Autumn Recipes: Botanical Dyeing with Rowan Lane Fibres
Image of Leya’s hands reaching into pick a bunch of wild marjoram among dried grasses.
Instructions, recipe, images and article by Leya Williams, Rowan Lane Fibres.
This interview and article was originally written by Leya for the autumn edition of The Aligned Times, the indie paper I used to create for my Deep Care Boxes. I’m honoured to be republishing it here!
Who I am
Image of Leya smiling into the camera, holding a bundle of their botanically dyed skeins of yarn in shades of peach, yellow, coral and a grey-blue which matches their linen shirt and knitted hat.
As a mother, it can be hard to answer the question of “who are you” without beginning with the fact that you’re a mum! And so Rowan Lane Fibres came about as my way of further exploring and sharing the world of botanical dyeing and asserting my self - in essence, who I am before and beyond being a parent
One of the projects I’ve been working on is Summer of Making, an eBook I collaborated on with friend and knitwear designer Ainur Berkimbayeva of Mama’s Teddy Bear. I used to read and write profusely and I love that starting my own business means I get to re-immerse myself in old-new passions.
Our book is about crafting heirlooms in the season of Summer, with natural dyes and yarn.
I’m a lover and apostle of nature. I’m endlessly fascinated by and in awe of the magic of the Universe and the fact that we’re all existing on this most beautiful planet.
I’m deeply inspired by astrology and the gift of learning about myself, my community and the wonders of the cosmos that it allows. So being a Taurean, I’m creative and the art I’m drawn to usually involves some element that’s pleasurable to me in creating it.
That’s why I love the textile arts; the colours, the fact that they’re tactile, how you can ground yourself in the present with the repetitive motions of making. Working with plants, being outdoors to forage for them, connects me to my environment in a much deeper way than merely knowing my way around the neighbourhood.
On Rest
As a time-poor single mother and entrepreneur, I struggle to truly rest from all my duties and responsibilities.
Withdrawing from the online world is a go-to for when I’m feeling particularly overstretched, and knitting a few rows, breathing into each stitch, never fails to ground me in the present.
On Sustainability
Image of linens hanging on wooden pegs, botanically dyed in beautiful warm yellows, oranges and pinks.
Collectively, we can’t afford not to have sustainability at the core of what we do.
The questions of where do we source our materials/products from, and is that process extractive or regenerative of the environment?
Who makes them, under what conditions and for what kind of pay? Would we accept those conditions and rates for ourselves, or are we contributing to an exploitative capitalist machine that uses and dehumanises people, and is that truly sustainable?
My hope is that the small businesses that seek to answer these questions with respect and integrity continue to influence consumers’ expectations of the large corporations, and my goal is to join that community of those entrepreneurs.
On Cyclical Living
Image of Leya wrapped in a knitted cardigan in a dry grassy field. Their arms are crossed and they gaze out into the distance.
As a Taurus sun and moon, I’m very rooted in the natural world, and it’s so satisfying and rewarding to me to not only observe but, through my practice of foraging, get to know them intimately as the seasons flow, and be in a symbiotic and respectful relationship with them.
I also use foraged plants medicinally, to help manage my endometriosis and adenomyosis symptoms during my moon cycle. So for me, cyclical and seasonal living means knowing and trusting the wisdom of nature and plants in almost every aspect of my life, from nourishing my body and mind, to enabling me to make a living.
Spending time in nature reminds me that we are nature, not at all separate from it.
Autumn Botanical Dyeing
Wool socks soak in hawthorn dye in a stainless steel pot
Tools + Equipment
When starting out with natural dyeing, it can be helpful to think of it as gently cooking colour, and so you’ll find that much of what you’ll need to get going, you already have in your kitchen.
a stainless steel pot (7 -10 litre capacity)
kitchen scales
steel slotted spoons or wooden spoons, and mini whisks
small non-reactive containers, that is, made of glass, plastic, steel or enamel
cotton muslin cheesecloth for straining dye-stuff
an apron
a bucket or two for straining and colour modifications
rubber gloves and dust mask for handling any fine powders
Safety First
Before you begin, there are some vital safety guidelines to observe.
Work in a well-ventilated space: you should have the ability to open a window or use an overhead extractor fan.
ALWAYS use pots and tools designated for dyeing - keep all cooking utensils separate.
Have a separate storage area for all your dyeing substances: they can easily be mistaken for cooking salts for example.
Label your dyeing assists, mordants, metal salts, some of which are irritants and/or toxic.
Keep in mind that you will likely have to lift and carry heavy pots filled with hot liquid, so make sure the work area is hazard-free so that you can move around without obstructions.
You will need a dust mask and rubber gloves (heat resistant ones will make for a more comfortable dyeing experience)
Tips For Dyeing Protein Fibres
(eg sheep’s wool, alpaca, silk, - generally natural fibres derived from an animal - plant dyes cannot dye synthetic fibres)
By ‘fibre’ I mean fabric, yarn or string to be dyed.
It is very important to take note of the dry weight of your fibre as the very first thing you do. It is known at the Weight Of Fibre (WOF) and it is this measurement that will determine how much of the subsequent dye substances to use.
Prepare the fibre for dyeing
This is a two-step process:
1) Before you start dyeing, you will need to firstly thoroughly clean your fibre to remove any residual oils, starches and dirt - this is called scouring.
2) You will then need to mordant your fibre. Mordanting is the process of soaking the fibre in a substance that will bind/fix the dye molecules to the fibre. This substance is called a mordant.
You can use metal salts bought from a dye supply store or plant-derived mordants as they are seasonally available, which is what we will be using in this guide. The dye stuffs I’ll be recommending to forage I have chosen specifically because they are what are called substantive dyes; meaning they already contain compounds that will enable the dye molecules to form a chemical bond to the wool without your having to mordant the socks before dyeing them - basically, they have a built-in mordant.
Mordants
If you do want to experiment with mordants, here is a short list of the very most basic metal salts you might want to invest in to extend the range of colours you can achieve when dyeing your woollen socks.
alum (aluminium potassium sulphate)
iron (ferrous sulphate)
These can all be purchased from online craft and dye supply stores - I’ve included some recommended ones at the end of the article.
Prepare the Fibre for Dyeing*
(*note: in all the steps make sure your fibre is completely wet but wrung out before immersing in liquid)
Step 1 - Scouring
ingredients: any pH neutral dish washing detergent
Measure the dry weight of the fibre (WOF) and jot it in your dye log notebook.
half fill a large pot with hot tap water.
measure and dissolve 1% of the weight of your fibre, e.g. 1g of detergent per 100g of socks.
add the damp fibre and top up with water if needed, to ensure the fibre is submerged and can move freely around the pot.
bring the temperature slowly to no more than 80°C and hold there for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Rotate the fibre once or twice during this time but always stir very slowly and gently, because agitating wool in water can cause it to felt. Allow the water to cool before handling.
wear gloves rubber and rinse well (being careful if fibres are still hot) in clean water that is the same temperature as the scour water as a dramatic change in temperature can also felt the wool.
Step 2 - Mordanting
ingredients: alum
Half fill a large pot with hot tap water.
measure and dissolve alum at 12 % WO.F.
add the damp, scoured fibre and top up with water to ensure the fibre is submerged and can move feely around the pot.
add the fibre to the mordant bath, bring the temperature up to a gentle simmer, no more than 80°C for at least 1 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Allow the fibre to cool in the pot.
then rinse thoroughly to remove any unattached mordant, in warm water. Squeeze out excess water gently and hang up to dry completely before proceeding to dyeing.
Botanical Dyeing
Stirring hawthorn dye with leaves and twigs after yarn has soaked
At last you can begin to dye your scoured and mordanted fibre!
Here are my tips for great colour results.
Plan ahead by scouring and mordanting your fibres before you want to dye, anything from a month to a day in advance, so that when you’re ready to dye, you can just pull out the fibre, pre-soak it in water and you’re ready to go!
Extract colour from your dyestuffs the day before you want to dye.
To get colour, half fill a pot with hot water, add your dyestuffs, and slowly bring to a simmer. I usually turn the heat off at this point to allow the heated water to gently coax the colour out, and repeat after the dye bath has cooled completely.
Never boil your dyestuff, high heat can destroy the colour, especially if dyeing with flowers.
The natural world is full of colour potential, and currently I use mostly fresh dyestuffs, locally found and foraged as part of my practice, but there is a whole huge world of natural dye extracts to discover too!
This is the part where you get to play and experiment, and to avoid initial disappointment, I advise you to use twice as much fresh plant dyestuff in weight as the dry WOF of your fibre. So if you have 100g of fabric, use 200g of leaves/flowers/ bark etc and you should get a good, strong dye.
Remember to pre-wet your fibre before scouring, mordanting and dyeing, and wring it out before it goes into the pot - it should not be dripping wet, only evenly saturated with water.
Once you have extracted the colour, strain the dyestuff through a muslin cloth, you want to avoid plant bits sticking to your fabric. Be careful, the liquid will be hot and the pot heavy.
All that’s left to do after straining is immersing your damp fibre into the dye bath. If there isn’t enough liquid to allow the fibre to move freely and under the surface level, simply add more hot water.
Stir every 10 -15 minutes if you want the fibre to dye evenly, otherwise simply immerse the fibre, until you achieve a depth of colour you’re happy with. Leaving the fibre to steep overnight will give deep, rich colours and dye for a minimum of 15 minutes, to allow a chemical bond to form, for paler shades.
100% sheep wool socks dyed with hawthorn leaves and berries
Suggested Dyes
Leya holds hawthorn berries, wet with rain, between their fingers.
Your kitchen cupboards already contain some dyestuffs ready to pull out and play with.
The humble tea bag will give you a range of warm to dark browns. For for pinks and yellows, you can also try:
hibiscus flower tea
green tea
mint tea
Food waste gives a range of surprising colours, have fun and experiment with:
onion skins (dye red and yellow skins separately)
carrot tops
avocado stones and skins
pomegranate skins
And if you pre-mordant your fibres before dyeing fresh herbs like
mint,
rosemary,
sage and
bay leaves
These can make yellows, browns, olive greens and peachy coral tones.
At this time of year, abundant substantive dyes you can forage for include
alder cones
pinecones
acorns
oak tree leaves
walnuts husks
walnut tree leaves
If you’re interested to delve deeper into learning about plant dyeing, my e-book, Summer of Making is now available (and perfect for very season!).
Instagram: @rowanlanefibres
