AwareKnits' Natural Dyeing Recipe
By Vickie Howell
Natural Dyeing is a great, guilt-free way to breathe new life into drab, ol' yarn. With a few ingredients from your pantry or garden, some hot water and a sense of adventure, you can easily create couture-colored fibers in your own home! Here's how.
What You Need
100yds/110m of wool yarn
2 medium pots
Alum, as a mordant
Potato peeler, for peach-colored version only
4 to 6 medium-sized beets, for peach-colored version only
2 tbs (29 g) of tumeric, for yellow version only
Strainer
Tongs
Mild soap
Towel
1. Presoak the yarn in a pot of water together with 1 tbs (14 g) of alum by bringing it to a boil, then simmer it for an hour. Rinse it with cool water; gently squeeze it out. Set the yarn aside.
2. Create a dye bath by filling a pot about three-quarters full of water.
For the peach-colored version, peel the beets, cut them into cubes, and add them to the pot of water.
(Photo by Vickie Howell)
For the yellow version, mix the tumeric with enough water to turn it into a paste. Stir the paste into the pot of water.
3. Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer to steep for an hour. Using a strainer, pour the dye bath from one pot to another. This will remove the beet pieces or tumeric sediment.
My oldest son, got into the dyeing action with me. Here, he's peeling beets. (Photo by Vickie Howell)
4. Dye the yarn by placing it in the dye bath with 1 to 2 more tbs (14 to 29 g) of alum. Bring this “yarn soup” to a boil, then let it simmer for at least an hour, checking on the color periodically. (If the desired color isn’t achieved after simmering for a couple of hours, turn off the heat and let sit overnight.)
Yarn Dyed with coffee, rose petals, beets and tumeric. (Photo by Vickie Howell)
Being careful not to burn yourself, use the tongs to remove the yarn from the dye bath. Rinse the yarn thoroughly but gently, without agitating it. Wash it with a mild soap. Roll it in a towel to remove the excess water. Hang to dry.
AwareKnits: Knit & Crochet Projects for the Eco-Conscious Stitcher is now available in the new, greener digital format for download on Zinio!
Dyed with coffee and rose petals. (Photo by Scott Jones)
Dyed with Beets. (Photo by Scott Jones)
Vickie Howell is a mother, self-taught designer, writer, viral marketing consultant and DIY Lifestyles expert with a focus on the Needle Arts and environmentally conscious crafting. She's the Craft Apparent columnist for PBS Parents, a regular blogger for ILovetoCreate.com and the Celebrity Spokesperson for Caron International Yarns. Her book AwareKnits: Knit & Crochet Projects for the Eco-Conscious Stitcher is on shelves now. For more information on Vickie's projects and patterns, visit her website.
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