harvesting colour – beautiful brown!
I will never see brown with the same eyes again!
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Today I finished a batch of alum-treated raw wool and I was ready to try my first experiment with dyeing animal fibre. The alum, you will remember, is a mordant, added to the fibre to increase its colour-fast and light-fast qualities. In some cases, it also makes the colours brighter.
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Remember my gathering of Old Man’s Beard lichen? (https://nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/colour-on-the-snow/)
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jar with Old Man’s Beard lichen, water and ammonia
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The lichen has been ‘fermenting’ in ammonia about a week and developed a lovely brown colour with tones of orange, reminiscent of root beer.
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a sample of the dye obtained from the Old Man’s Beard lichen
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I sieved out the lichen and added the dye to my dye pot. I added a little vinegar to neutralize the alkalinity since basic solutions can harm the wool. I put about one once of the alum-treated wool into the dye pot and added water, to cover the wool. Then I increased the temperature very, very slowly since sudden changes in temperature can damage the texture and weaken the fibres. I left the dye pot on simmer for about an hour and then left it to cool slowly. Now the wool is drying on the line in my dining room.
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The result may seem like an unimpressive brown, but to me it is the most wonderful brown in the world. Reminds me of the ice cream in a root beer float! My first effort at dyeing wool, and obtained from a lichen of the palest green. I feel a poem stirring!
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to the right, my lichen-dyed wool, and to the left, my un-dyed alum-treated wool
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
nichepoetryandprose 
It looks as though your first dyeing animal fibre went very well. Will the dye fade at all over time?
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Top Of The Slush Pile
April 5, 2014 at 7:05 pm
Hi Gemma. The colour should be stable since I used an alum mordant to pre-treat the wool. In any case, I’ll use the wool in a weaving project I’ll only wash infrequently. Jane
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jane tims
April 9, 2014 at 8:23 am
It’s beautiful Jane! 🙂
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Lee
April 5, 2014 at 4:57 pm
Hi Lee. Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
April 9, 2014 at 8:21 am
Lovely. I used to do a bit of natural wool dying – back in my younger days. We used to stir everything in cauldrons. Rod said we looked like a bunch of witches 🙂
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kiwiskan
April 4, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Hi. Good image! I might use this in one of my poems … I want to write about dyers as well as dyeing. Jane
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jane tims
April 9, 2014 at 8:21 am
These posts on colours derived from natural elements are so fascinating. A whole world I’ve never considered. Thank you.
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francisguenette
April 4, 2014 at 2:08 pm
Hi. I think of your interest in your garden and how many colours you would find there! Jane
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jane tims
April 9, 2014 at 8:19 am
It’s a beautiful brown color, rich in poetry. I am truly enjoying your adventures in this endeavor!
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weedimageoftheday
April 4, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Hi. Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
April 9, 2014 at 8:18 am
How exciting! I agree, Jane. It’s a beautiful shade of brown! I love your description of the color, too (which has made me crave a root beer float…lol!).
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Robin
April 4, 2014 at 9:45 am
Hi Robin. Root beer floats are a favorite. I suppose it is only natural to be proud of something I’ve never done before, but I imagine a whole rainbow of wool hanging from that line by the end of summer. Also, thank you for your crocuses!!!!!! Jane
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jane tims
April 4, 2014 at 11:10 am
What a gorgeous rich shade. Lovely.
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Carol Steel
April 4, 2014 at 8:02 am
Hi Carol. So much fun! Lots of drips to dodge as the wool is drying. Jane
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jane tims
April 4, 2014 at 11:08 am