Aubergine

So much nicer than "eggplant", don't you think?

 

Just look at the blue reflecting off that inky purple surface... so smooth, so velvety, so delicious roasted until black and blistered, the tender flesh mashed with olive oil, crushed garlic, and a pinch of coarse salt.... Ahem.  The colour.  Seriously, one of my favorite veggies (I know, I know, fruits) ever, because of that luscious colour.

The merino-silk does it justice rather nicely:

  

And I'm pretty pleased with the sock, as well:

 

The BFL never disappoints (yes, I still want to marry the stuff):

 

And there's the Silken Mist - you just can't go wrong with the sheen of silk when you're talking about aubergines.

 

There's also some Woolly Moguls, a selection of gradient and striping yarns, the Silken Mist and the sock yarn from last week that is now a yummy blend of woodsy greens, transmogrifying to red through a rich and subtle palette of brown. 

That's what I neglected to do last week - explain Almost Holly.  Remember that embarassing (to me, anyway) little faux pas with the Holly that wasn't?  Well, 'tis the season, and it's the closest thing to holly we're likely to see up here, and I wondered if the greens and the reds would do what Nature does if I put them together... and they do.  I don't often stick complementary colours right over top of each other, dreading that bane of dyeing known as MUD, but I am learning not to fear The Brown.  Turns out Nature knows a thing or two about colour.

 

See?  Makes me think of cedar boughs and holly wreaths, hot cocoa laced with rum and cinammon...

Oh, and the mohair-silk:

 

It is a challenge to dye, and yet has such intriguing possibilities for layering rich and saturated colours underneath a halo of highlights.  I inevitably fall in love with it.

One last thing: there have been some emails over the last couple of days intimating that my restocking of the Leafy Mitt kits has been woefully inadequate. Consequently, only one new kit made it as far as the website today, but I have a bunch more skeins soaking as we speak.  Somehow I imagined I would dye them tonight, but as it's now 10:00 PM, perhaps not. Soon, though. Really soon.   

Comments

[LaurieM]

I fell hard for that aubergine color. It was quite the temptation to get the sweater's worth, but Christmas, blah blah, debt, blah blah, big stash, blah! And I didn't get it. Phoey.

[naomi]

You do *such* a good job of making me appreciate colors I don't ordinarily like. That merino-silk is lovely.

(And, personally, since there's not a botanical category for 'veggie', I use food customs for the distinction between fruits & veggies.)

[Priscilla]

I love these colors. I love your work.

I come here when my spirits need a lift.

And I don't often comment, but I'm here, an adoring fan. :-)