Spinning Wool/Natural Dyes (collecting, knitting, crochet, enthusiast)

[Dancingearth]

I'm learning how to spin wool at the living history ranch in New Mexico. Recently I helped in the dye shed showing visitors (mostly learning) how to use natural dyes for the wool. I want to try making the fermented avocado dye and Clariz wanted to know more about it when I mentioned it in another thread so here is what I'm doing.

I am collecting avocado skins and the pits (breaking them up) until I have a gallon jar half or 2/3 full of them. I then fill the jar with water and put it in the sun for 2-3 weeks to ferment--like sun tea. My clean spun yard goes in and sits for another week or two and then gets washed. I believe the color should be orange/yellow. Has anyone actually done this? I was told it will not be as colorfast as the boiled dyes and I'm wondering if I put a mordant in if that will make it more colorfast.

Any spinners or natural dye people on here?

[clairz]

Originally Posted by Dancingearth

Any spinners or natural dye people on here?

I am a spinner/dyer from way back. I used to co-own a little shop in Sumner, Washington, called The Country Weaver; and my family has raised sheep and angora goats in both WA and New Hampshire.

Although I've been concentrating on knitting for the past few years, I brought along my spinning wheel when I retired and we moved to New Mexico. My husband recently brought me some beautiful wool and some alpaca fiber from a wool processor in Roswell who was going to throw it away !! so I am ready to start.

I am very interested in your fermented avocado dye and would love to hear how it turns out. I would like to try some solar dyeing with all our abundant sunshine and would like to hear from those who have tried it, with and without mordants.

Thanks, DE, for starting this thread!

~clairz

[Dancingearth]

Prickly pear fruit was also used to make fermented dyes but I'm not sure how they did it. I believe the entire fruit was used. There was something else they fermented for dye but I forget what -- I'm going to El Rancho de las Golondrinas again today to volunteer so I'll ask.

I also knit, crochet, have tried most textile arts. Last week I found a knitting group in Santa Fe. I lived in Olympia for the last five years--met people who took spinning classes there and raised alpacas and had a knitting group that I really enjoyed so I'm glad to find one here. A visitor at the ranch came through yesterday wanting to give us alpaca wool that they want to get rid of. It's a good place for anyone interested in learning weaving and the processes involved to volunteer!
El Rancho de las Golondrinas - a Spanish Colonial Living History Museum in Santa Fe

[shetibo]

as long as you heat it well and maybe use some vinegar in the dye bath it should stay. so if you set the jar out in the nice warm sun for a while with a splash of vinegar your color should stay!
that nice thing about wool is you can dye it with just about anything if you have an acid and heat. i frequently use kool aid and food color with no problems at all! wool is fun to work with for this reason!

[TXknitter]

I just saw this thread. I'm a new spinner and a longtime knitter. Love it, love it. We are now moving to Sumner WA hubby being transferred to Auburn, WA. I am HOPING so much that there are lots of spinners/knitters/fiber arts enthusiasts all over Sumner, WA area. I can't think of a better place to go than New Mexico if your hobby is spinning and hand-dyeing. You all must love it.

[clairz]

Originally Posted by TXknitter

I just saw this thread. I'm a new spinner and a longtime knitter. Love it, love it. We are now moving to Sumner WA hubby being transferred to Auburn, WA. I am HOPING so much that there are lots of spinners/knitters/fiber arts enthusiasts all over Sumner, WA area. I can't think of a better place to go than New Mexico if your hobby is spinning and hand-dyeing. You all must love it.

I used to co-own a weaving/spinning shop in Sumner called The Country Weaver. It's long gone now and I am retired in New Mexico after 22 years in New Hampshire, and am loving the life here. You've reminded me that it's time to dust off the old spinning wheel.

Back in the seventies when I lived up there the Arachne Guild and the Moonspinners Guild were very active. I wonder if they are still meeting?

~clairz