I’ve been taking advantage of the late summer/early fall surplus of lovely jewelweed, made easier to reach due to the low water levels this year. I’m happy to share this dye tutorial with you and look forward to hearing about your experiences! HISTORY – Orange Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) is a native of North America andContinue reading “Natural Orange Dye – The Magic of Jewelweed”
Category Archives: Handmade Craft
Dyeing Pink with Hopi Red Dye Amaranth
This is a long-promised post about my method of dyeing with the gorgeous Hopi Red Dye Amaranth plant. I have another post with more details about growing this plant over here. I’ve grown this amaranth for several years now, and it is a consistent and hardy plant in my garden. Fair warning though, it DOESContinue reading “Dyeing Pink with Hopi Red Dye Amaranth”
Pinks from Second Year Woad
Hello fellow plant dye enthusiasts! I’m here today to tell you about a use for your 2nd year woad leaves (other than waiting for seeds, chicken feed, or compost additive)! As we know, woad (Isatis tinctoria) is a rather plain looking plant from Europe that has a long history as a source for blue dye.Continue reading “Pinks from Second Year Woad”
Naturally Dyeing Yarn with Marigolds
If you are 100% new to the art of natural dyeing… or if you need a dye that will give you great color every single time, marigolds are the dyestuff you want. They are plentiful, forgiving, work just about as well dried as fresh, and give an amazing mustard yellow. You probably recognize marigolds asContinue reading “Naturally Dyeing Yarn with Marigolds”
Knitting Pattern: Garden Stroll Socks
Hey knitters – what about spring socks in fresh, lightweight yarn. Sound good to you? Free pattern sound even better?? Here is just such a pattern that I whipped up specifically for my sock weight Garden Yarn. Full disclusure: I’ve made 3 pairs of these anklets and I’m not going to stop anytime soon. SoContinue reading “Knitting Pattern: Garden Stroll Socks”
Natural Dye: Berry Pinks
Ok, I know I’m a little late for Valentine’s Day, but I just stumbled into the most glorious pink dye (or perhaps stain – more on that later) using some past-their-prime berries. Below is the long version – scroll down for the quick and dirty! Or find a recipe for natural yellow dye HERE. Continue reading “Natural Dye: Berry Pinks”
Glorious Green (and Yellow) from Rudbeckia
Hello all! While we are waiting for the KnittyVet Etsy shop to reopen on Tuesday Sept. 12 with the new yarn update, I thought I’d share my process for dyeing with Rudbeckia. Call them Black Eyed Susans, Coneflowers, Gloriosa Daisies, or whatever, many folks have asked me if these pretty yellow or orange flowers reallyContinue reading “Glorious Green (and Yellow) from Rudbeckia”
Garden Yarn by KnittyVet – Naturally hand-dyed skeins launching soon!
Hey all! I hope you’ve been having a stellar season – here in the Northern Hemisphere I’ve been making the most of a beautiful summer and dyeing lots of yarn with the plants and flowers from my garden. I’ve been sharing my progress online and due to popular demand have decided to offer a limitedContinue reading “Garden Yarn by KnittyVet – Naturally hand-dyed skeins launching soon!”
Flower Eco Printed Cotton Shirt
For the 4th of July this year we decided to start a little project with some of the fresh flowers in our yard and a cotton t-shirt. I had previously prepared the shirt by following the directions for mordanting cotton with alum outlined in Wild Colors by Jenny Dean. Despite some excitement over the sumacContinue reading “Flower Eco Printed Cotton Shirt”
Dye Project #3: Creeping Charlie (part 1/2)
Some folks may have strong feelings about this plant. You’ve been warned. Creeping charlie (Glechoma hederacea) is a fast spreading perennial ground cover in the mint family. According to Wikipedia it is also know poetically as”ground ivy”, “alehoof”, or “run-away-robin”. As anyone who has experienced its growth in their own yard, that last name isContinue reading “Dye Project #3: Creeping Charlie (part 1/2)”