Eco-printing is a method for directly transferring the shape and color of whole plant materials to fabric or paper. I’ve tried this technique in the past, but only on cotton fabric. I knew it must work on wool as well, and immediately thought of using sock blanks as a canvas. For these first experiments, the […]
This year has afforded several opportunities to try new-to-me natural dyes, and this week I’m discussing my first trial dyeing with black hollyhocks. The flowers resemble a very dark purple, verging on black in the center of the flowers. Use the petals only for dyeing. If you want to add hollyhocks to your garden you […]
Jewelweed is a native North American plant that grows in many climates, usually near wet areas and along river banks. In the video, I share a method for creating beautiful natural tangerine dye using this abundant natural dye source. I first learned about jewelweed as a dye source from a friend and fellow fiber farmer, […]
When I first started to learn about natural dyeing, I was befuddled by a lot of vague information I found on the internet. Experiments on my own yielded very mixed results. After taking a class with Rebecca Burgess, I understood that there are tried-and-true techniques for getting consistent results. With lessons fresh in our minds, […]
With no lambs on the ground and a serious case of spring fever in the air, yesterday I took off to Boulder Meadow Farm for a dyeing workshop. Our host, Lisa, very kindly opened her house to a dozen fiber artists. The day began with instruction from Melissa Johnson of Green Mountain Spinnery. After our […]
We took a leap in 2005 by quitting our jobs, selling our house in the D.C. suburbs, and moving back to Vermont, where Sarah was born. Since then, we’ve explored the local food scene, started a garden, taken up home brewing, and become shepherds. Along the way, we’ve gotten to know dozens of craftspeople around […]
We hope you’ve had a satisfying and rewarding year of making. We certainly have, primarily on the brewing and knitting fronts, with a lot of natural dyeing as well. In each of these spheres, we’ve tried new types of projects, mastered skills, and published our own recipes and patterns. So come along and explore what […]
By a change of mind, or by accident, sometimes we end up with yarns that we no longer like the color of. Often, this can be a great opportunity to create a new custom color. In a previous post I discussed over-dyeing a variegated yarn to unify the color palette across the skein. This time, […]
For a while now I’ve been aware that Black-eyed Susan flowers can be used for natural dyeing, and they’re specifically used to achieve a pale or sage green. But I admit, I’ve been skeptical. Green is a difficult color to dye on it’s own, and past attempts on my part have yielded browns, beiges, and […]
One of my favorite dye techniques to date is dip-dyeing. I love self-striping yarns for socks, but dip-dyeing can also be used for subtler effects. There are a couple of ways to do this depending on which colors you are combining and how you want the final yarn to turn out. In this example I’ll […]