I have an assignment due today. It’s a 6-step colour wheel made out of natural dyes. I kinda made a 15-step colour wheel…
(Oops… I didn’t realize it’s sideways and I don’t have time to fix it… you get the idea anyway!)
So this is yet ANOTHER component that I have totally fallen in love with! So right now we’re looking at getting the spinning wheel, leads on a loom AND now dyeing! Thanks to the Spider’s Workshop, I now know an alternative to acquiring another kitchen… Solar ovens! WOO HOO!!!!
The following are some pictures that I have snapped showing some of the dyeing process:
A tjanting (pronounced “jaunting”) tool used for wax resists aka to block out parts on a piece that you don’t want dyed
The dye kitchen
Dyes on the stove
The cutch pot
Cochineal
Indigo processing… This is a very cool, but very messy (and smelly) dye. It looks green when you pull your items out of the pot, but look at how it turns out!
Some of my nature dye samples
Keep Me In Stitchez: The Blog 
What great colours you have gotten with your natural dyes! I know you are supposed to measure everything so you can repeat colours, but I love just throwing the material in with the yarn and seeing what happens. Also the time of year and the part of the plant all effects the colour. I have used nettles and gotten pale blues instead of the normal greens.
Following your blog makes me want to get out there and do all sorts of stuff with my wool! Thanks for the boost.
Oooooh… blue with nettles! That would be a lot nicer than working with indigo! Did you try any mordants like alum/cream of tartar or vinegar? Those are supposed to help bring the colours out more.
I’m so glad reading about my school journey is getting giving you a boost! I think it’s awesome when something I have written has sparked something good within somebody đŸ™‚
Oh I love these photos. I love that you’re sharing. I love that I’m getting to learn right along with you. I can’t thank you enough. Patsye
I’m just so thrilled that you’re learning from my experiences! I really am having the time of my life and I love sharing it. Especially when others can benefit. I have been interested in the things we’ve been learning in the last little while for a very long time. But if you don’t know where to start to explore, it makes it hard. The funny thing about the dyes is that they are fairly simple to use and they’re readily available. I just didn’t know where to look! (Which reminds me… I forgot to post on of my assignments with some interesting links!) đŸ™‚
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE….I need to read through ALL your posts now!!! I have some madder root I need to prep for use in dyeing…and I just got a white ‘paca fleece…hmmm.
– from your fellow ADD craftster, Craftwich Creations (Monica Lowe)
You crack me up Monica! There are a lot of posts… I’d have to say that the ones I posted when I was in school are the most interesting. I didn’t want to forget a thing when I was going because I had waited so long to go. So they’re pretty detailed đŸ™‚