Solar Dyeing

Remember that white yarn I spun up a few weeks ago? I decided to try solar dying it with some of my Turk's Cap. I've been wanting to try for a while now, ever since I read about using Turk's Cap in this excellent book. And goodness knows the plant has been growing like gang-busters this year, so I had plenty to spare.

I had Craig help me with the alum mordant, since I'm still nursing and you can never be too careful with the chemically stuff. Though in all honesty, alum is probably no more dangerous than most of the stuff we have in the garage, but just in case...

After the yarn was mordanted, I cut a bunch of Turk's Cap - flowers, seedheads, leaves and stems - and simmered it in the dye pot for a good while. It smelled like any other greens you might cook up, in case you are wondering.

I have read that you can eat Turk's Cap, but it didn't look too appetizing.

After that, I poured it into my trusty kimchee jar I found next to the dumpster at our old apartment. Thank goodness for multi-cultural neighbors.

Then I put it in the yard and ignored it for a few days.

After a rinse and some drying time, I now have soft, peachy yarn.

I was only ho-hum about the color (natural dyes are never as impressive as synthetic) until I noticed that it is the same color as my little bluestem seedheads in the foreground. I have a soft-spot for little blue as it's such a fine example of a prairie plant struggling to remain unpaved.

Not sure what I'll make with it yet.

Indigo dyeing

Every time I think of dyeing with indigo it launches me into "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

(If any of you had to click on that link to find out what I was talking about, shame on you.)

Now that that's out of my system: at my spinners guild meeting on Sunday, we did some dyeing with indigo. Since I'm still nursing Big I, our fearless leader, Laura, didn't allow me (or my friend, Shannon, who is also nursing) to get hands-on with any of the actual dye process just to be on the safe side...chemicals and all. Some of the other folks were kind enough to dye some things for me.

Remember that mustard yellow sweater from the thrift store?

Not any more.

Plain ol' white pre-fold dipes?

Not any more.

Mucky grey yarn from a previous botched dye job?

Not any more.

I'm told it's the coolest process. You put your material into a mucky-green colored liquid thinking it's going to look terrible and then as you pull it out of the dye bath and into the oxygen it turns the most lovely blue. Totally cool. Maybe next time I'll get to do it myself.

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It's lovely weather here. Brisco was a big help while I was getting some pictures outside.



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And some obligatory cuteness.


By the way, he slept through the night for the second time last night.