Natural Yarn Dyes

Anna Bauer is a textile artist with a Masters degree in textile art from HDK (Academy of Art and Design) in Gothenburg, Sweden. Aside from knitting Anna also incorporates embroidery, print and costume into her artwork and textile designs. For more information about Anna, visit her website: www.annabauer.se or find her on Instagram, where she has almost 20,000 followers: @annabauergbg Eva Zethraeus is a ceramic artist, also with a Masters from HDK. She creates extraordinarily beautiful sculptures inspired by nature. She has over 131,000 followers on Instagram: @ezethThe authors share a burning interest in knitting and have been dyeing together for a number of years.

Bauer and Zethraeus, faculty at Konstepidemin, an artists’ workspace in Sweden, have created a guide for the home yarn maker interested in using sustainable dyes. The authors avoid toxic dyes and processes as well as those that are likely to fade quickly. The book begins with the basics, including safety measures, lightfastness, equipment, and variables that will impact color. It provides instructions for a basic dyeing process, including preparation of the yarn, using mordant, and mixing the dye bath. It then offers dye recipes using a variety of plants, fungi, and lichen, which produce a wide range of colors. Some of these materials, including onions and beets, are available at grocery stores, but others will be more elusive, and readers may need to order them. Instructions are clear and detailed but not wordy, and each recipe is accompanied by photographs of the plants used, as well as dyed samples. Back matter includes a glossary, further reading, and links to two knitting patterns.VERDICT Accessible to beginners yet interesting for readers with some dyeing experience, this guide will appeal to fiber enthusiasts who want to expand the range of colors available to them and are willing to experiment.

• The hunt for sustainable coloursBEFORE YOU BEGINMyths about dyeing with plantsPicking and collectingEnvironment and safetyAbout the yarnWashing fastnessLightfastnessEquipmentParameters affecting colourThe dyeing processThings to bear in mind for successful dyeingPreparationsMordantingNatural mordantsDYE RECIPESNatural dyesMordant dyeingVat dyeingDYEING WITH PLANTSMadderBeetrootPlumYellow onionBirch Red onionTansyGolden margueriteGoldenrodRhubarbHeatherDyer’s weed (weld)EucalyptusCommon reedBrazilwoodLogwoodRed cabbageWalnutIndigoDYEING WITH FUNGISurprise webcap mushroomVelvet roll rim mushroomScaly tooth fungusSulphur tuftDYEING WITH LICHENSRock tripeCrottleNext stepsUsing the same dyebath more than once and overdyeingAfterbathsCareGlossaryReferencesFurther readingList of illustrationsOur thanks to…