Field Notes
Botanical Dyeing
[ A fiend with a pair of snippers and a dye pot. ]
Goldenrod
![Goldenrod dyed protein and cellulose fibers](https://maryritzel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FieldsOfGold_Instagram-1024x663.jpg)
![Hide and Seek in Goldenrod field](https://maryritzel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FieldsOfGold_HideAndSeek_lifestyle-1024x575.jpg)
Late summer, early fall goldenrod.
When days become shorter, best thing for it —
games of hide and seek before the sun goes down
![Fields of Gold blouse - top detail](https://maryritzel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FieldsOfGold_topdetail.jpg)
Purple Basil
![Purple Basil Dye Plant](https://maryritzel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PurpleBasil.jpg)
A constant giver in the dye pot. A nice little sidegig for salads and pastas.
And used on silk…oh but a dream.
Lupine & Borage
![](https://maryritzel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BraveLupine-scaled.jpg)
![](https://maryritzel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BorageStars.jpeg)
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day. With three borage plants I gather this much twice a day, navigating between the bees. I love bees, so much. I respect them and ask them to keep coming back.
Readying all parts of this plant. Starflowers for off-season ice dyeing, plant stalk and leaves for glaze trials and root for dyeing. I don’t expect to get the color that I would with alkanet but I’ll hope for a little sumpin sumpin.
Cultivating Botanicals for Ceramics
(Ash Glazes)
[ Silica + Alumina ]
Scotch Thistle
(invasive species)