I've always loved dyeing.
Crafts was always my favorite part of summer camp, and there was nothing better than tie-dyeing! Even now, tie-dyeing is still in my top 10 favorite things ever. But I had never tried natural dyeing....
When whispers of the shop doing a blog began, I racked my brain on what to write about. Then one day I visited my sister and her kids, and saw her marigolds. They were growing like crazy! That night, I researched natural dyeing, and how effective marigolds were. Every post had a lovely gold/yellow result, so I went for it (I only picked the heads that were browning or too heavy for their stalk, so my sister's plant stayed pretty).
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| Step One in action! |
When natural dyeing, you need a mordant. A mordant is what helps lock the color into the yarn. There are a few different kinds, but I chose Alum. I chose Alum because I could get it in a small quantity at my local grocery (it's with the spices/canning).
Step One: Prep the yarn! The yarn I chose to dye with is INSilk by Schoppel Wolle. It's an aran-weight, silk and wool blend yarn (I was curious if the silk and wool would capture the color differently). I put a tablespoon of alum, and a teaspoon of Cream of Tartar in my dyepot. I then filled it with water halfway, dunked my yarn in, and made sure it was entirely wet. I turned on the stove, waited for it to boil. Once boiling, I turned off the stove, but then put on the lid. While I let it cool, I prepped the flowers.
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| About 8 heads worth of petals for 100g of yarn. |
Step Two: Prep your dye! I had kept the marigolds in a ziplock in the fridge until I was ready to use them. I then proceeded to rip off all the petals and placed them in my second dyepot. Based on how much water I used to soak my yarn, I tried to fill this pot with the same amount. I brought the water to a boil, then let it simmer for a half hour, then turned it off but put the lid on. I let it sit, cooling, for a few hours.
Step 3: Dye that sucker! I drained the mordant water out of the first dyepot, then put the yarn back into it and on the stove. Next I put a strainer over that dyepot, and slowly drained the marigold dyepot onto the yarn, removing the petals when they clogged up the strainer. Once that was done, I poured more water in to make sure the yarn was completely diluted.
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| Percolating in the pot. |
I brought the dyepot to a boil, then let it simmer, then let it sit for a few hours. Some dyers will leave their yarn overnight, or even for a few days. I am not so patient! Once I couldn't stand the wait anymore, I took the yarn out, rinsed it in lukewarm water, and hung it to dry. I put it in front of a fan so it would dry faster. Eager would be an understatement.
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| Natural light versus Indoor light! |
I love the results I got! The silk adds a lovely shine to the yarn, so it is not a flat color. I will definitely dye with INSilk and/or marigolds again, maybe combined with another flower!
After a few photos, I wound it into a ball and cast on immediately! The project of choice is Arbutus by Jane Richmond, from her book Island. I'll keep you posted with results!
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