Summers color for the end of winter

Beautiful Dyer's Coreopsis that I have had in the freezer since last summer.  What a glorious pot of dye it is!

First photo has a higher Ph level than the Yellow that is in the right hand photo.  You really can get many different colors with just a Ph level change.  I didn't have any after baths to play with (iron) but I bet there are more colors hiding in there somewhere.

It really is this vibrant!

This is Madder on grey wool and a bit of white wool (left side).   I have so many shades of this on the grey wool - but forgot photos - Ill put them up tomorrow when I have natural light.  All are mordant with Alum and CoT. 

Madder with a color change using different Ph levels

Some indigo and Black Walnut yarn I spun up the other day.  Love the combination of brown & blue.

Plant Dyeing Workshop

I have finally taught a 'proper' workshop on plant dyeing.  I have had many dyeing sessions with friend, and at work, but this one was the first attempt at an organized event.  Thank you Craftstitute for creating space here in Ithaca where artists can come and have a space to teach a class.   I think it went off very well and I hope my - newly addicted to color friends - agree.

We started off by putting plastic labels on the skeins, then pre-soaking the fibers in water.  I had already mordanted the skeins prior to class in Alum & Cream of Tartar.  After adding the dye stuff which was - Sage brush ( I collected some branches when I went out west a few years ago), dried Marigold flower heads, Red Onion skins, Madder and then a lichen I had soaking in an ammonia bath for a month - after about 45 minutes of hot soaking we then strained the bath thru mesh and cheesecloth.

The marigold turned out to be a really strong yellow and everybody loved it.

The red onion skin didn't turn out a greenish as it had in the past.  Its a wonder to get get color from nature and its always a surprise.

The madder had been soaking in my kitchen for days and the red (on the orange side) that we got was very impressive.

Stunning results - thank you nature.

Natural Dye Chart

I have been doing a  lot of Natural Dyeing this summer already.  These are some samples I kept.  If you have any questions let me know.  Different wools (breeds and there for yarns) soak up the dye differently.

Winter Plant Dyeing - Peach to Yellows

Finn and Shetland wools

 Here is a lovely Finn sheep from my friend Erika's family farm - oneearthpermaculture.

The top (unrolled) wool is from these lovely finn sheep.  I treasure Finn wool - its perfect for needle felting,  It had a beautiful loft and is always soft.  The other is wool (white and grey) are from shetland sheep that I got from Roc Day this year.

The Finn wool roving goes into a mixed yellow dye, made from my gardens dried flowers from my garden this past summer.  

Marigold, coreopsis and cosmos (on the right)

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Avocado

Avocado skins that were saved for 2,3 years?  You have to de-skin the avocado and then rinse the skins under water to get all that green flesh away before drying them.  They were easy to crunch up in your hand, into littler pieces, so more dye is able to be released.  

The color turned a lovely shade of peach - lower right is the finn wool - its just beautiful and just what the Dr. ordered for this cold part of wintertime.

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Coreopsis

This was dyed with Dyers Coreopsis and Madder root.  Left is white finn roving and Right is the grey Shetland.  I so hope to get some madder plants going this year for my garden.  I still have some left over dried roots from a farm up in Maine that I went to this summer.

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Osage Orange

This is the difference between yellows from Osage Orange, dip one in a weak bath of ammonia water (top), brings out a warmer yellow.  Below is the Osage Orange on white and then grey shetland wool - When you use yellow dye on grey wool - you usually get green shades.

--- Just some more shots of the warm colors --- 

The Day Before

Ok so I have my final list of pot colors for tomorrow.

* Indigo - blue , 2 - because the freeze dried Indigo oxidizes too quickly so I will switch off pots as one re-deoxidizes.

* Alkanet - blue/purple - if I mixed it properly, we will see tomorrow. I am currently soaking the roots in rubbing alcohol and will boil up first thing tomorrow with a full pot of water. Its my first time doing this one so I am excited

* Henna - yellow

* Flower heads - yellow , lots of different flower heads ( Marigold, black eyes susan's, some mystery yellow flower head that looks like queen anns lace, and then I have "booster" yellows. Small jars of color that I will pour into the pot as the day goes on.

1 small pot of yellow onion skins and 1 small pot of calendula

* Madder - orange red, a very strong pot that I use the coffee grinder to chop up small roots that I purchased last year. Sadly my patch of madder I started last year did not come up this Spring.

* Cochineal - red/pink, I might add madder to this and some soda too to make it a deeper red.

They will get a variety of greens and purples when they overdye with two colors.

I have my tent all ready to go up and I will have out my spinning wheel & of corse all my dye books. Unfortunately I think I will be the most excited one there tomorrow so I might look like a freak but that is ok with me. I love color.

Plant Dyeing Day

Cooking up new dye for my Natural Plant Dyeing Day this Saturday. This is Madder on the left and te now highly covetted Brazilwood. I have to admit this pot is for me only. The last of the real Brazilwood that I have - it is now on the endangered list - but you can get a version of this tree's bark that is not endangered, so that is good. I will have to get some to compare. I have a bag of Alkanet in my hands ready for the pot and I have two yellows planned - Henna and yellow flowers, mostly marigolds. Cutch - which I just found out is the same thing as Wattle (go figure) & indigo I will save till Saturday morning to mix up - its the freeze dried crystals and they just make it too easy now a days (gosh I sound old when I say that!) Might mix up one or two more. More pictures coming.

Madder - plant dye

Well as you can see I have finally dyed with Madder.  I have always used the root (unground) but have now used ground madder and wow what a difference.  You get the color so quickly.  With the root you have to soak and simmer for days to get color like this.  (Or maybe it was me doing something wrong)  But Wow I love this color.  

The wool roving balls - the orange/red colored ones were straight out of the pot (all have been fixed with Alum and cream of tartar).  The roving (and one silk scarf) that has more of a pink tone was dipped in an ammonia bath after dyeing.  The skeins of yarn were dipped twice and a slight ammonia after bath.  Amazing the color difference from just one pot.  The color get weaker with every dipping.  I have a skein still in the pot and will take it out after a few days.  Heat is also important - it was a bit more than hand hot but not near boiling.  I do believe that boiling results in a rusty orange at best.