Last spring I planted a bunch of my mom's dahlia bulbs in my garden. And they loved it there, I had so many! They were still blooming into september, so I picked some to use for this blog. I also had about 4 marigold heads from my sister's garden in reserve. But since I was worried it would be too similar, I also picked some bright pink geraniums. I wanted to attempt a 3-colored yarn, but in two ways. So I got two yarns.
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| Yup it is as cool as it looks!!! |
For my first yarn I chose Accordion by Schulana. I am planning on knitting a cowl, so I grabbed two balls. But to dye them, they needed to be in a skein. So I pulled out my vintage swift (best garage sale find ever!) and skeined them both into one.
The second yarn I chose was American B.R.A.N.D. American Brand is actually a yarn that is sourced, milled and dyed all in the US, and all the colors are natural dyes! :)
With the American Brand, I split the yarn into four skeins (without breaking the yarn). A gradient attempt!
I mordanted both yarns with alum, and while they cooled, I prepped the flowers!
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| Can you imagine how excited I was about this bright pink?? |
I strained each of the three flower dyes into three jars. For the accordion, I made a lil pie plate with foil, with three equal pie pieces, and placed the yarn in. I then poured half of each jar into each pie piece, turned the stove on, and let it heat. Almost immediately, the pink faded to a grey-brown. I whimpered, thinking the tin foil affected it somehow! It is aluminum after all??
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| Bottom left corner = Geraniums :( |
So for the American Brand I just laid it down in my dyepot, one section after the other. Right to left, I poured in the marigold, then the dahlia, then the geraniums... |
| Top: Boy oh boy the pink!!! Bottom: DANGIT! (Marigold and Dahlia still lookin' pretty though) |
What a bummer! I didn't find ANYTHING about dyeing with geraniums in my research, and now I know why. But don't worry, there's a happy ending!
Both yarns actually turned out really lovely. When I rinsed them, the geraniums washed out quite a bit, leaving a pale sage-y green. It's a nice, subtle contrast to the gold and orange.
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| Accordion on the Left, American B.R.A.N.D on the Right. |
So all in all I am happy with these! :)
The Accordion will eventually be a variegated cowl, and the American Brand will be a shawl of some sort. I am open to suggestions! I am hoping for something that will show the drama of the gradient I may have achieved.
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Previous in the series: Marigolds, Marigold FO
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Some things to know before dyeing (naturally or not):
• You should have a dedicated dye pot. Don't mix where you dye with where you cook.
• Also a dedicated stirring stick, measuring spoons, etc.
• Don't breathe in the mordants or dyes. Wear a mask, or a bandana. Keep a window open and/or a fan on.
• Different mordants can have different results.
• Same with different dyepots. Dyeing with a non-stick pot, aluminum, or cast iron pot will all vary.
• Please be careful, do lots of research, and have fun!
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