Naturally Dyeing Homestead Wool from Your Flock

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Virgil Mills
6 years ago
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Naturally Dyeing Homestead Wool from Your Flock I r e c e n t l y g a v e a d e m o n stration on naturally dyeing homestead wool, during a gathering of homesteaders.

1 Naturally Dyeing Homestead Wool from Your Flock I r e c e n t l y g a v e a d e m o n stration on naturally dyeing homestead wool, during a gathering of homesteaders. You can completely change the look of your yarn in an afternoon. Choose the fleece or yarn you wish to dye, gather your raw materials, a few tools of the trade and simple, safe ingredients. The conference attendees were very interested in all aspects of self sufficient living and I was happy to see so many people interested in making natural dyes from plant sources. During the course of the day, I shared three different, easily obtained dye sources. Naturally dyeing homestead wool is an achievable goal, for small flock owners.

2 Tools Used When Naturally Dyeing Homestead Wool The tools needed for setting up dye baths, and mordant soaks are simple pots and pans. However, it is safer to obtain a set of used pots that can be designated for dye work. Most plants that yield dye are considered non-toxic. But why take that chance. Second hand shops, charity stores, flea markets and yard sales are good places to pick up some stainless steel pots and inexpensive tongs and strainers. Black bean dye fades to a softer blue, when dry. A kitchen scale is helpful when precise measuring is needed. Weighing your fiber gives you the information you need to calculate the amount of dye stuff needed, for a certain color or intensity of color.

Basic safety equipment, of goggles, dust mask, disposable gloves are good to have. Sometimes, the plant will give off fumes or dust that irritates your respiratory track, as you are working with it.

3 Basic safety equipment, of goggles, dust mask, disposable gloves are good to have. Sometimes, the plant will give off fumes or dust that irritates your respiratory track, as you are working with it. A hot plate burner or outdoor propane stove keeps the fumes out of your house. I found that an inexpensive single burner, electric hot plate was easier to regulate the heat than making dye on my kitchen stove. Drop cloths, or newspaper, are handy for keeping the mess to a minimum. Ph strips give you an idea of which mordants and modifiers might help you reach your desired color. Mordants and Modifiers Before you begin dyeing your yarn or raw wool, you will need to soak it in a mordant solution. Simmering the yarn in the pre-mordant bath for approximately 30 minutes, prepares the

4 yarn to accept the dye. Most of the time I pre-mordant a few skeins at a time, using vinegar in the water. Alum is another choice for the mordant and can be used as a pre-mordant. It is commonly found with canning supplies or ordered from a company that sells dye material. (alum is potassium aluminum sulfate)

5 After soaking the yarn or fiber in the pre-mordant bath, you can hang it to dry, lay it on a towel or go on to the dye phase. If you dry the yarn to use another day, re-wet the yarn

6 before dyeing. You do not have to pre-mordant again. Mordants help the dye and the fiber communicate. Without a mordant in the dye bath, the fiber may not take up as much color as it could. The mordant helps the fiber be receptive. Some dyes have a lot of naturally occurring mordant activity. Black walnut is high in tannin so you can leave out additional mordant when using this dye. Alum, Iron, Sumac, Tannins, and Rhubarb leaves are commonly used mordants. Be sure to dispose of the material in a safe manner, away from pets and children, after use. Color Modifiers This is the fun and wow time of naturally dyeing homestead wool. Each substance added to the dye pot will change the intensity or change the color of the dyed wool. Vinegar will brighten some colors, and washing soda can completely change the color! Other choices of modifiers are iron, and wood ash.

7 Dark turmeric dye Before you begin using mordants and modifiers, have a notebook and pen ready. You might think you will remember the additions

8 you made but it s likely you won t. Taking good notes as you proceed gives you a better chance of recreating a color that you love. Common Dye Materials Pokeberry Marigolds Tree Bark Turmeric Onion Skins Tea Weeds and Greens Acorn Hulls Black Beans Black Walnut Hulls Many green weeds can yield soft pretty colors too. The journey is fun. Research the use of different plants used in naturally dyeing homestead wool. Try out the ones that are easy for you to obtain first. Often, I will see something growing in the woods, and wonder if it could be used for making dye. Surprisingly, a number of interesting plants have been tested by others to see if they yield a lasting dye. Two Page Conference Printout from the Feel free to print out the following information from my presentation. After you are comfortable with the basic dye

9 procedure, branch out and find some interesting combinations of your own. I hope you agree that naturally dyeing homestead wool opens up a whole new level of creativity. Naturally Printout Dyeing Homestead Wool Naturally Dyeing Homestead Wool (1) Print out the two page handout by clicking the link or the picture below.

10 Black Walnut Hulls For Dye and Natural Medicine Black Walnut trees have stood next to our home for over 35 years. Other than dents in the roof, twisting my ankle on an unseen ball, and a source of enjoyment for my kids, I never saw much use for them. Now I am kicking myself for all the wasted black walnut harvests we could have been enjoying. I recently decided to collect some black walnuts in order to make a natural dye for our line of yarn. While researching how to make the dye, I came upon many other interesting articles and ideas. Did you know black walnut was one source for early quill and fountain pen ink? Black walnuts have been harvested for clothing and fiber dye for centuries but did you know that the hulls also have medicinal use? And then we could open up the many creative ways you can use the black walnut hulls and walnut shells for crafts and

11 decorations. All this before you even get to the delicious walnut meat inside. Ink from Black Walnut Hulls Black Walnut hulls make a lovely shade of dark brown ink that holds up well against light and air. If you enjoy calligraphy, pen and ink drawing or just want to experiment, this is an easy ink to make. When you husk the green outer covering off the black walnuts, break up the hulls into slightly smaller pieces. Add the hulls to a non reactive stock pot (stainless steele), cover with water and simmer. Some people describe that they soak the hulls for a few days before heating and others heat right away, and let the mixture cool and sit for a few days. After reading a few different accounts of how to make black walnut ink, I have concluded that it doesn t really matter at this point. Basically the steps are as follows:

12 1. Add husks to the stock pot and cover with water 2. Simmer for a couple hours (although some writers mentioned they only simmered for 30 minutes) 3. Cool the liquid 4. Strain through a muslin bag or cloth 5. Test the strength of the ink. If not dark enough, simmer longer to evaporate more water. Be careful not to scorch the ink by simmering too long 6. Test again. 7. When happy with the strength, filter again and pour into a glass jar or bottle. Leave room for the addition of alcohol for preservative. Recommended amount per volume is 1 part alcohol to 4 parts ink. 100 proof vodka or rubbing alcohol can be used. 8. When disposing of the hulls, keep in mind that the juglanes contain compounds that can inhibit plant growth. Do not dispose of the sludge in your garden, or near other trees. *store ink and dyes out of reach of children and pets. Making Dye From the Walnut Hulls After collecting a large bucket of green hulled black walnuts from the yard, I spent an afternoon with a hammer and a brick. The green hulls went into the stock pot for dye. The inner nutshell went on a framed screen for drying. the inner meat of the nut can be extracted. After drying,

13 For making dye to use with yarn, roving or cloth, you will need to add more water to the pot than when you made ink. I added two gallons to my stock pot. You will want to use a pot that will eventually accommodate the amount of material you wish to dye, along with suitable amount of liquid to cover. This part is not an exact science. Simmer the hulls in the water for a couple of hours. Black walnut dye does not need a mordant because of the high level of tannins in the hulls. The tannins will act as a mordant, making the color stick to the cloth or yarn. After the dye has simmered, strain out the hulls. I used a fine mesh strainer. If you want to be very certain that no plant material stays in the dye, you can use a muslin cloth to strain the dye. Return the dye to the stock pot. If the water level isn t high enough add more water. The dye should be a very dark brown

Should you soak and pre-mordant? Before adding the yarn or fabric to the dye bath, soak the yarn in water, bringing slowly to a simmer for at least an hour. This opens up the fibers to accept the dye.

14 Should you soak and pre-mordant? Before adding the yarn or fabric to the dye bath, soak the yarn in water, bringing slowly to a simmer for at least an hour. This opens up the fibers to accept the dye. When using other dyes a mordant, such as alum, would be added to the water to increase yarns ability to accept the dye. When using black walnut dye, you can use a mordant, but it isn t crucial. I used a pre-mordanted yarn for one batch of black walnut dye and did not mordant on another skein. The color was different, although both are a lovely shade of cocoa brown. Dyeing the Material Add the wet yarn or fabric to the dye bath after gently squeezing out some of the water. Do not wring! Felting can occur easily with wool yarn, water and heat. Slowly increase the heat in the dye bath to a low simmer. Or use the dye bath cold, allowing the yarn and dye to stand over night or for a couple of days.

15 Remove the yarn or cloth from the dye bath. I usually move it to a dish pan in the sink, or use the outside garden hose away from any plants. Rinse the yarn, being careful not to wring or agitate wool fiber. When the water runs clear, the yarn is ready for a shampoo. A drop or two of a textile detergent will finish off the yarn. Rinse the soap out, and hang the skein to dry. Dry completely before storing the yarn. Make notes as you go along and snip off a sample of the yarn for your notes. I always think I will remember what I did but reality is that I don t remember! Add information such as, mordant used, time of year, type of fabric or yarn, how long it sat in the dye bath.

Bottom row, L to R Turmeric, Pokeberry, Goldenrod, middle Pokeberry and Black walnut, Top, Black walnut Natural Worming Tincture from Black Walnut Hulls Having only recently learned of the medicinal

16 Bottom row, L to R Turmeric, Pokeberry, Goldenrod, middle Pokeberry and Black walnut, Top, Black walnut Natural Worming Tincture from Black Walnut Hulls Having only recently learned of the medicinal use of black walnut hulls for making a tincture, I can t give you any first hand accounts. I have done some research and talked to a couple of herbalist friends about how they use black walnut tincture. The resulting tincture from extracting the compounds out of the hulls, is an anthelmintic. Anthelmintics help the body expel worms. Eww factor! But if I had a case of worms, I would rather use a natural cure than taking a chemical product.

There is information regarding the use of black walnut tincture in livestock and in chickens. I have a half gallon mason jar brewing in my kitchen now.

Research and information can be found on using it to worm goats, sheep and dogs, but as I said, I have no first hand knowledge of the dosage or strength.

17 There is information regarding the use of black walnut tincture in livestock and in chickens. I have a half gallon mason jar brewing in my kitchen now. I should be able to strain and bottle it next week. Research and information can be found on using it to worm goats, sheep and dogs, but as I said, I have no first hand knowledge of the dosage or strength. I am looking into it and meanwhile making the tincture so I have plenty available to dose our herds and flocks if I find it a safe measure. It was my friend Chris from Joybilee Farm that mentioned using the black walnut hulls for medicinal purposes. I also found this information from WellnessMama which spells out a lot of the benefits of black walnut tincture. Black walnut is a natural astringent, lowers blood pressure, and aids digestive system problems. It can have an effect on flatulence, parasites. and heartburn. Please look into this for yourself as I don t feel qualified to give out herbal medicinal advice. Preparedness Mamma has a great post on making Black Walnut Salve Maybe you think all of this information is great but what you really want to know is how to eat the meat from the nuts or delicious recipes made using black walnuts. Here s a couple of ideas for you to review. Black Walnut Pie How to Harvest and Crack Black Walnuts Want to save this information to read later? Pin it using

18 this image! Are you looking for all natural yarns from free ranging, lovable sheep and fiber goats? Our flock creates beautiful yarns and roving every year. Please visit our shop here or our Etsy shop here.

20 natural dyed yarns listings coming soon Pokeberry Dye for Wool and Yarns

21 Pokeberry dye is made from the berries of the pokeweed plant. Pokeweed is considered a perennial herb plant. The stalk is thick and often droops over under it s own weight and the weight of the berries. The pokeberries grow on stems similar to a bunch of grapes. Don t mistake them for edible grapes, however. The pokeweed plant has varying levels of toxicity depending on the part of the plant used. Although the pokeweed is toxic to humans, people have enjoyed eating pokeweed salit for many generations. The dish is made using the young leaves of the plant.the leaves are boiled numerous times to remove the toxins, before being eaten. Animals and birds can and do eat the pokeberries and the leaves and it is a valuable source of food for many species. Rodents, birds, deer all rely on this source of nutrients as fall turns to winter. Pokeweed has been spread near and far by birds ingesting the berries and passing the seeds through their digestive tract.

22 Natural Dye From Plants The rich, vibrant color of the berries juices easily and makes a dye that can be used to permanently color fabric, wool, and yarns. We have a lot of pokeweed growing on our farm and I had been looking forward to trying to make the pokeberry dye and use it to color our natural yarn. I read quite a few different approaches to the idea before feeling comfortable about dyeing our yarn. The berries have such a rich deep magenta color. Protect your clothes, hands and work surface before beginning to make pokeberry dye. As with almost anything where natural substances are being used, things may not turn out as planned. It took many tries for me to receive a green color from Spinach Dye. Boiling the berry dye bath can result in a brown dye instead of a dark red or pink. Using a mordant to change the ph and the resulting color from the dye bath, is just the beginning of what you can do while using pokeberry dye. I will write more on mordants later in this post.

These are the steps I took to develop my version of Pokeberry Dye. I referred to quite a few other herbalists and fiber artists information in coming up with my own plan.

23 These are the steps I took to develop my version of Pokeberry Dye. I referred to quite a few other herbalists and fiber artists information in coming up with my own plan. Most notable was the recipe by Carol Leigh. It is available as a reprint in many publications. Carol Leigh seems to have found the best method of getting the purple and red color from the berries to stick to the yarn. In order to achieve the purple, deep red, or fuchsia you may need to leave some of the regular rules for using natural dyes behind and take a leap of faith. The Recipe for Pokeberry Dye

24 Inspired by Carol Leigh s Recipe Pokeberry dye is very easy to make as the berries break easily and the rich color seeps out immediately. Even the semi dried berries hold their color and when added to the water, re hydrate easily. I did not remove the berries from the stems as most recipes will instruct you to do. Leaves and debris were removed and the stems were separated into individual stems and berry clusters. The bucket I used to gather the berries is a two gallon bucket and I almost filled it with pokeberry stems and berries. I know a lot of recipes call for a much larger supply and my only guess is that they are planning to dye a much bigger stash of yarn. Place the Stems and Berries into a large stock pot that will not be used for food preparation. Pokeweed and some other dye stuffs are toxic. It is best to keep a separate set of tools for your dyeing work, just to be safe. The pan you use to mordant the fiber can be from the kitchen as usually nothing toxic will go into that pan. Do Not Boil! Start by covering the plant material with tap water, add one cup of vinegar. Bring the mixture almost to a boil but DO NOT boil the mixture. Immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and allow the berries and stems to release the color. Use an old potato masher to further squish the berries. After cooking for two hours, I turned off the heat and let the mixture sit overnight. The next day, strain the dye, reserving the dye in a temporary pan or container while you toss the spent berries and stems in the garbage. Don t add pokeweed parts to your compost as they have a lot of seeds. The compost bin will quickly turn into a pokeweed garden.

25 Carefully pour the dye into the dye pot again. A Note About Cooking Utensils for Dye Work You might be wondering what to use for this activity if I am suggesting that you don t use your kitchen pots and pans. I sure don t think it s necessary to go buy new pans for this. One idea is to shop flea markets and Goodwill type shops for used cookware. Try to find stainless steel or enamel coated pans. My stock pot for dye is an old granite steel stock pot that we had for years. I also have a wooden spoon that stays with my dye pot, and a fine mesh strainer for separating the plant material from the dye water. I use an old wash basin as an extra pan for discarding plant material to the garbage or for anything I need while working with the dyes. A pair of regular metal cooking tongs are helpful when retrieving the fiber or yarn from the hot dye bath.

26 Preparing the Yarn, Fiber or Fabric for the Dye Step 1- The first step when preparing to dye any yarn or fabric is to prepare it to receive the dye. This process is called the mordant. There are a few common methods to mordant the yarn or fabric. Salt, vinegar, alum and rust are a few easily obtained substances. In addition, keep in mind that each one will cause a different reaction when your fiber is added to the dye bath. The metals in your tap water will also play a part. For this dye experiment, I used vinegar as the soaking mordant with a small amount of alum added. 2 skeins of natural colored 100% wool yarn (400 yards total or 200 grams) 2 quarts of water 1 cup vinegar water to vinegar ratio of 1 to 8 1 tsp alum

27 Ease the yarn into the mixture of water, vinegar and alum in a non- aluminum pot. Always use care when working with wool and hot water. Do not agitate the fiber or cause friction from too much handling. Felting occurs in the presence of hot water and movement. Next, you ease the fiber into the water and gently push it down to get it thoroughly wet. Bring water, vinegar and alum to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour. Dyeing with Pokeberry Dye Ok ready to get to the fun part? Remove the yarn from the mordant water and without squeezing the water out, transfer it over to the dye bath. Gently push the yarn into the dye bath, until it is completely covered. Since the yarn is wet, it should sink readily into the dye bath. Now, add half of the mordant liquid to the dye bath.

Discard the remaining mordant water. Begin heating the dye bath. Bring close to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer the dye bath and fiber for two hours.

28 Discard the remaining mordant water. Begin heating the dye bath. Bring close to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer the dye bath and fiber for two hours. Turn off the heat and allow the yarn or fiber to sit in the dye bath overnight. It is important to note that boiling pokeberry dye can cause it to lose it s red color and become brown. After the Dye Process While wearing gloves, pull the dyed yarn from the dye squeezing out as much excess dye water as possible without

29 wringing the yarn. Squeeze gently and place on a screen to oxidize for at least two hours. Do Not Rinse the yarn yet! After at least two hours, rinse the yarn in cool water, changing the water until it runs clear. For Pokeberry, at this point, using soap may change the ph and cause the color to change. Rinse completely and place over the screens again to complete the drying. You need to make sure the yarn is not laid out in the sun, as this will also cause the color to change or fade. From my readings, pokeberry is color fast for gentle washing but is not light fast. Do not leave the yarns you dye with natural colors to sit out in the sunlight. Using the Exhaust Pokeberry Dye Bath of the If you still see rich levels of color in the dye bath, it is possible to attempt subsequent dye lots from the dye you used. I was curious, since my dye seemed to be very dark after

30 dyeing the two skeins of yarn. So, I grabbed a 2 ounce sample of wool roving and threw it in the mordant bath. pokeberry dye and 2 ounces of roving in a zip lock bag. I removed the roving to a plastic bag so I could start the dye again for the last two skeins.

lighter pink than the first dye After mordanting the roving, I tossed it into the dye bath. Lots of color immediately reached into the roving. So, I grabbed two more skeins of wool yarn.

31 lighter pink than the first dye After mordanting the roving, I tossed it into the dye bath. Lots of color immediately reached into the roving. So, I grabbed two more skeins of wool yarn. I was on an adventure after all. After properly mordanting the skeins, they entered the dye bath with the roving. After bringing the dye bath up to simmer, I heated the fiber, yarn and dye for a couple of hours. Turned off the heat and left it all to sit over night. In the morning I repeated the steps for oxidizing and then rinsing the fiber and yarn. While there was still considerable color left in the dye bath, I decided not to process any more from this batch. I noticed that some shading on the exhaust bath yarn was visible, so the

32 dye was weakening. The roving along the bottom was from the second dye. The two skeins of yarn followed and are slightly more orange-red. Note I did not use a modifier was used to create the deep fuchsia color. Only the vinegar and Alum from the mordant phase were used.

33 This is a photo of the first dye lot yarn and the second dye lot. Future Care of the Pokeberry Dye Fiber and Yarn From what I have read, when using a natural plant based soap to clean anything made from the yarn, it will help the color last. Most reports of color fading from exposure to light were not found to be true when using Carol Leigh s recipe and instructions. I would use caution about leaving the fiber or garment exposed to direct sunlight. Using alkaline soaps for laundering, does show an effect on the color. Remember that using colors from nature to dye fibers is a variable pursuit. Have fun with it and test small skeins to be sure you will get the color you are looking for. Modifiers can change the color of a dyed product.

Adding certain metallic substances, such as

34 Adding certain metallic substances, such as iron, copper, or washing soda, and salt can affect the color. It s a lot of fun to experiment with the colors freely given in nature. Read more about various dye plants used at a dyeing party on Homestead Honey. Looking for various shades of yellow from natural dyes? Check out this post from Joybilee Farm For more information, I am sharing the titles in my home library as suggested reading.

Pokeberry Dye for Wool and Yarns

Pokeberry Dye for Wool and Yarns Pokeberry dye is made from the berries of the pokeweed plant. Pokeweed is considered a perennial herb plant. The stalk is thick and often droops over under it s own weight