Natural Dyeing Series: Dahlias, Geraniums & Marigolds

   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.

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!

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??

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.

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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Natural Dyeing Series: Marigolds

   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).

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.

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.

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.

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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