Black Thistle Socks

The overnight soaking of the thistle sock in tea was not successful.  The next morning I drained the tea/vinegar mixture from the bowl.  I decided to try coffee as a stain.  I keep used coffee grounds to add to the garden plants for both nitrogen and to lower the pH.  I am add them to the soil surrounding my lacecape hydrangea and a rhododendron.

Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla normalis) before coffee grounds application

The rhododendron needs acidic soil and the flowers' color of the hydrangea can be changed to blue from pink by lowering the pH.  I took these used coffee grounds and ran hot water through them again into the stainless steel bowl and placed the sock back into the bowl.  The next day the sock was not bright white anymore.  I rinsed the sock and hung it on the clothes line to dry. Again, the reason I dyed the sock was to lower the contrast between the sock and the birds in the photograph.

A few days later, I took the stained sock from the clothes line and brought it into the house.  I purchased some thistle seeds and proceeded to fill the stained sock using a wide throated funnel.  Once the sock was full of seed I pulled the draw string tight to close the opening and began to tie an overhand knot.  I wanted the sock itself to be part of the knot.  I overfilled the sock, slightly, and I was having a difficult time rolling the knot to include the sock.  I realized I too much force when the draw string broke and withdrew from the tunnel sown into the top of the sock.  So much for staining the sock.  I emptied the newer sock, because the goldfinch had stopped eating from it, and used the funnel to fill it.  I used less power to tie the sock and hung it on the post.  I will need to fish a new drawstring into the tunnel of the stained sock and try again.  I really wanted the stained sock full but at least the goldfinch will be attracted by the full sock hanging on the post until I get the other fixed.  If I ever get the stained sock fixed.