmer for the required
amount of time. If any of the water evaporates, remove the material, add hot
water, and put the material back in.
After the dye bath has been completed, keep rinsing the cloth in successively
cooler water until the bath remains clear. Some colour may rinse out, but
the color won't fade out drastically if mordanting has been done correctly.
Here are a few examples of various flora on Pern and the dye the make:
Apples - make a golden yellow color. To make the dye, soak the bark overnight and then boil for two hours and strain. Take the bark out, add cold water, add the fabric, and boil gently for thirty minutes before rinsing and drying the cloth. Oak - can make yellow or gold depending on mordant. Powder the oak bark and soak overnight. Then boil for on one hour, strain, and discard the bark using cheesecloth as a strainer. Add cold water and when it begins to boil, add dampened wool or cotton. Boil for 30-40 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and dry. Blueberry - can make blue or gray dye depending on mordant. Crush berries and cover with water, soaking one hour. Strain and discard pulp. Then, add cold water, copper sulphate, and bring to a boil. Add dampened wool or cotton and boil for one hour. Rinse in soapy water, then rinse again and dry. Willow - makes a rose tan color. Chop the bark, soaking it overnight. Boiled for one and a half hours, add cold water and strain. Boil and add material, keeping it boiling for thirty minutes. Rinse and dry. There is a purple dye that comes from a small sea snail, though whether that is found on Pern is unknown. Although most brilliant and rainbow dyes on Pern come from shellfish, not much information was found during research.
Introduction to Needlework
Needlework is a craft that keeps the hands busy while leaving the mind free to
think about other things. Even the most simple stitches can add the
finishing touch to an otherwise boring garment. Three main types of
needlework are; embroidery, crochet, and knitting. This chapter covers the
basic techniques and stitches used to ornament any garment.
The first entry in this section covers embroidery. This will tell of the most
attractive examples of stitchery, all of which are fairly easy to do.
Secondly, different skills is crocheting will be presented. Crochet is
relatively easy compared to embroidery since it is a simple, repeating
pattern that the worker produces.
The third and final pastime in this section will cover knitting. Knitting is
one of the harder skills to master, but its outcomes can be very rewarding.
every hold and such on Pern has a special knitting pattern that sets it apart
from everywhere else. These are covered in the first textbook.
Embroidery
Preparing and collecting the materials:
Before you begin to study various stitches, it is important to learn what kind
of thread works on what material, and what other equipment can be used.
Also, it is important to know how to prepare the materials to avoid accidents
while working.
Fabrics that are lightweight such as cotton and certain linens are best for
the more delicate stitches such as the shadow stitch, satin stitch, and
four-sided stitch.
For the heavier materials such as denser linens, fine burlap, and the
different cotton-rayon blends, it is easier to work rapidly using stitches
that are more substantial. Also, canvas works well for some decorative
embroidery. A certain type of this material known as Penelope canvas can be
woven into many different weights and textures which makes counted-cross
stitch, petit point, needlepoint, and knotted rugs fun and easy to do.
When working, there are two basic frames that can be used. When working on a
large picture for display, the rectangular frame can be used. This frame is
made of four bars that are nailed together, forming a square. The material
is stretched out tautly in the middle, making stitching easy. It also keeps
the material straight so that mounting is easier.
When working on clothing, or other garments, a round hoop can be used if
desired. This frame consists of two round hoops attached to a base which is
placed upon the knee, leaving the hands free to work. The use of this frame
is simple; place the material over the smaller hoop which is attached to the
base. Then carefully stretch the material until it is taunt and place the
larger hoop over it, securing it firmly. Never keep the material in the
round hoop longer than necessary or it will make a crease in the fabric.
When not working, roll the fabric up with the stitching on the inside.
Here are some of the easier stitches used to ornament fabric:
Stem or Outline Stitch - the easiest to do. Used for flower stems or
outlining. Work from left to right, the stitches right next to each other
and slanted to the left at all times. These are short, even stitches.
Lazy Daisy Stitch - Come up from the underside of the material, and using one
finger to hold the material down, make a loop. Take the needle and insert in
back in the same place, leaving the loop on top. Come back up at the end
of the loop, just outside of it, and secure with a simple stitch.
The Blanket Stitch - This stitch is regularly used to trim the button holes
of blouses, but it can also be used alone to border scalloped edges. First
make two lines of running stitch to be filled in. Starting from the left,
insert the needle downwards while holding the thread under the left thumb.
Bring the needle out over the thread and allow the thread to flow through
easily, stopping it with your thumb to make the knot. These stitches should
be neither loose or tight.
The Chain Stitch - Work from bottom to top and bring the thread through the
fabric to the right side. Make a stitch as small as possible. Then bring
the needle out of the fabric, a short distance forward and over the thread.
This is how the first link is formed. Now, reinsert the thread where it
emerged and brought out slightly forward. This determines the length of the
stitch. It is best to keep the stitch rather loose.
These are just a few examples of the various stitches that can be done. There
are many more, but it would take far too long to explain them all. Many
variations can be done on these which look much harder to do than they
actually are. This is a fun field to experiment in and the possibilities are
endless.
Crochet
Crocheting is an art which keeps the hands and mind occupied, being a little
more demanding that embroidery. From crocheting, you can make articles of
clothing and other delightful items such as place mats, hand bags, even lace,
and hooked rugs.
Crochet is usually done with yarn. This includes wool yarn, cable-twist yarns
that can be in solid colors, tweeds or textures. There are no set rules
for crocheting, and therefore, the worker must rely on good judgement in
selecting yarn, hook, and stitch that plan to use on the garment. Crochet
hooks range in size from 00 to 12: the higher the number, the thinner the
hook.
Crochet is started with a long chain the required length for the garment that
is being made. The hook is held like a pen, the left hand controlling the
thread. The beginning loop is knotted by hand before inserting the hook.
Place the hook inside the look and pass it under the thread which is being
held by the left index finger. Draw the yarn back out, creating another
loop. This is the very first chain which you continue until the chain is
finished at the desired length. It is advisable to use a larger hook on this
row and the thread has a tendency to tighten.
Basic crochet stitches:
Slip stitch - Insert the hook into basic chain, bring the yarn over the hook
and draw through both loops.
Single crochet - Place the hook in the chain, bring the yarn over the hook and
draw up a loop in the chain, yarn over hoop again and draw through both loops.
Half double crochet - Bring the yarn over the hook, insert hook into chain,
yarn over hook and draw up a look, yarn over hook and draw through all three
loops. The half double crochet and the slip stitch are both generally used
to complement other stitches.
Double crochet - Yarn over hook, insert hook in chain and draw up a loop, yarn
over hook and pull through two looks, yarn over again and pull through last
two loops.
Many of the other stitches branch off from these four. These include the rib
stitch and Rumanian stitch. Fabrics of crocheted rings make excellent shawls
for women or even pads on which to place hot dishes.
Knitting
Knitting is even more demanding that crocheting. The more elaborate stitches
are extremely difficult to learn and complete, but the results are rewarding
as always. Knitting requires two needles which range in size from 0 up to
15. It is again, up to the knitter to decide what needles and what yarns
work best for the required task.
Knitting is started with a cast on a row which may be done with either one or
two needles. When casting with one needle, follow four steps. 1) measure off
a long strand of yarn from the end of skein, make a slip know and place it on
the needle. 2) Wrap the free end of yarn over left thumb and index finger to
form loop, hold yarn from skein in right hand and insert needle in loop. 3)
Wrap the yarn around needle and draw thread through loop over thumb. 4)
Tighten gently to form a stitch. When using two needles: 1) Make a slip knot
and place on left hand needle; insert right needle into loop. 2) Wrap yarn
over right hand needle and draw out a loop. 3) Twist loop and transfer to
left hand needle, gently tighten thread and start next stitch by inserting
right needle in last stitch.
The two basic stitches are the knit stitch and the purl stitch. For the knit,
insert point of right needle through stitch on left needle, wrap yarn over
point and draw out stitch. The purl is the same, except the needle is
inserted in the front of the stitch instead of the back.
Then, there are four knitting textures. The Stockinette Stitch is Alternately
knit on row and purl one row. Purl side of Stockinette - Wrong side of
stockinette stitch; used to separate cables, raised patterns and ribbed
stitches. Garter stitch - Knit every row; this is used on scarves, borders,
and any garment which must be reversible. Seed Stitch - Knit one, purl one;
then purl one, knit one. This stitch is also reversible.
There are also twisted stitches. The twisted knit stitch is worked by
inserting the needle in back of loop stitch instead of front and then
continue a regular knit stitch. The twisted purl stitch is done by inserting
needle in back of loop stitch, twisting needles slightly and then purling in
the regular way.
Finally, knitted pieces are seamed differently than sewing fabric. They may be
joined on the back with a back stitch or woven on the right side.
Overview
These chapters have merely outlined the steps from collecting the materials to
make a fabric to adding fancy stitching to completed garments. Nothing could
be explained in great detail nor could all the techniques for dyeing,
needlework, and such even be put into this book. This was just intended to
provide a basic knowledge of the different jobs a weaver can do. Just
remember, that though the weavers do use a lot of shellfish for their rainbow
dyes, I could not find any information on it and therefore could not include
getting dyes from shellfish in this book.
If anything is not clearly explained, or if there are any suggestions for
improving the text written in this book, please page or send mail to Isabella.
Sources
Okay, a *lot* of sources were used in complying this book!
Various books from the Compton's Encyclopdia set were used.
The Needlework Book by Passadore was used to help explain the embroidery,
knitting, and crocheting.
And for dyeing, help was given by Vegetable Dyeing by Alma Lesch, The Complete
Illustrated Book From Natural Resources by Arnold and Connie Krochmal, and
Dyes from plants by Seonaid M. Robertson.
And of course, the DLG was also used in the collecting of data for this
work.
Converted to HTML from (#1126)Text Book 2 on the Harper's Tale
MOO on Fri May 16 06:38:17 1997 CDT.
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