Tuesday 1 May 2012

Indigo Planting and Indigo Balls

As the tour members were on their way out the front door on the way to the airport they planted a dozen or so indigo seeds each. This year will be my 19th year growing indigo and the help from my planting assistants  will have a special significance this year as I reflect on how indigo has come to be a significant part of life here.
The timing of opening the straw bag with fermenting indigo wasn't perfect. It could have used a few more  mixes in the early spring and stopped a few weeks sooner. I stretched it out too long and caught the indigo just on the edge of fermenting too much. I made it quickly into indigo balls and am drying them in the sun with the help of a light sprinkle of slaked lime to halt the fermentation. However, it is raining this evening and the house reeks of ammonia as I dry them in front of the kerosene fan heater.

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5 comments:

  1. Lis Harwood3 May 2012 at 18:53

    Planting those seeds in the darkness of our early morning departure for Takao/then Narita seemed to complete a circle, or start a new one, thank you.

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    1. Bryan's Japanese Textiles3 May 2012 at 19:11

      and Lis....they sprouted already! Very fast. I thought it would be nice to create a circle and keep it going.

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  2. Anonymous4 May 2012 at 23:27

    Congratulations about your blog, I always have liked to learn Japanese dyeing technique, and thanks for sharing your knowledge about this theme in your blog.

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    1. Bryan's Japanese Textiles5 May 2012 at 08:36

      Hi Sara:
      By the looks of your blog I can see that the 'things japanese bug' has bitten you as well. Thank you for following my blog. Bryan

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  3. Anonymous5 May 2012 at 18:02

    Hi Bryan, yes! I like japanese traditional arts and crafts, and my blog is about handmade crafts inspired about japanese arts. Thanks for the visit!

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