Summer Dyeing

I was commissioned to plant dye some yarn for The Green Meadow Waldorf School this summer.  Chris is the co-director of Fiber Craft Studio and one of my teachers for my Waldorf training.  We emailed back and forth about the colors the school needed, but I was given artistic license to trust the colors that came out of the dye pots.  

The strength of color was at its best, left over dye pots were used to dye some lighter shades, but most were left to soak in the pot for a longer time or multiple dips to acquire the darker shade. So many people associate pale colors with plant dyeing, or colors that fade.  If done properly colors will not fade (as I do with Cream of Tartar & Alum) or with use of strong pots (if that is your color taste), you will be left with some amazing colors to play with.

 I obtained the different yellows thru willow tree tips (a creamy yellow) Osage Orange and also, onion skins.  The pinks and the darker pink/red was strictly cochineal mixed with cream of tartar (that brings out the reds).  Purples are made with Indigo over cochineal and then the green are Indigo over the different yellows a mentioned above.  Browns were made by a cold bath of black walnuts as well as a hot bath of the same (yes, you get different colors hot vs. cold).  The sheet of paper I used to figure out the colors and over dyeing looked like a tennis match tournament and I was surprise when it was all done correctly.

All in all I was please and so were the handwork teachers, lots of love & long hours but worth it in the end.

Rainbow of Plant Dyed Yarns - ©Ithaca Waldorf Handworks & More