plant dyed...

...hand spun yarn using madder

I love dyeing with natural plant materials, the results are always really fun, love the burnt orange colour

I used powdered madder root and added alum and a pinch of iron as a mordant

The yarn has been mordanted with alum and cream of tartar

Adding enough water to cover pre-wetted yarn, the gorgeous red coloured liquid is gently heated up to 80*c and simmered for about 45mins. I then left the wool in the dye pot overnight. Rinsed in soapy water until the water runs clear...and this was the result

Will be using the left over dye liquid (exhaust) to colour more yarn and will post results soon

xxx