A Natural Color Adventure

“When I wandered out to the garden last week, I didn’t expect to leave with hands that were suspiciously stained blood-red.  

It’s all in a day’s work, I suppose.  I have been preparing for my upcoming Farm Day.  

Farm Day & Trunk Show

Though it’s months away, I had planned to have my fiber scoured and ready to dye before the end of June.  For all my planning, I am just beginning and it’s the last day of the month. 

Summer days are long but there never seems to be enough time to get all of my work done. I find myself filling baskets with berries, looking out for the fawns that skip along the banks of the lake and just soaking in the sun.  

Alas, the month is almost over and I have yet to complete the task that I have put off all month.  (Thanks, ADHD!) Today I will…

✓ DYE WOOL WITH AMARANTH…or at least I will tell you how I’m going to do it!

First,  the acquisition of my materials

This spring I planted the amaranth seeds that I was given by a local potter.  I had visited her studio last fall during an art studio tour. She was gracious to give me a handful of amaranth that was barely clinging to life in a pot outside her studio door.  The plant came with a warning that I should not plant any seeds directly in the ground unless I was okay with an invasion.

This is my first time using Amaranth and I have loved the bright color it has added to my garden. I love that it will provide color that will hold a hint of summer in the wool that I will use over winter.

Materials & Tools

To begin the process I will gather a few supplies. It is important to note that I never use items from my kitchen to dye fiber. I keep an eye out for large crocks and utensils whenever I am in second hand stores. I find the quality is far better than new pots purchased at discount stores. 

Here are a few items that I gather before I start:

• Amaranth leaves and seeds
• Vinegar and/or Baking soda to change the pH
• Strainers
• Towels
• Tongs
• Large crock 

For a breakdown on how to make Amaranth dye for bottling click here

As stated before, I have to scour the wool as I go since I did not manage to finish the process as planned. 

1. Scour the Wool (Pre-Wash)

• Fill a tub with hot water and a drop of mild soap.
• Soak your wool for 20–30 min (don’t agitate to avoid felting)
• Rinse gently in same-temp water.
• Repeat if the water’s still dirty. Let it dry slightly or keep damp for mordanting.
  

2. Mordanting (Helps Color Bind)

• Weigh your wool (WOF = Weight Of Fiber).
• Use 15% alum (i.e. 15g per 100g wool) and 5% cream of tartar
• Dissolve alum in hot water in a large pot.
• Add wool and enough water to cover.
• Heat to ~180°F for 1 hour. I have placed mine in the oven on low heat, but only when the wool is perfectly clean. 
• Let cool in the bath, then rinse lightly.
  

3. Make Your Dye Bath

• Simmer plant material in a pot of water for 30–60 minutes.
• Strain out the solids (unless you want texture specks).
• Add the mordanted wool to the dye bath.

4. Dyeing the Wool

• Heat dye pot with wool to ~160–180°F.
• Keep at that temp for 30–60 minutes.
• Stir gently occasionally.
• Let wool sit in the bath for deeper color (overnight = richer tones).

5. Rinse & Dry

• Gently rinse in lukewarm water until clear.
• Hang to dry out of direct sunlight.
• Bask in your botanical brilliance.

 Color Variations & Tips

Trick	Result
Add iron (rusty nail water) after dyeing	Darkens color
Add vinegar	Shifts color toward red/pink
Add baking soda	Shifts color toward blue/green
Use rainwater	Softer colors, less mineral interference
Use fresh vs. dried plants	Fresh often gives brighter shades

Woolly Bobbin Studio

The little things matter		Made with care
Take pride in using high-quality materials and time-honored techniques to create sustainable dyes that are both safe and aesthetically pleasing.		The greatest step is the one that leads you to doing what you love. I love to garden and I love fiber. This process is a marriage of those passions.