Dyeing with avocados

I received my Handeye magazine in the mail Friday, this issue was on COLOR in textiles from around the world. It is a wonderful issue. The magazine also has free online issues that they send out every week to your e-mail. There's usually around 3 different articles on traditional textiles from around the world and how the people are bringing them back and relearning the old traditional skills. Once in awhile there are articles on traditional pottery, jewelry etc.
The address to sign up is http://www.handeyemagazine.com/
I was inspired by an article in this issue on dyeing with avocado pits.

So out came my year old dried avocados pits (from the last Super Bowl) that I saved just for this purpose.

I placed them in a pot of water on my wood stove and simmered them for about 2 hours, then placed alum mordanted wool fabric in and simmered another couple of hours, left it to soak overnight. I removed the fabric the next day and put the pot back on the wood stove and boiled it hard for a hour or so, then place another piece of fabric in and let it simmer hard for a couple of hours then left that piece overnight.

I ended up with two peachy pink pieces. They look more pink in real life.

We bought the grandsons new snowshoes, with all of this beautiful snow it was perfect time to try them out. So out we went to the campground where we take them camping every summer.

We hiked along the creek where they play with their nets and catch crayfish in the summer.

The big soccer field is now perfect for making snow angels even with your snowshoes on.

It was beautiful.

With just a little color.

Back home we have so much snow the boys think the snow covered bushes are forts.

They each had their own.

As grandpa finished plowing the driveway down they went on their snowboards.