| Dye recipies I've tried on wool | ||||
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| Dye recipies I've tried on silk | |||
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These are some of the experiments in dyeing I've tried. For all of the experiments that I used wool in I bought it from Earth Guild. The silk I got from a merchant at an Atlantian event. I wanted to use yarn that would be uniform in thickness and quality. I used four ounces of yarn for each experiment except for the high strength eucalyptus, when I used one ounce.
I used alum as a premordant on the pine needles, the queen anne's lace, and all the silks. The eucalyptus experiments did not get a mordant as the recipe said one wasn't needed. I used alum as a post mordant on the tumeric as it keep bleeding during the rinses.
I discovered while dyeing that 1) simmering must be done outdoors to keep your loved ones happy at you, and 2) medieval dyers must not have had a sense of smell. For many dyeing recipes simmering is required to either leach the dye stuff out of the substance it comes from or to dye the materials after you have achieved your dyebath. This usually reeks to high heaven. The nicest smell was the eucalyptus, which could be classified as a very strong smell. This smell will clear up any sinus congestion you, your loved ones, your pets, or any insect in your house may have. The pine needles smelled the worst, I only advise trying this if you have guests that won't go away.
