Guide to Dyeing wool

7/27/2019 Guide to Dyeing wool

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Guide toDyeing Yarn

Learn How to Dye Yarn Using

Natural Dyeing Techniques

presents


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O nce youve b sked in the bsolute joy th t co es ro le rning how to spin, youight st rt c sting round or other equ lly s tis ying pursuits. One o those isdyeing your y rn with n tur l dyes. Just s ncient people le rned th t they could in use their textiles with the colors o the e rth nd he vens using so e pretty si ple techniques, so c n you. Fro ro dside pl nts to your spice c binet to iner lin used uds, the world round you c n yield zing colors th t re h r onious ndb l nced. I gine y rn you h ve spun co bined with colors extr cted gently ro then tur l worldi gine bliss.

In this new eBook, you will le rn the ins nd outs o n tur l dyes, explore dyeingwith bl ck w lnuts s well s using n tur l hot springs to supply iner l ord nts(the glue th t holds the dye to the ber), nd get instructions or k ing sol rdyeing oven.

One o the oldest o Interwe ves public tions, Spin.Of is qu rterly g zine th t h s been roundsince 1977 inspiring spinners new nd old to ke be uti ul y rn nd nd ench nting w ys to use it. We

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A n Introductionto Natural Dyes B y D a g m a r K l o s

Know your dyesDyes re either n tur l (derived

ro n tur l resources) or synthetic( nu ctured). I ocusing onn tur l dyes here, which include sub-st ntive dyes, ord nt (or djective)dyes, nd v t dyes. Subst ntive dyes( lso c lled direct dyes) re dily

i p rt color without the id o spe-ci l dye subst nce (c lled n uxili -ry). Subst ntive dyes re w tersoluble nd include onion skins, bl ckw lnuts, s ron, bl ck te , nd tur-

eric. Tese dyes h ve v rying de-grees o color stness.

Mord nt dyes require the id o n

uxili ry subst nce ( ord nt) th tllows the dye to bond with the ber.

In so e c ses, it will i prove the col-or stness nd possibly ch nge thecolor the dyestu yields. For ex ple,

ber dyed with dyers greenweed ( Ge-nista tinctoria ) nd ord nted with

lu yields w r yellow; ord nt-

W hile synthetic dyes h ve been round little ore th n 150 ye rs, n tur l dyes d te to the beginnings o our textile history.Re e ber th t textile th t you s w in the useu or historic l exhibition th t w s de be ore the 1850s?Re e ber wh t be uti ul colors were in th t piece? Tose colors were the result o n tur l dyes. In ct, n tur lly dyed textiles h ve been round or 6,000 ye rs nd ybe ore.

Mother N ture provides us with ny nd v ried sources or colorpl nts ( owers, ste s, le ves, roots, berries,ruits, seeds), trees nd shrubs (le ves, twigs, b rk, wood), lichen nd oss, s well s bugs nd shell sh. M ny provide

color nd not lw ys the color you think; or ex ple, red ower will usu lly yield yellow color.Te three b sic rules o dyeing re: know your dye, know your ber, nd know your w ter.

Once you start exploring the world o natural dyes,youll nd that dyestu exists in areas you mayhave never thought to lookyour garden, road-side (think weeds), and spice cabinet or starters.


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ed with iron, it yields s ge green;ord nted with lu nd iron, it

yields n olive green. Alu sul te,lu cet te, nd iron re the only ord nts th t I use. Chro e, cop-

per, nd tin re toxic, nd I choose tovoid the . V t dyes, like subst ntive dyes,

need no ord nt to help x color tothe ber, but they re not w ter sol-uble nd require speci l process todye the ber. Te blue dyes o indigo

nd wo d nd the purple o cert inollusks re v t dyes.

Know your fber Is it protein ( ni l) or cellulose

(pl nt)? Protein bers include l-p c , ngor , c el, c shgor , c sh-

ere, dog, ll , oh ir, qiviut, silk,nd wool. Cellulose bers re cotton,

he p, jute, linen, nettle, p per, r y-on, r ie, lyocell, nd b sket kingteri ls such s r tt n, willow, split

wood, r f , nd sweetgr ss. Te typeo ber will indic te how it should bescoured nd how it should be or-d nted. Protein bers c n be h r edby subst nces with high pH ( lk line)such s sod sh ( co oningredient in household detergents).

ScouringScouring (or w shing) is i por-

t nt or re oving ny dirt, l no-lin, sizing, spinning oil, or othersubst nce th t y prevent thor-ough dye dherence. Orvus P ste,Synthr pol, ild unscented deter-gents, or neutr l so ps re ll co -

on scouring gents. Tese productsdo not cont in ble ches, brighteners,or ny other dditives, produce little

o , h ve neutr l pH, nd re s eor both pl nt nd ni l bers.

Fill dyepot with enough hot w -ter so the goods c n ove reely. Dis-solve the scouring gent in sep r tecont iner with hot w ter nd dd itto the dyepot, stirring well. Pl ce thegoods in the dyepot, c re ully rot t-ing the nd king sure they ll getscoured. Rinse the goods well in w -ter o the s e te per ture or slight-ly cooler, but be c re ul not to subjectwool or silk to dr stic te per turech nges th t c n d ge the bers orc use elting. Do not llow the goods

to cool down in the b th s this willredeposit dirt onto the goods. Forcellulose bers (especi lly cotton),use sod sh to help with the scour-ing process dd bout 1 3 cup o sod

sh or every 8 ounces o goods. Donot use sod sh on protein bers sit will h r the ber.

MordantingI use lu sul te or protein -

bers nd lu cet te or cellulosebers. O ten your supplier will pro-

vide instructions or how uch or-d nt to use. I you re e ger to begindyeing but h ve no lu , you c n usepickling lu ro your spice c binet(its ood gr de nd there ore oreexpensive, but it will work). Use ny-where ro 2.5 to 5 t blespoons perpound o ber. Dissolve the lu in s ll gl ss cont iner o boiling w ter,

dd it to the dyepot, dd the goods,nd gr du lly bring the pot to si -er, holding it t si er or n

hour. urn o the he t nd let thepot cool overnight. In the orning,rinse the ord nted goods in w tero the s e te per ture. Your goods

re now re dy to dye. You c n s veyour ord nting w ter to use l t-er (though you will h ve to re reshit with ore ord nt) or disc rd its ely (see the box bove).

Know your water While it is i port nt to know your

w ter, I lw ys suggest th t you rsttry the w ter th t co es out o yourt p. Are you h ppy with the color re-sults? E ch n tur l dye is unique ndh s its own idiosyncr sies: so e workbest in h rd w ter, so e in so t w -ter, nd with so e, it doesnt see to

tter. In ddition to being used s ord nt, iron is pri rily known or

its bility to s dden or odi y color.I you h ve iron in your w ter, it will

odi y the color whether you w nt itto or not. Cochine l, very sensitive

Just because it's a natural dye doesnt mean there are nosa ety concerns. Protect yoursel as well as the environment. Foryoursel , use sa ety glasses, rubber gloves, a nonpermeable apron,

and a dust mask or respirator. For the environment, neutralize dyebaths i necessary be-ore disposing. Use pH testing papers (see below) to test the pH levels o the dyebath.

Add vinegar to a dyebath that is greater than 7 (basic) and ammonia to a dyebath that islower than 7 (acidic) to neutralize it. Make sure to keep small children and animals away

rom your dye area. Keep your dye utensils and pots separate rom your eating utensilsand pots. Keep all ood away rom your dye area.

Dyeing safely

Materials list

The potential of hydrogen (or pH) indicates the concentra-tion o hydrogen in a solution on a scale rom 0 to 14, with 7being neutral. The more hydrogen a substance contains, the more

acidic it is (low pH, such as vinegar); the less hydrogen, the more alkaline it is (high pH,such as ammonia).

You can buy pH papers at pool or science-lab supply stores to test the pH level o your dyebath.

Safety glasses orgoggles

Rubber gloves Nonpermeable

apron Dust mask or

respirator Measuring spoons Pickle jars or

other glasscontainers

Stainless steeldyepots

Stir stick or longspoon

Strainer Heating system Access to hot and

cold water Drop cloths Gram scale Dyestuff

Mordant( or protein orcellulose fbers)

Scouringagent (such asOrvus Paste orSynthrapol)

Drying rack

Optional Ammonia Vinegar pH testing papers

What is pH?


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dye, c n shi t ro red to purple i there re tr ces o iron in the w ter,even i your w ter is ltered. One si -ple w y to test your w ter is to dye twos ples o the s e ber (or test v -riety o bers in the s e dyeb th)

nd dye (use cochine l i you c n) us-ing t p w ter or one s ple nd dis-

tilled w ter or the other. Re e berth t chipped en el pots c n le chiron into your dyeb th.

Where to dyeDoing your n tur l dyeing out-

side (we ther per itting, o course)is lw ys ide l. For ye rs I did y dyeing in the kitchen, but I lw yscle red ll work sur ces (countertops

nd t bles) nd covered the withnewsp pers or old textiles (sheets, t -blecloths, towels, etc.). I de sure

no ood w s out nd used dedic tedequip ent or dyeing ( e ning th tI never used dyeing utensils nd pots

or cooking, ever). Keep your dyeingutensils nd pots sep r te so th t no

ist kes c n be de. L ter I ovedto the b se ent where I h d stoveunder window with ventil tion

n. For indoor dyeing, g s or electricstoves llow you to control the te -per tures e sily. Hot pl tes work butc n t ke long ti e to he t l rgedyepot. For outdoor dyeing, c p-stoves nd prop ne- ueled cr b orlobster pots work ( s do but ne- u-eled port ble cookstoves)thoughthe uel will need to be repl ced onocc sion, nd on windy d ys, they c n t ke longer to he t the pot. O course, there is lw ys sol r dyeing,which just requires sunny d ys ndp tience (see Sun-Kissed Dyeing by Je nnine B kriges on p ge 12).

Preparing the dyestu When you begin, it is essenti l to

h ve your dyestu re dy. For eeceor roving, esh b g helps to keepthe ber together. For y rn, kethe skeins re son ble length. I likeworking with 1- to 2-y rd skeinsth t re tied with t le st our g-ure-eight ties loosely looped cross-wise long the length o the skein.Longer skeins c n be troubleso e

nd e sy to t ngle.

When dyeing, I like to scour ndord nt one d y, let the ord nt-

ed ber sit in the dyeb th overnight,nd dye the next d y bec use well-

wetted ber t kes the dye better. Onthe second d y, prep re the dyepot.

I you h ve never dyed, st rt withowers ro your g rden (or ro

neighbor who is willing to sh re). Ilove dyeing with rigolds; I h ve s ll sunny re th t is devoted toFrench rigolds. Dyeing with justthe owers gives the cle rest yellows. You c n lso dye with the le ves ndste s, but the colors beco e uted.

Pl ce 5-g llon p int str iner intoyour dyepot, dd the owers, ndthen w ter, llowing the owers toso k or short while. Ten gr du lly r ise the he t to 150 to 180 degreesF hrenheit or bout n hour. You

will see the owers rele sing colorinto the dyepot. Re ove the str inerholding the owers nd set side. I necess ry, dd ore w ter to the dye-pot nd then dd the goods. Gr du l-ly r ise the te per ture to si er

nd hold or n hour. Allow the berto cool down in the dyepot be ore re-

oving it to void ch nging the te -per ture o the ber dr tic lly, sthis c n c use wool bers to elt. Re-

ove the goods nd llow the todry co pletely.

Ten rinse the berI usu lly pl ce the ber into bucket o coolw ter nd let it so k or inuteor two, checking to see i ny dye isco ing o . I not, then I h ng it upto dry g in. I there is color rele sedinto the rinse w ter, I rinse the goodsin w r w ter with little OrvusP ste to re ove the excess dye. I , -ter re oving the ber, the dyeb thstill h s color, you c n continue touse it until the color is exh usted. Orpl ce the used owers into n e p-ty dyepot, dd resh w ter, nd gen-tly he t the dyeb th g in to rele se

ore color. You c n chieve gr d -tion o yellows this w y.

Underst nding the b sics o howto get color onto ber llows you tocontinue to explore success ully. A dye pl yd y c n be un nd rew rd-ing experience, providing you withgre t colors or your projects. z

Dagmar Klos o Chicago, Illinois, hasbeen involved in and in love with textilessince early childhood when her grand-mother taught her how to embroider. Shehas achieved the Handweavers Guild o Americas Certi cate o Excellence in Dyeing,she is the author o The Dyers Companion (Interweave, 2005), and or eleven years, shecopublished and coedited The Turkey Red

Journal (a technical newsletter dedicated tonatural dyes). Dagmar is the technical editor

orSpin.Ofs dye articles and teaches at theFine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles,Illinois.

ResourcesC rdon, Do inique. Natural Dyes:

Sources, radition, echnology and Science.London: Archetype Public -tions, 2007.

De n, Jenny. Wild Color.New York:W tson-Guptill Public tions, 1999.

Klos, D g r. Te Dyers Companion. Lovel nd, Color do: Interwe ve,2005.

L bert, Ev , nd r cy Kend ll.TeComplete Guide to Natural Dyeing. Lovel nd, Color do: Interwe ve,2010.

Liles, J. N. Te Art and Cra t o NaturalDyeing: raditional Recipes or Mod-ern Use. Knoxville, ennessee: Uni-versity o ennessee Press, 1990.

Wipplinger, Michele. Natural Dye Instruction Booklet. Se ttle, W sh-ington: E rthues, 2005.

DVDsIndigo: A World o Blue. V ncou-

ver, British Colu bi : M iwProductions, 2005.

In Se rch o Lost Colour: Te Story o N tur l Dyes. V ncouver, Brit-ish Colu bi : M iw Productions,2007.

Websites

www.e rthues.cowww. iw .cowww.pburch.net/dyeing


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I t is October on our ho este d inupst te New York. Te surround-ing hills re sc rlet nd gold withple trees in their utu n glory.

Rosy red pples peep out ro underthe le ves on the orch rd trees. Pu p-kins glow or nge under the vines, ndthe squ sh re ripe or the picking. Ted ys re crisp nd the nights re nippy.

he woolly co ts on the sheep h vegrown thick nd w r to keep out theco ing cold. Te squirrels hurry ndscurry bout illing their holes withnuts or the winter. A eeling o ur-gency is in the ir. We, too, re busy bringing in the h rvest nd prep ring

or snug winter in our log c bin.One orning, I w ke to the world

white with rost. Te to to nd cu-cu ber vines l y de d in the g rden. A bl zing sun rises in cloudlessblue sky. As its r ys touch the rost-ed le ves on the bl ck w lnut trees,the bl ckened le ves c sc de to theground. Like gig ntic h ilstones,the nuts ll, too, so e hitting ourlog c bin roo nd reverber ting likethunder. Tis is the d y or collectingthe nuts. We ll buckets nd bucketswith the round green nuts. E ch nutis surrounded by thick green husk,

king it bout the size o n p-ple. Te bitter- vored husks do notppe l to the squirrels, so they will-

ingly le ve the bl ck w lnuts to uswhile they rob the h zelnut bushes.

Preparing the husksWe s sh e ch husk o with

h er nd l y the nuts out to dry on screen be ore st shing the

w y in s cks, to cr ck s t sty tre ton winter d ys. As we h ndle the

resh nuts nd husks, our h nds rest ined d rk brown nd our nger-n ils re bl ck. Te subst ntive dyein the bl ck w lnut husk is re dy toooze out nd st in nything it touch-

es. Tis is the dye th t is y delight.Every ll, I ke big b tch o itto dye the y rn or the thick, wool-ly socks th t I knit to keep our eetto sty w r . Te husks cont in t n-nin, which cts s its own ord ntto ke the color st. R ther th n

ding with ti e, the color see s tod rken slightly. It is extre ely light-

nd color st.I love w lnut dye or the be uti-

ul sh de o brown I get ro it nd

bec use I dont h ve to use or-d nt with it. I unco ort ble us-ing subst nces th t h ve c utions o do not inh le, do not touch, do notsw llow. oo ny dye pl nts re-quire such ord nts. I not c re-

ul. I never we r gloves nd I c nti gine ysel in goggles, ce

sk, or even n pron. I w nt tobe inti tely connected with every-thing I do eeling it, s elling it,

nd so eti es even t sting it. Bl ckw lnut llows e to do th t. I sug-gest we ring old clothes (bl ck w l-nut st ins everything per nently)

nd reco end gloves or those whowould r ther not h ve st ined h nds

nd bl ck ngern ils (it will w sh o with ti egive it onth).

Preparing the dyebathI st rt o the dyeing process by

putting the husks into n old pillow-c se. I usu lly use bout 5 g llons o husks in e ch dyeb th. Next, I pl cethe pillowc se in n 8-g llon pot ndpour w ter into the pillowc se ullo husks until the pot is ull. Ten Itie the pillowc se r ly shut with sturdy piece o y rn. I I were to pl cethe pillowc se into ull pot o w ter,

the pillowc se would o t like bub-ble, nd the husks would not be co -pletely i ersed in w ter.

I so k the husks or week or two,nd ost o the dye oozes out into

the w ter. Te process would be thes e i I were to dye with w lnuttwigs. Te twigs s well s the le vesgive nice sh des o brown nd, likethe husks, require no ord nt. Tele ves, however, need to be so kedonly overnight.

Dyeing withBlack Walnutsb y E l i z a b e t h F a h e y

Homesteader, Elizabeth Fahey, dyes woolwith walnuts over an open re to make her

amily handspun, handknitted, naturally dyedsocks.


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1) Elizabeth smashes eachblack walnut with a hammerto remove the green husk that is used or dyeing. 2) Elizabeth puts the walnuthusks in an old pillowcase,places the pillowcase in abucket, and lls it with waterbe ore tying it closed and let-ting it soak or a week or two. 3) Elizabeth spinning on herAsh ord Elizabeth spinningwheel. 4) Elizabeth gettingready to put the yarn into theprepared dyebath. 5) Yarndyed with black walnut husks,hung up to dry. 6) Elizabethssisters Anna Marie, Francesca,and Rose knitting, spinning,and carding wool. Anna Marieis knitting socks with hand-spun yarn dyed with black walnuts.

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It w s the second o Dece ber, Sund y, nd 34 F. At the b thsin the vill ge o Ojo C liente innorthern New Mexico, y riends,C rol Ellick nd Loni Viklund, ndI could see our bre th s we w lked

ro the c r p st re n nts o snowpiled in the sh dows o cottonwoodsto which the l st brown le ves were

clingingtrees th t h d bl zed yellowg inst the cle r turquoise sky just ew weeks e rlier. People in ip- opsnd ski py Speedos s untered p st on

the w lkw y to the in b thhouse,their terry-cloth robes o ering sc ntco ort ro the rosty ir. Othersneck-deep in n outdoor pool w ved

nd s iled s we st red. Ah, but thesere hot springs, I told ysel .

Ojo Caliente (O-ho Calee-EN-tay,Spanish or hot spring) is said to havebeen named by sixteenth-century con-quistadors who came to the area cen-turies a ter the ancients, ancestors totodays Pueblo peoples, had built largepueblos and terraced corn elds near-by. According to literature handed outby the spa, Antonio Joseph oundedOjos rst health spa with overnightlodging in 1880.

I h d co e to these unpretentioussprings to run n tur l dye experi-

ent. I w nted to nd out i n tur lhot-spring w ters cont in dissolvedsubst nces th t c n both x pl ntdye onto ber nd ect its color.

Cotton w s grown, spun, nd worns clothing in New Mexico centuries

be ore the ti e o Colu bus. 1 Muse-u collections o An s zi striped bl n-kets d ting to the 1300s exhibitstripes woven in still-bright yellow,white, bl ck, nd red cotton y rns. I

w nted to know how cotton could bedyed so th t colors re in bright terso e 700 ye rs, especi lly since cot-ton re ins so resist nt to color stdyes, even with odern technology,th t its genetics re being ltered toproduce colored lint in the boll.

Most dyepl nts work well on ni-l bers, so I decided to rig y rst

dyeing experi ent or success. Iknew th t dog h ir w s co onni l ber used in pre-Colu bi n

New Mexico, be ore Sp nish settlersbrought sheep, so riend collected

ur or e ro her Gre t Pyrenees, Yesk (the Big Y). Using y old Ash ord r dition l nd short dr w,I rst spun se iworsted y rn rothe co bed ur with no ddition lprep r tion nd then plied it to yield

two-ply y rn t bout 1,350 y rdsper pound. Te dog ur w s re son-

bly cle n so I did not scour it be oreking s ll skeins th t weighed 2

gr s e ch.B ck t the sp , I h l - lled one-

g llon gl ss j rs ro the lithi spring(100 F by y ther o eter) nd the

rsenic t p (102 F), nd sked noutdoor b ther to t ke nother j r tothe iron-spring pipe (98 F). Loni h dto swi co pletely cross notherpool to h l - ll j r t the sod -spring pipe (95 F). I h l - lled th j r with 80 F well w ter ro drinking ount in loc ted ne r theentr nce s sort o control s ple. Ithen dded 2-gr skein o dry,unw shed Big Y chiengor to e ch j r, long with 10 gr s o dried dod-der (Cuscuta sp.). Dodder is p r siticpl nt th t l cks chlorophyll ndyields pure yellow to protein bers(l rge in est tions o dodder look likeor nge sp ghetti thrown on the sideo the ro d). Te pl nt lso dries into

thin thre ds th t I thought wouldrehydr te quickly during the ti e

r e o our sp visit (4 hours). I pur-pose ully used uch ore dyestu

or the ount o y rn th n I ordi-n rily would use to ke sure th tl ck o dye wouldnt be proble inthe experi ent. Nor lly I use tle st two to one r tio o dyestu to

y rn, but dont worry bout being tooprecise. My vorite n tur l dyebooks include Ji Liless Art and Cra t o Natural Dyeing , K ren C ssel-

ns Cra t o the Dyer , Id Gr es Natures Colors, rudy V n Str lens Indigo, Madder, and Marigold , nd RitBuch n ns A Weavers Garden nd ADyers Garden.

While C rol nd Loni enjoyed thesprings, I tended the dye j rs th t

o ted gently in the tub o hot rsenicw ter th t I dr ined nd re lled s thew ter cooled. Te w ter te per ture

ver ged bout 100 F. All the iner lw ters elt di erent ro ordin ry w ter, but the rsenic w ter w s espe-ci lly s ooth nd slick to the touch.By the ti e our visit to the sp w sup, the dye h d steeped in ll the j rs,

nd I hoped th t color tr ns er w sunderw y. I wr pped the j rs in towelsto keep the w r during the journey b ck to y ho e in S nt Fe.

Wh t w s usu lly ninety- inutedrive stretched into three hours s weshopped nd te our w y b ck totown. So I lled y ho e b thtubwith 110 F w ter to bring the dye j rs b ck up ro the 80 F to whichthey h d cooled during the trip. L terth t evening y husb nd i sug-gested th t I pl ce the j rs in l rgeinsul ted cooler lled with hot w terto reduce the ount o w ter need-ed; the coolers lid would lso keepthe w ter hot longer.

In Hot WaterExperiments with natural springs and vegetable dyes

B y G l e n n a D e a n

1 Dean, Glenna. Would history have been diferent i wedknown about Anasazi cotton? Spin.O 23, 3 (Fall 1997),6062.


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1) Dried dodder ( Cuscuta sp.), the dyeplant or this

experiment.2) The arsenic-water spring tap.3) The lithia-water spring.4) The iron-water spring (the pipe is in the rock wall

to the right o the woman with the water bottle).5) Yeska, the Great Pyrenees.6) The soda-water spring (the pipes are in the back

wall).

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Te j rs st yed t te per turesbetween 80 F nd 95 F or the next

our d ys s I dr ined nd re lled thecooler e ch orning be ore I le t orwork nd e ch evening round supper

ti e. Te dye w ters gr du lly turnedv rying sh des o reddish brown,except or the well-w ter control,which w s cloudy yellow. Te wellw ter g ve pH re ding o 5 to 6( cid), while ll the iner l-w terdyeb ths g ve pH re dings o 7 to 8(neutr l).

I took the dye j rs ro their hot-w ter b th t 8:00 am on the ourthd y (co p ny w s co ing, nd weneeded the b thtub), nd I w iteduntil I c e ho e ro work be ore

re oving the skeins ro the j rsnd t gging the with p per l bels.

Te dyeb ths, un opened since they rns nd pl nt teri l went intothe , s elled like science experi-

ent gone b d. Te rsenic nd lithiw ters were the worst, crossbetween st gn nt pond w ter nd thesul urous ir t the YellowstoneN tion l P rk geyser eld. An insub-st nti l l yer o wh t looked to be

old o ted t the edges o the lithidyeb th, while thin sticklike teri-

l o ted on the rsenic dyeb th.

So ething see ed to be growing onthe sur ce o the well-w ter b th,too. I pulled out y icroscope ro

y or er c reer in rch eobot ny nd ound in ll the j rs teensy ov-

ing rods th t r ced cross the eld o view t 1,000 gni c tionli e illionth-o - - eter s ll th t h d

been cultured ro unsterilized pl ntteri l nd dog ur during the d ys

in the w r w ters.Te dyed y rns, bristling with dod-

der r g ents like porcupines, h dt ken on color during their st y inthe dyeb thsthe rst sign o suc-cess! I le t the to dry without rins-ing in the hope o producing

xi u color. When the y rns

dried, di erences in color bec epp rent. Te rsenic- nd lithi -dyed

y rns were the d rkest sh de o yel-low, ollowed by the sod -dyed y rn;

ll three h d de nite greenish c st. Yellow pl nt dyes co only shi t togreens in the presence o iron, so thegreen here sug gested th t the rsenic,lithi , nd sod w ters ll cont iniron. Yet, contr ry to y expect tionso d rk olive green, the iron-dyedy rn w s notice bly lighter yellowth n the others, but it lso h d greenish c st. o top it ll o , the

well-w ter control skein w s sur-prising rosy beige, which suggestedth t the color c e not ro dodderbut perh ps ro iner ls in the

cidic w ter. Te colors did not

di inish when they were rinsed witht p w ter nd dried. Tey did so tenwhen I so ked the brie y in yucc -root suds ye r l ter in n tte pt tot e the overpowering or-pitys-s ke-ple se-throw- e-out odor o the y rns. Be ten to o in w ter,the roots o Yucc el t , so ptreeyucc , the st te pl nt o New Mexi-co, yield nondetergent cle nserknown s ole. Te concoction h sbeen used since pre-Colu bi n ti esby tr dition l we vers nd dyers s

cle ner. Over the next three ye rs,the y rns gr du lly ssu ed rosy-beige-brown sh des th t prob bly re ect iron dissolved in ll the iner-

l w ters nd i ply th t ny o thew ters would h ve produced thes e e ect over ti e.

Tese results justi y y origin lthought: n tur l hot-spring w terscont in dissolved subst nces th t c nboth x pl nt dye onto protein

ber nd ect its color. Tus thisworking hypothesis see s re son-

ble: ncient people could h ve usedhot iner l w ters s p rt o theirdye techniques.

Why do these ndings hold inter-est or the archaeologist? Any dyerwho works with plants knows that amordant is needed to x the dye toplant or animal berexcept ordyes that already act as mordants.Examples o these package deals arebarks and nuts, which o ten containthe mordant tannin, and dyes that

The dyed, dried, unrinsed skeins. Le t to right and top to bottom: well water, undyed controlskein, lithia water, iron water, soda water, and arsenic water.

The ve dye jars a ter our days incubation inthe bathtub. Le t to right: arsenic water, lithiawater, soda water, iron water, and well water.


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incorporate sel -mordanting lichens.O the mordants, alum is the mostcommonly used and is widely avail-able today in various orms. In thepast, what is called native alum was

collected rom certain localities inNew Mexico and Arizona or use indyeing. Without tannin, acid, oralum, ew plant dyes will afx to ani-mal or plant bersthe yarns wontretain the color. But as this experi-ment shows, dyeing is possible inmineral-rich hot-spring waters withno additional mordant, only dyestu and yarn. Color astness is apparently an issue with dodder, at least in com-bination with an amole rinse, and Ineed to explore this issue urther.

Te dissolved iner l content o the w ters t Ojo C liente Sp is notwell known. In or tion ro che i-c l n lyses sh red with e by Fr nkM uro, whose ily owned the spye rs go, indic tes th t iron is pres-ent in both the rsenic nd ironw ters nd bsent ro the wellw ter, but det ils on the sod ndlithi w ters were un v il ble.Interestingly, Mr. M uros n lysesshow th t there is ore iron in the

rsenic w ter th n in the iron w ter,lthough both cont in inute

ounts o chro iu nd even tee-nier ounts o copper. Tese iner-

ls likely expl in the greenish c st towh t should h ve been yellow dyes inthis experi ent.

Fin lly, the experi ent h s co -plex i plic tions or y origin l ques-tion bout red-dyed cotton. It lookslike Ill just h ve to return to the sp

nd experi ent so e ore. z

T nks to M rilyn McCr y, Ger ldineC pos, Sus nne Robuck, nd Jose-phine G rci o the Ojo C liente Sp

or llowing e to collect w ter s -ples nd spend ste y ternoonwith y j rs o dye. T nks lso toFr nk M uro or sh ring his knowl-edge nd e ories o the sp ndits he ling w ters. Fin lly, th nks to

Loni Viklund nd C rol Ellick or in-viting e long on their trip to t kethe w ters.

Glenna Dean is the New Mexico state ar-chaeologist. An inveterate experiment-er, she enjoys nding out i and how bers,textiles, and especially colors could havebeen made in the past and what the ar-

chaeological evidence or such colors mightbe. She recently moved an hour north o Santa Fe to the tiny village o Abiquiu withher husband and black lab Sabu, acquiringa yellow lab, a cat, and a pasture ull o vis-iting horses along the way. She hasnt seenher books or les or a year.

ResourcesBuch n n, Rit . A Dyers Garden.Love-

l nd, Color do: Interwe ve Press,1995.

. A Weavers Garden. Lovel nd,Color do: Interwe ve Press, 1999.

C ssel n, K ren. Cra t o the Dyer. New York: Dover, 1993.

Gr e, Id . Natures Colors. New York:M cMill n, 1974.

Liles, Ji . Te Art and Cra t o NaturalDyeing: raditional Recipes or Mod-ern Use. Knoxville, ennessee: heUniversity o ennessee Press, 1990.

V n Str len, rudy. Indigo, Madder, and Marigold.Lovel nd, Color do: Inter-we ve Press, 1994.

The yarns a ter they had been rinsed with soaptree yucca. 1) undyed , 2) arsenic, 3) soda,4) iron, 5) well water, and 6) lithia.

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T he Su er 1993 issue o Spin.

O e tured our rticles onsol r dyeing th t piqued y

interest nd set the st ge or ye rs o person l experi ent tion using thesun s he t source or dyeing. Herew s process th t llowed one to dye

without h ving to tend re, n elec-tric hot pl te, or g s burner.

I worked s historic l interpretert Bl ck Creek Pioneer Vill ge inoronto, Ont rio, C n d , ro 1995

to 1998. H l y shi t during theweek w s spent spinning nd n tur ldyeing inside nd outside the oldestvill ge building. During work I quick-ly developed love or identi ying,picking, nd cooking up loc l pl nts

nd i ported n tur l dyestu s. A ter rere ding Sol r Box Dye-

ingM king R inbow With Recy-cled C rdbo rd nd Free Energy, by Colleen Kozlowski nd Don nnRe und in the Su er 1993 issue o Spin.O , I wrote to the Sol r BoxIntern tion l ddress listed t theend o their rticle. I sent or theirsol r cooker instructions. It took eless th n n hour to put it together

nd p int the gl ss j rs.

Brighids Dyers

Brighids Dyers w s or ed in 2003when I envisioned other ber-lov-ing olks co ing up with innov -tive w ys to sol r dye. We n ed ourgroup ter the Celtic goddess Brighidwho w s born with the sun shoot-ing out o her he d. By our Nove -ber 2004 nishing d te, ten o thesixteen people who st rted experi-

enting with sol r dyeing h d eitherdyed ber, h ndspun skeins, or co -pleted sol r-dyed nished project(s).

So e h d t ken y Brewing N tur lDyes with Sol r wist cl ss (o ered

t the 2002 Northe st H ndspinners Associ tion G thering in 2002 ndthe Ver ont Fiber Retre t in 2004)while others h d n extensive dye-

ing b ckground. Most si ply set outwith n open ind nd willingnessto experi ent; they could choose touse n tur l or che ic l dyestu s. Teproject p rticip nts re Leon Stone-bridge Arthen, Je nnine B kriges, LizCelli, r Christensen, M ureenCl rk, Leslie M rkey, erry Miller,Leslie Powers, Anne Riker, nd Eliz -beth Szczesni k-Johnson.

Te r nge o projects produced,the colors chieved, nd the o ten

unusu l ethods used by BrighidsDyers were zing. Here re so eo the highlights.

Inspired by the colors o autumnleaves, Leona Stonebridge Arthen dyed Cormo roving with goldenrod

tops or butter yellow and tansy topsor moss green; she got a glowingorange by overdyeing the disappoint-ing results o a curly dock bath withmadder root. She added her mordant(tin and cream o tartar or the gold-enrod and madder dyebaths, and er-rous sul ate or the tansy bath) to herdyepots a ter removing the plantmaterial and be ore adding the ber.Leona made a solar oven by lining anold beverage cooler with aluminum

Sun-Kissed DyeingAchieving beautiful colors with solar powerB y J e a n n i n e B a k r i g e s


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oil topped with a double pane win-dow. She ound the temperature in herclear jars reached about 120 degreesand eels that this low temperaturecontributed to the clear colors. Leonaused the roving to knit a lively, cloche-style hat rom the top down.

Liz Celli de stunning enve-lope purse, which Teresa OBrien wet- elted or her, ro Merino,

oh ir, nd R bouillet eece.Using Umbilicaria lichen- nd t nsy-dyed h ndspun y rns, Liz e bel-lished the purse with Deer eldcrewel e broidery p ttern ro the1700s. She sol r-dyed the y rns nd

bers th t Teres elted in bl cken el pots put on wooden c r-ri ge-w gon se t topped with cle rpl stic l wn- urniture cover.

Tamara Christensen designed avividly dyed, handknitted handbag.Using alum and cream o tartar orpremordants, she dyed scoured Bor-der Leicester eece with goldenrod, jewelweed, and Brazilwood. Sheplaced clear glass jars on analuminum-covered cart that could bewheeled around to take best advan-tage o the sun. Each color eece washandcarded separately and then spunin a random ashion to make a varie-gated yarn.

1) Elizabeth Szczesniak-Johnson, 2) Leona Stonebridge Arthen, 3) Tamara Christensen,4) Liz Celli and Theresa OBrien.

1) Wool dyed with black walnuthull by Anne Riker, 2) Merino andmohair dyed with goldenrod byLeslie Powers, 3) Wool dyed with

erns by Maureen Clark,4) Cormowool dyed with goldenrod andcurly dock, overdyed with madderroot by Leona Stonebridge Arthen,5) Wool dyed with coreopsis cut-tings by Anne Riker, 6) Merino andmohair dyed with Gaywool aciddyes (Citrus) and onion skins byLeslie Powers, 7) Cormo wool dyedwith tansy and curly dock andoverdyed with madder root byLeona Stonebridge Arthen,8) Merino wool dyed with tomatovines and overdyed with golden-rod by Leslie Markey, 9) Cormowool dyed with tansy and golden-rod by Leona Stonebridge Arthen,10) Wool dyed with chokecherryleaves and twigs by LeonaStonebridge Arthen.

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Maureen Clark dyed wool eecewith erns g thered behind her ho e.She si ply set the chopped erns,

ord nt, nd w ter in bl ck ro sterp n outside on the ground. A ter

ew d ys, she re oved the erns ndpl ced dry wool in the dye liquor. A

ew ore d ys o dyeing, ollowed by rinsing, yielded pretty, so t yellow.

Leslie Markey, who h d only beenspinning or little ore th n ye r,cre ted her be uti ul spindle-spun,

our-ply, h ndknitted socks ro Aus-tr li n Merino top. She sol r-dyed they rn with to to vines or beige,then overdyed it with goldenrod or brighter yellow. She used the errys

ub ethod developed by erry Col-l rd o New H pshire. Te ber/y rnis pl ced directly in the botto o bl ck tub (o ten used to ix ce ent

nd ound in h rdw re stores). A gl ssor plexigl ss cover secured by C-cl ps is set over the tub to dr w in

nd hold the he t. Te ethod is won-der ul or low-w ter, r inbow dyeing

nd c n lso be used or low-w teri ersion b ths.

Using E rthues n tur l dyeextr cts, erry Miller sol r-dyedso e co erci lly spun lp c y rnin n old g rdening cold r e. She

de re ective liner or one side o the r e nd set bl ck-p inted gl ss j rs inside.

Leslie Powers used oil e ergen-

cy bl nket ro rst- id kit, proppedup by wood supports on three sides, tore ect the sun onto bl ck dyepots. Shedyed Merino nd oh ir eece withG ywool Citrus cid dye nd onionskins or one color nd goldenrod orthe other color. She sent the ber to

ill or rinsing, blending, nd process-ing into roving, then knitted her tex-tured two-ply y rn into cozy sc r .

Anne Riker sol r-dyed her h nd-spun, n tur lly d rk, Blue ced Leices-

ter wool y rn with J cqu rd cid dyesor lovely h ndknitted green F roese

sh wl. Te interesting dye techniqueshe used involved l yering so e Ro -ney X Cotswold roving on n opened,bl ck g rb ge b g. She de stock solu-tions o green, blue, nd two sh des o yellow with the cid dyes, then pouredthe solutions over the roving, rolled it

ll up, secured the p ck ge with rubberb nds, nd pl ced it in sol r cooker

or d y. She spun the dyed roving

using her h bitu l long- dr w ethodnd cre ted knitted nd ulled toteb g th ts ccented with co erci l,novelty y rn. She lso contributed twosep r te h ndspun skeins; one dyedwith bl ck w lnut hulls nd the otherwith coreopsis cuttings.

Elizabeth Szczesniak-Johnson, working with the bers ro herde rly loved ll s, wet- nd needle-

elted decor tive piece entitled TeSun Giveth and the Sun aketh . She

1) and 2) Anne Riker.

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sol r dyed with Kool- id, McCor-icks ood color, jewelweed, int,ern, d hli , goldenrod, nd onion.

Eliz beth chieved so e o her dyeingby pl cing cle r gl ss lidded j rs ontheir sides in errys ub.

Solar dyeing is an exciting, low-cost,and environmentally riendly way toget involved with dyeing. It makes useo a gloriously ree, natural energy sourcethe sun! Try it out some bliss-

ully warm summer day and revel inyour creation. z

Jeannine Bakriges doesnt see her interest insolar and natural dyeing waning anytime soon.Shes spent the snowy winter months in Ver-mont pouring over seed catalogs and dream-ing of dye garden possibilities. Who knows, shemay even venture beyond a dye garden andplant potatoes and pumpkins as well.

ResourcesSelected Companies Selling SolarProducts and/or Natural DyesEarthues A N tur l Color Co p ny 5129 B ll rd Ave. NW Se ttle, WA 98107(206) 789-1065www.e rthues.co

Excellent tips and techniques about mor-danting and natural dyeing, class o -erings, retail suppliers or Earthues

Natural Dye Extracts.

Prairie Fibers Company627 7th St. A es, IA 50010www.pr irie bers.co A wide variety o natural

dyestufs and dye books.

Solar Cookers Inter-national

1919 21st St., Ste. 101S cr ento, CA 95814(916) 455-4499in o@sol rcookers.orgwww.sol rcookers.org Instructions or making solar cook-

ers and boxes; premade cookers and boxes available or purchase.

Selected Solar Dyeing ArticlesBunkers-Br nden, r ci. R inbow

Dyeing, Sun- e Style, Spin.O 17,2 (Su er 1993), 6970.

Cru p, K thy. Gi ts Fro the G rden:Sol r Dyeing With N tur l M teri-

ls,Spin.O 17, 2 (Su er 1993),7476.

Kozlowski, Colleen, nd Don nn Re-und. Sol r Box DyeingM king

A R inbow with Recycled C rdbo rdnd Free Energy, Spin.O 17, 2

(Su er 1993), 6468.L pe, Je n. Sol r-Dyed L ce Pon-

cho, Spin.O 17, 2 (Su er 1993),7882).

Rubio, Nest. Cool Dyeing, Spin.O 17, 1 (Spring 1993), 1416.

Selected Books for Naturaland/or Solar Dyeing B xter-P ckwood, Ki berly.

Compost Dyeing and Other Fermentation Dye ech-niques. A es, Iow :Pr irie Fibers Co -p ny, 2003.

C ssel n, K ren Di deck. Ethical and Ecological Dyes: A Work Book or th Natural Dyer. Cheverie, Nov Sco-ti , C n d : A Studio Vist extileMonogr ph: Nu ber 3, 2000.

De n, Jenny. Wild Color. New York:W tson-Guptill Public tions, 1999.

Liles, J. N. he Art and Cra t o Natu-ral Dyeing. Knoxville, ennessee:Te University o ennessee Press,1990.

V n Str len, rudy. Indigo, Madder & Marigold. Lovel nd, Color do: In-terwe ve Press, 1993.

Wipplinger, Michele. Natural Dye In-struction Booklet. Se ttle, W shing-ton: E rthues/Color rends, 1998.

1) AnneRiker,2) LesliePowers,

3) LeslieMarkey.

Terry Miller

1) Leslie Markey,2) Elizabeth Szczesniak-Johnson.

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Making a Solar Cooker You c n e sily ke sol r cooker by covering

piece o c rdbo rd with lu inu oil to cceler tethe he ting process in your sol r dyeingexperi ents.

Cut c rdbo rd, king holes nd slots whereindic ted; old s shown. Glue lu inu oil to theside th t will be conc ve when the cooker is in use.

o set up, t corners into cut slots s shown.

Follow the safety precautions on the labels for han-dling dye powder and dye solutions. Always wear adust mask and gloves when handling dye powderand work in a well-ventilated area. Protect your skinand eyes from dye solutions. Never use your dyeequipment for food preparation.

Dyeing Safely

Large cardboard sheet measuring 3 4.

Heavy-duty scissors or box-cutting knife.

1 box (25 yards) of heavy-duty aluminum foil.Glue and foam brush.

Equipment Needed

Three 1-gallon glass jars*, 1 black enamel canningpot, or 2 smaller black enamel blanching pots.

Black enamel paint and brush.*

Large, clear garbage bag.

Black garbage bag.*

Scissors.

Rubber bands.*

Three jar lids for glass jars* or 1 large jar lid (fromgallon jar) for each black pot.

Four plastic clips.

Note: If you have a black pot, you wont need theitems marked with an *.

Auxiliary Equipment

8"

13"

12"

11"

Slits5" x 1 8"

1 2" x1 2"holes toanchor

plastic bag36"

8"

40"

48"

P h o t o

b y

J e a n n

i n e

B a k r i g e s

P int the outside o the gl ss j rs with bl cken el. Cut three squ res ro the bl ck g rb geb g to serve s covers or the j rs. Use rubber b ndto hold e ch squ re in pl ce.

Using the solar cooker uck the botto o cle r pl stic g rb ge b g

into the b ck hole o the cooker to nchor. You y need to cut down the cle r b g i its too big. Pl cethe j rs inside the cle r b g, lid side down so th tthey he t ore evenly. I youre using pot, do thes e inside the pot. Pl ce lid on the pot. Cover loose j rs with cut squ res o bl ck g rb ge b g nd secure

with rubber b nds. G ther the open re o the cle rb g nd poke it through the ront hole on the cookerto nchor. Pl stic clips re gre t or securing thecle r b g nd holding the corners in the slots.

Solar Cooker #2 diagram provided with permission rom SolarCookers International, Sacramento, Cali ornia.

Two cooker panels being used to heat up dye baths onJeannines back porch.


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Tips or Solar Dyeing My ord nt o choice is lu . I st y w y ro the

ore toxic ord nts nd suggest th t you rese rchord nts to help you ke s e nd

environ ent lly riendly decisions. I so eti es usecopper pennies, old br ss doorknobs, or rusty n ils

s ltern tive ord nt choices. N tur l dyeing is bout options nd v ri bles.

Every step ects the color you get. Expl ining llthe options nd v ri bles re beyond the scope o this rticle, so ple se re er to the excellent bookslisted t the end.

Sun is n bsolute necessity or sol r dyeing. Arr nge your cooker to t ke dv nt ge o thelight. However, dont desp ir i its cloudy. So k-ing nd er enting t cool te per tures c n beone o the v ri bles you experi ent with. Dyeingc n t ke pl ce over hours, d ys, or weeks. kecontrol nd pull out the dyestu or wh t youredyeing s you wish. Re e ber th t you c n

l ost lw ys overdye nything youre not s tis-ed with.

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b y

T a m a r a

C h r i s t e n s e n

Leslie Markeys Terrys Tub with glass jars lled with vegetablematter dyes (see page 14 or details o her project).

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b y

E l i z a b e t

h S z c z e s n

i a k - J o h n s o n

Tamara Christensens Cooker moveable, oil-lined cart or solardyeing that can easily ollow the sun (see page 13 or detailso her project).

Re e ber th t ny dyestu s, including pl ntteri l nd woods, swell when wet. Do le ve

so e wiggle roo in the pot. Te ore w ter you use, the longer it t kes to

he t up. Consider using the le st ount o liquidnecess ry to chieve good results.

e per tures within the cooker nd j rs nd potsc n get very hot. My dyes h ve re ched 200degrees with cooker, even higher with sol rbox. Be very c re ul when youre h ndling j rs/pots th t h ve been cooking. Note th t whenyoure using so e dyestu s, cle r nd bright col-ors get uddied t high te per tures. On theother h nd, so e dyestu s do not rele se their

ull color potenti l unless theyre he ted to si -er or bove nd held there or n hour or ore.

Experi ent tion, coupled with rese rching wh tsbeen done be ore, is key to helping you decidehow to proceed.

Guide to Dyeing wool

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