Dyeing with Grass

One of the joys of summer is riding around on the lawnmower, smelling the newly cut grass.  Like spinning, it requires just enough of my mind to help focus without having to dwell on what I am  doing. Sort of meditative... My thoughts wander; I get sidetracked watching something happening in nature that I might miss if I was moving faster. Sun, warmth, vibrant colors, pleasant smells, all making for a good (if noisy, unfortunately) and necessary commune with nature.

This year, things are a little different. My mowers are all broken so, the neighbor has agreed to mow until they are repaired. I was sitting on the patio visiting with his two young children, watching the mowing progress when Nathan and Brittany spied the old wheel barrow and decided to pick up the cut grass. I was thinking it could go into the compost when I noticed a dye pot drying in the patio...

I had the kids fill the pot about 2/3 full of the fresh grass clippings. I then covered the grata with water and soaked it overnight. The next day I boiled it for a few hours, adding water as needed. I steeped it over night and strained it off the next day. I was hoping for something like the color of grass stains. I heated the pot again the next morning and checked the color as it 'cooked'. I was getting a sort of khaki green that kept darkening. Finally, I decided it was ready so I cooled the pot and strained off the liquid.

The wool that I added was spun into two ply and mordanted with alum. I added a cup of vinegar to the dye bath, hoping to brighten the color a bit. I simmered the wool for about an hour, till the color was deep enough. I then let it steep to cool and drained and washed the wool.

The color that resulted was not green at all! It was a very beautiful. Clear, yellow-gold. I am very pleased with the results.

Here is a picture showing the difference between the yellows. L to R: dandelion, rhubarb, leafy spurge, grass.