Rhubarb With a Twist of Vinegar

Last year I posted about how wonderful rhubarb is for dyeing. Not only does it not require pre-mordanting the wool (the leaves contain oxalic acid which is itself a mordant), but it is easy to work with, fun to eat and makes a great tea!

Last year I boiled leaves and some stems and got this:

 

I made a lovely scarf! (See posts from 6-5-13 and 6-20-13).

This year I did things slightly differently and got quite different results. I started with about 40 sticks of rhubarb. I cut off the root ends (I didn't dig the roots) and leaf ends of the stems. I used these for tea and baking. I put the ends and leaves in water. I tore the leaves up before adding them. I covered these with water and boiled them for a little more than an hour. I steeped them over night and boiled them again the next morning and let them sit in the pot. The next day (day three) I strained off the liquid. I soaked 600 yards of freshly spun wool yarn in water for about half an hour and then added it to the dye pot. I simmered that for an hour and a half and turned off the heat and steeped it over night.  The next morning (day four) I added about a half a cup of vinegar to the pot. I let this sit again over night and then removed the yarn on day five. I washed it in wool wash and rinsed it until clear. Instead of the lovely off white tan from last year, I got something much more yellows-green!

Here is a photo showing both:

Another Run at Leafy Spurge

I had such wonderful results with leafy spurge last year that I decided to try it again this year. Here in West Central Minnesota, leafy spurge can be found in ditches. It is best to get away from farm fields because farmers have worked to obliterate this weed. It is considered a noxious weed here due to its ability to thrive and spread. It can still be found growing in clumps in grasses along the roadside. Leafy spurge come into flower just as the first flush of dandelions is going to seed.

This year I picked the whole plant. I then chopped the stalks into five inch pieces. I covered this with water in a large kettle. I boiled this for an hour and then shut the heat off and left it on the stove over night. The next morning I boiled the pot again for an hour and shut off the heat. This time I cooled the pot until it was very cool and the strained off the liquid. I pre-mordanted the wool yarn in alum. I then added it to the leafy spurge bath. I brought this to a good simmer for an hour and then let it steep until it was cool. I washed the newly-dyed yarn is wool wash and rinsed it until clear. Below are the stunning results.

Dandelion Update

Here is an update on the Dandelion Yarn. It turned out to be a beautiful, clear yellow. I was a little worried when I put the yarn into the dye bath. The pot was yellow-brownish and cloudy. I was really amazed at the depth and clarity of the color that it turned the wool! Again, I apologize for poor color quality in the photo. It is more the color of lemon sherbet.









Here are some of the yarns I have been working on this spring. The lilac color is from a Cushing dye but hand spun. The rest are natural dyes I have cooked up at home.

Here you get a better idea of the actual yellow color of the dandelion yarn (furthest to the left).

The season for gathering wild dyestuff is just getting started here. I have noticed several new things along the road as I am driving.  I have identified some and nam going an a hunt later today...I can't wait to see what I can find.  Check back and see!

Dandy Dandelions

Most people who take pride in their lawns would cringe at all these dandelions. Mow them down! Try to dig them out! If all else fails, grab the chemicals!  

I do take pride in my lawn, but a bit differently. I was thrilled at the sight of all these lovely yellow 'flowers'. I won't deny that they can be a huge problem, and that there must be a balance between lawn and dandelions, but they are also very useful as food, beverage, medicinal plants and dye stuff.

I think that dandelions are charming. I don't encourage them, but I don't bring out the heavy artillery either. I found many lovely yellow flowers in my yard this morning, I needed to mow the lawn as well. I decided to gather and use the flowers that were there. I took a bag and went out and picked the tops off every flower. I even got help from the little girl next door who, at three years old, thought it was wonderful fun. After I had picked all I wanted I mowed the rest down to keep them from going to seed. I have no doubt that I will have many more through out the summer!

 I decided that I would try to make a dye bath with just the flowers and see what color I get from them.  I placed them in a large container and added enough water to generously cover the flowers. I added a couple tablespoons of sea salt as well. I left this in the sun to steep, like sun tea. I will be gone again for a few days, so I will have to wait to see how it turns out!

Dandelions have many other uses besides dyeing wool. They are easy to identify and relatively easy to find. They seem to grow almost anywhere. They are easy to harvest and all parts of the plant can be used. For this dye experiment I chose to use just the flowers, although, all parts of the plant can be used. Dandelions have a long tap root. This can be washed, cut into small pieces and boiled to extract the color. You can also choose to dye with the flowers and leaves. Each will result in a slightly different color.

Besides being useful for dyeing, dandelions contain such things as Vitamins A, B, C, and D. They also contain iron, potassium, calcium, insulin, sesquiterpenes and carotenoids. Dandelion root can be used as a liver tonic, with stimulant and decongesting effects on the liver. Dandelion roots also stimulate digestion and aid in the production of bile, thus helping to break down cholesterol and fats.

Dandelions can be used to make a coffee substitute, tea, wine, or sauté the flowers gently in butter for a crunchy addition to salads. The leaves are delicious in salads as well.

It will be a little while until I get the wool dyed, but stay tuned...it is coming! In the mean time, I hope you can find ways to use and enjoy a few dandelions. Especially as it is impossible to get rid of them!

Pinked!

I have been traveling around a lot lately due to some family issues. I was out of town for a few days and returned to find I had been 'pinked' by a group of kids in a school organization that is fundraising.
Tied around the neck of one of the flamingos is a sort of ransom note telling me how to contact the Flamingo Relocation Team and how much it will cost me to get these relocated to someone else's yard. (For a small extra fee, I can have them relocated to a yard of my choice! Oh boy. Pay back time!). Of course, my first thought was what sort of color I could get from those feathers.

I am anxious to start gathering dyestuff from my gardens and the ditches nearby. I looked back at my journal to last year thinking the plants were further along at this time last year. I was surprised to see that they really weren't! I thought I started making dye baths from local plants in May, but it wasn't until June. I was at the farm recently and checked on the rhubarb and Snow on the Mountain. Those were some of the earliest plants I used last year. They are not ready yet. Some warmer weather will be needed to bring them along.  Meanwhile, I am back to driving with one eye on the ditches looking for whatever might be growing!

I have been working to spin up the pink and minty green wool I dyed earlier this spring with red cabbage. I should have about a thousand yards of each color in a sock weight two ply. I also have some dye left over from earlier dyeing where I mixed some black walnut and some onion skin dye together. I am anxious to see what color I will come up with from that!