For posterity's sake, here is what I did:
Zinnia blossoms (dried):
- Oops - didn't crush dried blossoms before using
- Oops - didn't weigh blossoms before using
- Half in one mason jar with tap water (neutral pH), half in another jar with well water (oops - didn't check pH of well water, assume it is neutral)
- Set jars in sun for three days
- Drained blossoms and discarded
- Using cold alum mordanted Cascade 220 - one mini skein (50 yds) in one jar, one in the other jar
- Set in sun for two days
Lobster mushrooms:
- Oops - didn't chop mushrooms before using
- Oops - didn't weigh mushrooms before using
- Half in one mason jar with tap water (neutral pH), half in another jar with well water (oops - didn't check pH of well water, assume it is neutral)
- Set jars in sun for three days - got kind of foamy
- Drained mushrooms and saved them for future use
- Using rhubarb leaf mordanted Cascade 220 - one mini skein (50 yds) in one jar, one in the other jar
- Set in sun for two days
- Mold in well water jar stained the yarn a bit
Oak galls:
- Oops - didn't crush galls before using
- Oops - didn't weigh galls before using
- All galls in a mason jar with tap water (neutral pH)
- Set jar in sun for a three days
- Drained galls and saed them for future use
- Using unmordanted Cascade 220 - one mini skein (50 yds) in jar
- Set in sun for two days
From left to right: zinnia in tap water, zinnia in well water, mushroom in tap water, mushroom in well water, oak gall
I am letting the used mushrooms dry out, to be chopped or crushed, to see if I get more dye from them using heat. Similarly, I'm letting the used galls dry, to be crushed, to see if I get more dye from them using heat; they can still be used to mordant fibers even when no dye left.
I thought solar dyeing would be easier than heating up pots of dye baths, etc., and it is, but the results were not all that impressive. Of course, I just jumped in without doing any research. I may try solar dyeing again, but with more care.
No comments:
Post a Comment