Thursday, November 19, 2009

Dyeing to show you ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ my first attempt at dyeing wool. I have many yards of wool that I have bought ~ and I've never even felted any of it. Somehow, the thought scares me.
Every year I gather black walnuts ~ just in case I want to dye something. This year I'm lucky I had any left to use. I had the nuts in the garage and whenever the door was up, those danged squirrels would sneak in and steal them. Years ago when I was a basket weaver I stained all my baskets with black walnut dye that I made. I bet I haven't made a batch of dye in over 20 years. I decided to get brave and here's the results. I probably should have left the wool in the dye pot a bit longer, but you can see a subtle difference. I believe this is Heavens to Betsy wool.
Here is some white wool I bought on eBay several years ago. It came out slightly mottled. This wool is a bit thin, so I'm not too sure how it will hook up.
Overall, I'm pleased with the results. One of these days, I just may get around to felting some more wool and in my next life, may get really brave and dye wool with commercial dyes.
Thanks for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

6 comments:

weaverpat said...

Lauren, DO NOT BE AFRAID! It's actually fun! And look how nice and antiquey it came out!
WOW! I've never tried walnut shells, though we have plenty. I do use tea which is nice and subtle, and commercial dyes.
Congratulations on your bravery! You did a great job!!!

Janene said...

Oh Lauren! That looks so fantastic!
It has such an antiqued feel...like it has been well loved for ages!
You do a very good job!
Have a good weekend...the weather is suppose to be very nice!
You didn't need to send me a thank you note, but it was so appreciated. If that was a print of your home on the front of the notecard, your home is gorgeous!

Alice ~ Folk Art Primitives said...

Good job, Lauren!! I was a basket weaver, too, back in the day and always had a bucket of walnut dye ready to use!! I haven't used any on wool yet ~ yours turned out great!!!

Anonymous said...

Excellent job. Dyeing is next on my list of things to learn.
Andrea
www.BrightonWoolGatherings.blogspot.com

Kathy (woolfind) said...

Nice job Lauren! I still have some walnut dye in jars that I haven't used up. It sure gives a nice look. Hope you get into more dyeing!

The Wool Cupboard said...

Lauren ~ Your first attempt at dyeing was a great success! You should not be afraid to try commercial dye. It is easy and the results are always rewarding. Just keep detailed records of dye amounts, etc. so that you can duplicate the great results you will see. Have fun!