Make Your Own Niddy Noddy

I wrote an article on Wizzley about making a niddy noddy and how to use one. Read it HERE.

Fresh Batch of Fustic Dye

I did a fresh batch of fustic dye with just the blue vitriol this time. It came out pretty much exactly as the previous batch. I can't quite capture the color with the camera. It's a lovey green with yellow highlights.

Fustic and Copper

I saved the dye bath from the last post waiting for my little package of copper, or blue vitriol, to arrive. I knew it might make the wool more green so I added about a tablespoon full to the dye bath. This was the second batch of dyeing for the bath and it already had some alum in it. I didn't know what would come out. It turned out to be more of the khaki green I had read about. It's really an interesting color. I'm spinning some up to see it in a yarn.
I'll be doing another batch with fresh ingredients so I'll report back on that soon.

Dyeing with Fustic

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               I had just about had my fill of dyeing brown. I haven't had much luck dyeing a nice dark brown or black. I decided to use up some of the fustic wood chips I've had in a bag for a while. I heard it did a really clear yellow from one source and khaki from another. I read that there is an "old" fustic from south America and a "new" fustic from somewhere else. This is the Old Fustic. Well, nothing to do but give it a go.

I soaked  the chips for a couple of days, simmered them for about an hour and let them sit overnight. I added a pinch of alum and wet yarn. I simmered again for almost an hour and let sit overnight. I was using my stainless steel pot to keep things neutral since other metals can affect the outcome.

It came out a brighter yellow and much more intense than the picture even shows. I was really pleased with the color. I got these chips from a woodworker acquantance of mine. I've read that Osage Orange is a similar dye and that tree grows everywhere down here.

I'm waiting now for my blue vitriol to arrive and I'm going to try that with the dye bath I saved. I'm hoping for an interesting green. I'll keep you posted.                                  

Pecan Dyeing Part 2

I finished dyeing with the pecan dye.It didn't seem to be doing much so I added vinegar and waited another day or two. It started to look really dark, but when I rinsed it, all the dark dye washed out. Maybe I should have used a mordant. 

I was disappointed in the results, but it is a pretty shade of orangy brown. I'll try it again later. I still have a stash of pecans.

Pecan Dye

I've started an experiment - every batch of plant dye is an experiment!
I've read that pecans can be used as dyes much in the same way as black walnuts. I found some pecan trees and gathered a few nuts. It's early in the season so I didn't get many. I tried peeling off the outer green hull and ended up with a black thumbnail. The hulls DYED it.

I took a hammer and crushed the nuts and added water and left them to sit.

They've been sitting for about 3 days and have started to ferment. I'm going on a road trip for a day or two so they should be just about right when I get back.

Sun Dyeing with Kool-Aid and Rit Dye

I recently did some sun dyeing with Kool-Aid and Rit dye. Both came out great. It was easy to do, and the Kool-Aid dye is safe and easy to do with kids. Both came out very rich and deep though.

 

I have the complete tutorial HERE.

I finished the lichen dye and dyed some wool with it. It wasn't spectacular, but it is a nice brown. I wrote an article about the details on Wizzley (Click Here). Here's what it came out like. Not bad but a lot of time and work.

Lichen Dye

I started a fermentation batch of lichen dye. I read that I was supposed to let it sit for about four weeks. I'm determined to let it do its thing, but I forgot to write down when I started it. I have no idea now if it has been two weeks or four weeks. It could be six weeks for all I know. I read that most people don't let it sit long enough so I'm hanging in there as long as I can. I doubt that I'll get a real red, but the redder the better, as they say....

I tried to be careful with lichen and not gather anything that might be endangered. I stuck to the stuff that grows on branches that would blow off during a storm. I brought them in, dried them and stored them until I had enough for a batch. I might have to do a teensy bit just to see what it looks like.

Beginning with Natural Dyes - How to Dye with Tea

Natural dyeing of wool and fiber has become popular as a hobby and an art. Since two batches of the same dyestuffs can vary, each dyeing adventure produces a truly ..read more

How to Prepare Fleece for Spinning

I just posted a tutorial about preparing fleece for spinning on Wizzley.com. I also included some YouTube videos and pictures. Check it out here. Preparing Fleece for Spinning