a little while ago i bought myself some plain merino sock wool, i wanted to have a go at dyeing it, with mulberries.
i was late up today but thought bugga it, i'm going to dye the wool today, i found good simple instructions here , very simple.
i was a little nervous when it came to putting the wool into the hot dye but it all went very well (unlike some of my other projects namely soaps!)
 |
| 2. cook mulberries & salt |
 |
| 1. soak the wool while mulberries are cooking |
 |
| 3. the first colouring after a minute |
 |
| 4. looking good |
 |
| 5. drip drying out on line for almost 2 hrs |
 |
| 6. almost dry, finishing off in the bathroom |
it went out on the line as there was a lot of water to drip out of it, i turned it around about 3/4hr later so the bottom was at the top.
there's a nice little bit of variation in it, am loving the colour, will do another photo once i roll it up & of course when i've made the socks too.
mmm, wonder how coffee would go as a dye?
i buy all my pure wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills Australia, they often have specials throughout the year. i'm a sucker for specials, especially when it's wool!
has anyone else had a go at dyeing?
hope everyone is doing well in their neck of the world & are safe
thanx for visiting
That colour is so beautiful, Selina. Whatever you make will be lovely. I did a workshop on dyeing with natural fibres in at the Northey Street City Farm here in Brisbane. We used all sorts of plant material from the permaculture gardens there. I loved the different colours and effects of the dyeing. I still have some of the fabric I dyed here and use it in projects from time to time. I've never dyed wool though. Meg:)
ReplyDeleteSimply wonderful! Onions apparently give a nice colour too
ReplyDeleteyes! i saw that on little house on the prairie, Laura made a scarf for her dad & used onion skins to colour, very interesting.
Deletethanx
Interesting shade, can't wait for the socks.
ReplyDeleteYour wool looks just beautiful, Selina! I'm so impressed. I wonder if mulberries could be used in some way to color soap? I've tried purple clay, but it comes out too brown for my taste. I'm excited to see your socks. I just may plant a mulberry tree, too. I used to have a fruitless one for shade. I loved it, but it died after a few years of drought.
ReplyDeleteno, it doesn't work in soaps, i think the lye neutralises it, have tried mulberries & blueberries to colour soap to no avail, it just comes out a dirty white.
Deleteyes, plant a mulberry tree if you have the room, they are a beautiful shade tree.
thanx for commenting
It turned out such a lovely colour, Selina.
ReplyDeleteI hope it doesn't wash out, Selina. I have noticed that the mulberry stains on clothes eventually wash out but you probably won't be washing what you make with it too much anyway. Looks like a lovely colour.
ReplyDeletethe salt in the mix should help keep the colour in, mmm, i wash my other soaks after every time i wear them, should i not?
Deletethanx for the comment
Gosh Selina you must feel so chuffed with how it turned out ... it looks amazing & what a gorgeous colour. My friend has dyed wool using onion skins before ... she likes to use natural things to dye her wool & not commercial dyes. Happy sock knitting Selina Xxx
ReplyDelete