Wool dyeing

Nature has such amazing colors and so many gorgeous layers and color combinations. Have you ever wondered if you could dye yarn with a particular herb or other plants nearby you? Growing up I loved to read and in several of my book adventures were people that had created dyes out of the everyday nat

Dyeing wool with bracken to get a range of colours by altering pH and modifying with iron

Not long ago, I accidentally mordanted some Shetland wool yarn using 20% of the weight of the wool in alum crystals, instead of my usual 10%. I thought the amount of colour the yarn picked up from a dye bath of birch tree leaves looked far more impressive than the colour on a smaller skein of the same yarn that had been dyed in the same bath after being mordanted with 10% alum. Over a cup of tea in the garden, my companion, Elinor Gotland, quite agreed. "The little skein looks crap compared…

Vibrant colors can be achieved with the process of natural dyeing. Use plants from your backyard to create dyes for cotton, silk, wool and more! | Homestead Honey

"I can't remember a year when the blackberries ripened so early. And there are still plenty more to come. Lovely ones, too." My companion barely spared them a glance, having other fruit in mind. I watched her pick her way up a branch of blackthorn, sheer madness, but you have to admire that kind of commitment to sloe gin. "Mind your fleece on those thorns, Elinor." She waved a hoof and chucked a ripe sloe into the basket. "Who dares, wins, Beaut." I suppose I'm just as fanatical about plant…

My freezer is littered with avocado pits. My husband, who organizes our small, family of five freezer, (no easy feat) asks me about these pits about every other weekend. Oh – and the look on …

I haven't been happy with the texture of my dyed roving. It always comes out "tough" in comparison to the commercially dyed ...

Have you ever wanted to try natural dyeing? It's as easy as raiding your pantry! Check out this step-by-step tutorial for how to dye yarn using black beans to get a gorgeous smokey blue color!

I thought I’d post an idea for anyone who wants to try dyeing yarn at home using ingredients readily found in your kitchen. It’s more of a staining method rather than an actual dye but it works all…