To make a long story short...my hand dyed thread batches of "Garden Afternoon" and "Lavender" cured over 72 hours this week, unintentionally.What happened was, just when I was all set to begin rinsing out the thread, the sink clogged - completely! I had standing water and leaking below the sink. On top of it all, I needed to catch a train in a few hours (to attend a funeral, at which I would see relatives from very far away that I may not have another opportunity to see). It does all have to happen at once, doesn't it?
Of course I tried the plunger, then the drain cleaner, and ended up with a horrible lethal mess that splattered white bleached spots on my colored clothing. I had to call the emergency service plumber. He arrived in half an hour, but was still working when I needed to leave for the train station. So, the hand dyed batch had to wait in its plastic wrapping until I got back, 3 days later.
I was concerned that the thread would get moldy or that strange things would happen to the colors, but fortunately it turned out just as pretty as usual.
It all worked out. The plumbing is fixed, the mess is cleaned up, I had a wonderful visit with my far away relatives, and I even demonstrated tatting to 2 very interested ladies on the train!
I just need a little rest, then I'll restock my shop on Etsy.
15 comments:
Marilee,
I'm sorry to hear that you had a furneral to go to. But I'm thrilled that you got to have fun with some of your relatives.
Yes, things always happen when it's least convince for us. I'm very happy that the plummer was able to handle the sink problem for you. I'm so happy to hear that your thread turned out perfect too! Cause I know how much work it is to dye thread & how frustarting it is when it doesn't turn out how you want it. Luckily that wasn't the case for you. So smile, breath & get some rest. I'm very happy to hear that you are ok also!
Thanks, BSOTF, that is so kind of you to say. Yes, I'll try to get some rest now. It's been such a busy week.
It looks gorgeous! Thanks for the eye candy! Glad you got the plumbing fixed and the mess cleaned up and the train caught! My condolences to whomever the funeral was for!
(((Hugs)))
~TattingChic ♥
It's good to know that one can't over cure thread. Thank you for answering that question for us lol!
May your weekend be filled with peaceful rest!!! And your colors look awesome! :)
Sorry to hear about the loss of a relative and plumbing troubles. Happy to hear your thread turned out ok. My experience with proactive dyes is that they do their work in 4-24 hrs. and then no matter how long it sits it doesn't react with what ever you are dyeing anymore. Of course the heat wave we have been having I can understand your concern for molding, glad that didn't happen! Hope the coming week is less stressful for you.
Thanks, everyone, for the kind comments.
TAT19540, I believe you are right about the reaction time of the dye. This is the first time I have ever tested it by letting the batch sit for so long though!
Krystle, my dye instructor did warn me when I was first learning, to not let the thread sit for much longer than 24 hours, since mildew and mold CAN set in. I think I was just lucky this time!
TattingChic, thank you for both the compliments and condolences, it's much appreciated :)
God's kid, thank you so much for your kind words.
Marilee,
I'd like to join my condolences to the previous messages you got, and I do hope you can have a peaceful and calm weekend.
As for the plumbing I had that kind of problem one day while I was dyeing ... my hair ! Fortunately I'm not bald (thanks to my neighbour you let me use her bathroom). I'm glad your threads also turned out good. They look amazing, as usual.
Thank you, Tatie. That was lucky for you that you had a helpful neighbor - who fortunately was home in your time of need!
I'm glad it all worked out! I think the chemicals involved in dying probably reduce the odds of anything odd growing. Once the dye quit working, it was probably a more or less "sterile" environment.
Thanks, Gina, that does sound likely.
Sounds a bit like Murphy's Law... and yet everything still worked out nicely in the end!
:-)
Yes, Lily, whoever this "Murphy" is, seems to be right an awful lot of the time :)
Try baking soda and vinegar next time! Works every time my drain clogs, which isn't often as I use it about once a month to keep the plumbing clean, bonus is it isn't harmful to the environment, doesn't smell bad, and can't harm any type of plumbing. It even got my drains unplugged after I foolishly put 3 or 4 pounds of carrot, daikon raddish, and cabbage down the disposal.
Thanks, Celticflame99, you're right that non-toxic is better. I used to have a non-toxic recipe for drain cleaner when my kids were little. It had baking soda plus Cream of Tarter and salt, but I don't remember the proportions.
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