Reading the vat each morning

Before any cloth is dipped, the vat is read. A healthy indigo vat carries a coppery bloom on its surface and a particular, earthy sweetness.

If the colour is dull or the scent turns, the vat is hungry. We feed it and wait. There is no rushing indigo — the vat keeps its own time.

Raising an indigo vat is like raising a child: attention, patience, and the willingness to begin again tomorrow.