I started a dye experiment with St. John's Wort - I was trying for the red described, manged a grey mauve and yellow. Plan to do some pre-mordanted skeins and try again.
http://evelynoldroyd.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/natural-dyeing-with-hyperi...
Evelyn, I know this isn't what you were going for, but they are lovely anyway. If you do a lot of dying, it would be nice if you kept this going as a continuous thread on your dying saga. I just began my marathon session of gathering material and dying yesterday and am thinking of doing the same if anyone is interested.
Thank you - glad the more experienced dyers think they are nice! There is so much to learn!
I am very interested in your dyeing sessions! I am a newbie in plant dyeing and just beginning to experiment. Learning from everyone else is a big part. I understand the variables involved because of location - water, earth, plant material all slightly different giving such a wonderful range of results - similar but different.
Did you try the feverfew yet?
Those are great neutrals to use with brighter colors! I have always found that using distilled water gives me some great colors different from well water or rain water. So always keep track of which water you used to run your dyebath with!
I looked at your blog and if I understood your process correctly you had both the wool and the silk in the same dyepot. I have found that the silk is VERY greedy and sucks up the color before the wool can get the same amount of color. You might want to extract the color in the water and then divide the silk and wool into two different jars or dyepots so that both substrates can take up the color at their own pace and not have silk steal the color from the wool.
It is usually not good to mix your mordanted skeins with your unmordanted skeins, it will affect your dyepot. I think Trudy Van Stralen (sp?) does the unmordanted skeins first and then goes on to the mordanted skeins (usually all the same mordant) so as to not trash the dyepot for the unmordanted skeins.
On the mordant note, introduce another mordant, alum acetate. It works well on silk and wool even though you usually see it written up for cottons. It gives you another range of colors. So if you do well water, rain water, distilled water AND then do alum sulfate and alum acetate and add some modifiers at the end you'll end up with an abundance of color.
Your colors are beautiful! Thank you for sharing...Deb Mc
Helvitican - I haven't tried the feverfew yet. Today I am getting some skeins mordanted so I will be prepared for a few dyebaths tomorrow. (I know most directions say to let the mordanted skeins sit for a couple of days - but I sure want to get going now the weather is nice and the plants available!)
I have prepared the rest of the hypericum plant tops by simmering for an hour and will do the same with some feverfew once that is done. I am seeing that I could use a few more pots!
Thanks Deb and thanks for the tips about the mordants! This can get complicated quickly! I had some regular alum on hand, but will probably have to order some of the other. Will check at the local pharmacy but I don't think they will have it.
I did do the silk first for an hour and it is amazing how it took up the colour as you say. Then I put in a skein of wool to see what was left and it wasn't much!
The compromising of the dyebath with mordants makes sense. That is why I found it interesting that in the 4 part directions in both the Jenny Dean and Rita Bucanan books they begin with an alum mordanted skein then the un-mordanted one. I would think that would affect the dyepot. I hope to pick more flowers this evening or first thing in the morning, so I can give this four part process a try.
I've never tried the alum acetate because I thought it was for cotton and I only dye wool. I am intrigued but I think I'll have to skip it this year because the mathematical possibilities of what I'm already planning may be too much. I intend to dye one skien only, from each dye plant on the perimeter of my field. I'll probably skip some that I'm not too interested in, and some of the more toxic ones, although I have already started on the rhododendron which is somewhat toxic.
I have begun my second experiment with st. john's wort doing the 4 step process described in Wild Colours by Jenny Dean. The first skein has come out and is a dark green, second skein is in and is purple red so far.
The book suggests the third be either a mordanted or unmordanted and left overnight for more colour. I am thinking I might leave the 2nd skein in overnight and omit the 3rd based on the colour I see so far. Then a mordanted third to pick up the yellow.
can't wait to see the results! I'm in Texas so I'm not sure I'll have st john's wort but at least I'll know a green source! Actually it is too hot here to run dyepots comfortably, we just moved here a little over a year ago and I am learning a new rhythm. I think I have to run my dyepots in Feb/March/Aprl and Oct/Nov/Dec....and weave over the summer months! Deb Mc
The green is drying and I would say it has a gold tone to it. very pretty.
The difference in the first and second skeins is astounding!
It was pretty hot here yesterday at 35C and the afternoon was too hot to be dyeing - early morning so far is fine, but most of the day I spend inside.
I am doing such a small pot for the hypericum that I have it in the house in a crock pot.
I'm dying to see the results.
fourth mini skein is now resting in the dyebath overnight. This is fun and the flower picking not too onerous. It took very little time to pick the plants. I picked the entire plant again , then was able to sit in the shade and pick off the flower heads which took maybe 20 min. for 46gms of flowers. I can use the rest of the plant for another dyebath.
Will post the results tomorrow. ;)
I can see another mass of plants out in the field so.....
My friend Marion says that in order to get a good green "you either need magic or coltsfoot". I don't quite agree, but coltsfoot is a good green and might be found in BC. It's another introduced invasive and since it is in Washington state it may be in BC. This site will show more info on it: http://threatsummary.forestthreats.org/threats/threatSummaryViewer.cfm?threatID=237
It likes cool, moist soils so is not found in Texas or other dry areas. Another plant that you might look for is dyer's woad. Another invasive, also found in BC. Good for blue.
Dye pot #2
I followed the instructions with mordanted and unmordanted yarns alternating in the dye pot.
http://evelynoldroyd.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/natural-dyeing-with-hyperi...
I love them, and they look great together! Isn't it amazing what you can do with only one plant. Will be interested in seeing what happens to the unmordanted ones after you do the colorfast test. I am crossing my fingers for you.
