Dyeing samples

Spent the day dyeing samples of wool. In each dye mixture I placed on chunk of alum mordanted wool roving and one foot of two ply wool yarn (that I had previously spun and plyed) with no mordant.

I used five different plant materials for dye: red cabbage, dried hibiscus flower seed heads, rooibos tea, dandelion flowers, and rhubarb leaves.

To each of the five dyes I tried adding four different chemicals:  baking soda (a base), vinegar (an acid), copper sulphate, and ferrous (iron) sulphate.

To simulate cooking the fibres to incorporate the dye, which usually takes hours, I wrapped each sample in plastic wrap and microwaved them for one minute on high. The microwave simulation will not produce as intense a hue, but it will give an idea of the colour.

Red cabbage liquid after being boiled.

Red cabbage turns turquoise blue with baking soda and fushia with vinegar.

 with copper = purple, 

with iron = dark blue                                 

Hibiscus flower tea is cherry red.

with baking soda = muddy green

with vinegar = bright pink

with copper = pink

with iron = dark pink

Rooibos tea is very orange-brown

with baking soda = more orange

with vinegar = less orange

with copper = green-orange

with iron = sludge brown

Rhubarb leaf dye

with baking soda = orange-brown

with vinegar = pale yellow

with copper = light green

with iron = light brown

Dandelion flower dye

with baking soda = yellow

with vinegar = muddy yellow

with copper = green

with iron = muddy brown-black

Sample drying on rack after microwaving and rinsing in water.

Generally, the baking soda gave a greener colour and the vinegar gave a redder colour.  However, the vinegar dye did not set, most of it washed out during the rinsing!  Boo Hoo!!

Generally the copper sulphate adds a greener colour and the iron a browner colour.  

It is evident from these samples that the alum mordant made little to no difference.  I am not sure if it will make a bigger difference in the longer cooking and darker colour setting.  I hope so, otherwise all my work mordanting roving with alum was not worthwhile!