Natural Textile Dyeing - A Vintage Craft For Knitters and Other Textile Lovers

Dyeing of jacquard pattern fabric Manufacturers with natural colours has a long unbroken history stretching back through human civilizations. Natural dyes produce soft warm colours that are especially well suited to woollen yarn, particularly if you're planning to knit a garment using traditional patterns where the slight variations in colour will enhance that home crafted look.

Natural dyes fall into three categories - vegetable (eg indigo), animal (cochineal from beetles) and mineral (ochre). Many can be obtained from your own yard or those of neighbours, gathered in the wild or bought inexpensively. Some are adjective dyes which means they need a mordant to absorb and fix the colour, substantive dyes which include lichens and walnut husks do not. The most common mordants are alum, iron, tin and tannic acid, each of which will produce a different colour which will vary depending on the fibre you're dyeing. Some mordants are toxic, so you should wear an apron and gloves when using them. Dyes, mordants and natural unbleached wool can all be obtained from good craft suppliers.

You'll only need simple equipment - most of which you probably already have in your kitchen. A large stainless steel or enamel pan, kitchen scales, measuring spoons, a smooth stick or wooden spoon for stirring and some muslin.

Divide your wool into skeins of manageable size (or weighed amounts if you need particular colours for a pattern) and tie them very loosely. Unless your wool has been supplied ready to dye you'll need to wash it first in mild, neutral soap.
The next step is to mordant your wool. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of alum and 1/2 cream of tartar in a cup of warm water, then add to 1 gallon of warm water. Soak the wool in the warm water, then add the mordant, bring it up to simmering point and simmer for about 1 hour.
Remove the wool from the solution and rinse well. You can then dry it in a warm dark place and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or proceed to the dyeing stage immediately.