Long Yarn to Get This Yarn

I like short blogs.  There's no short way, however, to take gentle readers from start to finish on this tale about fiber.  The story's been started several months back, supplemented here and there as time went on, but now is the time to wind this yarn into a ball.

It's my sister's fault really, if one would say there is blame to be laid.  Her alder tree came down.  She noted the brilliant bark and wood as they were exposed to the air.  Her excitement over the wonderful colors ignited mine.  You can see it all began with her.

But then a search on line showed alder bark could be used to dye wool.  My stash had five skeins of creamy fiber that might lend itself to soaking up some additional color.  And so it began.  Three months later my hubby (the engineer) remarked rhetorically one afternoon, "Wouldn't it be easier to just go buy yarn that color?  Surely, they sell that at the yarn shop." Of course, they do, but don't call me Shirley: it's not about what it is easier.  It is about the experiment.

And experiment,  I did!  Thank you to Leena at Riihivilla, Dyeing with natural dyes. Leena lives in Finland, and her experiments with alder bark showed me how to direct my own. Every step was exciting and energizing.

Since any picture is worth a thousand words, let's cut to the chase and wrap this up.
Preparing the wood:

Grinding chips to release color

Brilliant Alder Bark

Making the Dye:

Fermented Alder sand/water slurry after two months

Bark "sand"

Preparing the wool:

Nicely wound wool on the left needed to be put back into
hanks so the dye would have easy access to the fibers.

Four hanks of yarn to mix with dyes

The wool simmered for one hour with
Alum and Cream of Tartar

Simmering the wool with mordents:

All four hanks simmered for 3 hours.  Two hanks were removed,
rinsed and dried.  Two remained in the dye bath for another
ten days just to see if they would soak up more color.  The
difference was barely discernible.

Simmering the wool with Alder Dye:

Simplest way I knew to get Iron.
Bought 65mg. tablets, crushed
them and mixed them with water.

Used all 100 tablets and soaked one hank of
simmered yarn and one hank of simmered+10
days of soaking to this iron bath to
soak for nearly another three days.

Adding Iron to change the color:

Finally the final results:

Twisted hanks spent the extra 10
days in the dye bath.  The picture
is not totally true--the right-hand yarn
is more green than camel colored.

All wound and ready to knit.

Interesting note:  Whenever I stirred the iron water bath, the spoon would drip into the sink, making a bluish stain.  Yellow and blue make green.

This three-month project filled Things I get to do today for portions of many days. There were times when I was eager to be finished with the mess. I'm thrill, however, even dazzled, with the end results.

You might be wondering what this yarn will become in its newly evolved state: two pair of Finish-style mittens--one for my sister and one for me.  I'll write about knitting the mittens when the weather turns cold again.

Natural Dyes for Wool, Step One

Almost looks like carrots with grey skin

Get yourself a good blender.  My husband says it should be a "pull-start" type.  I know he means a three-horse power one. Can you imagine three horses on your kitchen counter? And what in the world do horses and natural dyes have to do with each other?

About half full.

Alder, its leaves, catkins, and its bark are excellent for dying fiber, so  I've read. Come along on my journey of experimentation in dying wool with bark from my sister's cut-down Alder tree.  When it was first fell, it shocked us into doing something with the spectacular color.

Bark and wood chips.

The bark must be prepared, I understand.  Some directions said to soak it for three months, letting it ferment, as the first step.  I think the point is to get as much of the color as possible from the bark.  Well,  my "three horses" and I have a different and very possibly quicker plan tucked into the Things I get to do today.

Ground bark

Two batches of bark in the blender with about two cups of water in each for 20 seconds or so resulted in a fine "gravel" or coarse sand texture to the bark with lots and lots of color in the water.  Next stage is to let that sit for a week or so.  To be continued.

Heart of Gold/Orange To Dye For

Neither of us had any idea.  The big alder tree in my sister's yard was scheduled to come down.  And it did.  Lots of work but no mishaps resulted in tired but pleased people.  But then the color set in.

Ends all ablaze

Orange, bright, defiant, yellowish orange was scattered all over the place on the cut surface of every chunk of wood. We stood in amazement drinking in the flamboyant show of a tree trunk cut to stove wood lengths.

Golden "Beets"

Wiki, our close, informed friend, helped us out here: "If the shoots of the alder are cut in March, they will provide a cinnamon colored dye, but when they are dehydrated and powdered, they provide a yellowish-brown or orange shade.  On the other hand, freshly cut wood of the alder provides a pinkish-brown or pinkish-fawn coloring, while the catkins provide a green dye."

Rich color of the bruised bark

Even the sawdust glows!

Somehow the creative Things I get to do today yearn to play in the color.  We'll find a way, and I'll share the results of this Heart of Gold.