April Fools, we GOT YOU! We wouldn’t really spend our time looking at modifying sheep to create pink and blue sheep. Now we have you here, why don’t you take a read about natural dyeing when it comes to yarn?
The Charm & History of Natural Dyes
Imagine turning your kitchen scraps and garden trimmings into vibrant colours for your yarn. It’s like a bit of magic! Botanical dyeing uses natural ingredients like onion skins, nettles, or even those blackberry bushes you see along the footpaths to give wool a beautiful, earthy palette. Below are some popular choices for botanical dyeing!
- Onion Skins: A great source of Yellows and Oranges
- Tumeric: Provides a vibrant Yellow dye
- Spinach: Creates a gorgeous Green
- Red Cabbage: Creates Purple dye
- Avocado Pips: Can be used to create Pink/Peachy tones
Images above are sourced from Pinterest.
Let’s have a proper chat about dyeing your yarn, especially if you fancy going down the natural route. We’ve got the lovely Chester Wool in the warehouse, all undyed and ready for you to play with. It comes in loads of different textures and weights, so you can really get stuck in and plan out a project, even using stuff you’ve got knocking about in the kitchen!
Now, botanical dyeing, it’s not a quick job, mind. It’s definitely one for those of us who enjoy taking our time with a project. Getting the colour out of plants and kitchen scraps takes a bit of patience, and then you’ve got to let the yarn soak it all up. It’s a proper labour of love, but honestly, it’s fascinating.
We’ve got all sorts of plants growing in the wild, and in our gardens, that can give you these amazing earthy shades. Think about those blackberry bushes you see on your walks, or even just the leaves falling in autumn. It’s a really sustainable way to get creative, and you end up with yarn that’s completely unique to you. You can get some incredible results from such simple things.
We’ve been thinking about doing a more in-depth guide to dyeing with specific plants, like how to get the best colours from onion skins or avocado pips, that sort of thing. We could share some tips and tricks, and maybe even some results. Would that be something you’d be interested in? Let us know! For now, enjoy the confusion of April Fools Day 😄 Toodle Pip!