 With Natural Dyes Pictures and words by Rhian Ellis |
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Here's a list of some possible dyestuffs, but don't let it limit you. Experimenting is half the fun! Onion skins – yellow to brown Grapes, wine, or grape juice – purple to lavender Beets – pink Pokeweed – bright pink Turmeric – gold to orange Goldenrod flowers and stems – buttery yellow Black walnut hulls – rich brown Queen Anne's Lace -- light chartreuse
Next, you have to mordant it. Mordanting chemically alters the wool to allow the dye to penetrate. Some dyes will work well without it, but most won't. The easiest mordant to use is alum, which can be found in the grocery store on most spice shelves. You'll need about 3 oz. for a pound of yarn, or about a teaspoon for a skein. Don't use much more than this, because too much will ruin the texture of the yarn. Dissolve the alum in hot water in a large soup pot. Add your yarn and bring to boiling. Let it boil for 15 minutes or so, then turn off the water and let it cool. Now you're ready to dye! The more dyestuff you use, the deeper and richer your colors will be. It's a good rule of thumb to match the amount of dyestuff with the weight of your wool. (Exception – black walnut hulls and turmeric! Very little is needed for a deep color.) Boil your dyestuff in enough water to cover your yarn. Add a spoonful Let it boil for an hour or so, until the water looks as colorful as it's going to get. If your material is very leafy or flowery (goldenrod, for example), you'll want to strain the dye liquid before adding your yarn. Otherwise, just add the wet and mordanted yarn and boil for another half an hour. Let cool before rinsing. (Wool will felt if the temperature changes too quickly.) Hang somewhere to dry! Some dyes, particular fruit and vegetable dyes, will gradually fade with exposure to light. Some will fade with washing. You can either use your dyed item inside and make sure you don't get it dirty, or just enjoy the fleeting color while it lasts.
Rhian Ellis is a writer and mother from upstate New York, where she has a small farm. When not finding creative outlets for writing, she creates wonderful hand-dyed wools, and more for sale: Phiberia Handspun Yarns
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here is a certain satisfaction to knitting or crocheting yarn that you dyed yourself – and it's even better if you made the dye, too! There are lots of places to buy natural dyes on the internet, but you can get started right now with what you can find in your fridge, on your pantry shelf, in your backyard, or in the vacant lot next door.
In order to get wool yarn to take on the dye, you have to first wash it to remove any oils. This is mostly important if you have wool that's straight off the sheep. Tie your yarn into a large, loose skein so it doesn't get tangled. Letting it soak for an hour in warm water that has a few squirts of mild dish detergent in it is fine, or you can use Woolite. Be sure to rinse it with luke warm water, so as not to felt it.
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