Indigo Magic
Dip, air, repeat.
Dip, air, repeat.
A repetitive rhythm,
watching in wonder, green turn to blue.
Slow and steady,
careful not to let it drip.
The magic of Indigo.
It’s no secret, I’ve fallen in love with Indigo. At first I was cautious, it was much more technical than any natural dyeing I have done before. When preparing my first vat, I dressed myself up in a mask and gloves, being careful and pedantic about not touching the dyes or powders. After a few weeks, I relaxed into it, dipping my hand into the Vat if I couldn’t find a glove (I don’t recommend this!).
There’s a temptation when dying to suddenly want to throw (or gently place in the case of Indigo) everything white/natural into the Vat. I’ve experienced it before, there’s a certain magic to creating color and turning something once white into beautiful shades and tones. With indigo I feel this even more as you can physically watch the green turn to blue. When the yarn is wet there is such a vibrancy to the color, like it is alive.
I’ve long been fascinated by ideas around control vs. uncontrollable. Indigo fits this rhetoric well. One one hand you are at the mercy of the vat and the dye, but when the conditions are perfect you can exert control and keep dipping until you get the exact shade you are after. I have found it much more reliable than using Procion dyes, whereby I have to spend a long time setting up numerous different vats to get the shade I am after (although granted I have spent a lot less time with Procion dye).
Lastly, there is a beautiful meditative action that happens when dying with indigo, the repetitive dipping and airing moves in a rhythm. Similar to the rhythm of the loom or of the spinning wheel, these actions quiet the mind. For someone who is a chronic over thinker and often has far far too many thoughts on the go, the process is calming and soothing. Busy hands; quiet mind. Or quieter at least.
