Because JDftY only got home from her East Coast trip on the Saturday evening before Easter, and we didn't purchase eggs or dye (or candy) till that night, we were in kind of a rush. But at least the eggs behaved themselves this year, and didn't crack like crazy, the way they did last year. I did at least remember I didn't like that bright-white stuff, so I started the first three eggs with the traditional beginning color, yellow:

pysanky. I chose the hi-key photo, and while that's great for etsy, I don't think it works so well here... photographed 12apr09.

That horrid blue really doesn't go, just like it didn't in 2006. Also, I forgot that dark purple eggs would turn pink in boiling water, again, just like 3 years ago. Someday, I'll learn. But f2tE got bored with eggs, and did things like placing her last whole egg into her mouth that night. So, with permission ("I'm dying your last egg now, since you didn't last night/—whatev, mom") I spent Easter morning making bunny rabbit beads for earrings (or a pendant) as f2 generation easter gifts and dying her egg. This time I decided not to put it in boiling water to remove the wax, but instead scraped it off, or used a candle to melt it off. This latter method is messy and slow, cuz there's inevitably a smear of smoky wax left.^[1] But by really heating small sections of wax to liquid heat and wiping in a circular motion, I managed.

Because I was in a hurry, I didn't leave the egg in very long for its first color, so I don't think this combo is particularly successful, either. Now, if I started with blue, rinsed the egg, and then went to green or purple, that might be interesting. (Of course, I'd actually have to remember to read my old pysanky posts. I keep thinking I'll do this. Ha.)

The wizard suggested using oil next year, and my notes from 3 years ago suggest vinegar. —Well, I used the really old crumbly (and probably crumby) dye and Japanese rice vinegar, cuz we were out of the cheap white stuff, and the f2 generation had, once again, failed to inform me of this in a timely fashion. But those are things to think of for next time...(I saved the dye from last year, thinking we might dye again. All the warm colors had thick layers of mold growing, eewww!)

Live and learn. Or not.

eggs dyed 11 & 12apr09, photographed 12th, post 13apr09.

Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.