Natural Plant Dyeing

in a: clean soap or detergent bath. Avoid one sheep, its color will not be uniform. I
an overly sndsy bath mixture because it For this reason it should be picked over
dries out the flee& by removing much of. before it is dyed to obtain a more even
the natural lanolin. Rinse gently-don’t dye color. If the color of the fleece is still ’
sqheeze or wring. Lift the fleece out of uneven after dyeing, it should be picked
the,rinse water and let -it drain. Hgndle it
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gently: to avoid matting. If the fleece can
again, before beginning
carding and spinning.
the processes of
be puedutdool;s to dry, it will fluff up. ,If the fleece-is to be used for a specific
Another method. is to take. groups of project, decide the thickness of the yarn
locks of the fleece and wash by swishing aud how’ much is needed. The loss in..
them in hot ‘suds. TGe part of the lock going from the unpreplred or “grease”
cliisest to the body is known ‘as the head&. fleece to the \&shed and dyed fleece is 40
and the outer part is called the t‘all. .Hol;i or 50 per cent. Thus, if five pounds -of _
the locks by the head and swish the 62s prepared wool are needed, vash ten :
,in hot suds, thereby releasing the di$ pounds of fleece.
Then r&e the fleece, spread it out to dry If, a mord’ant is required for the dyeor
put directly’ in the mordant. It ran bath, +n plus cream of tartar is satis- .
then be dyed. Chicken mire, with, large f&tory because of its mildness. Other ,
holes, attached to a frame is USC~UI for mordants may be used to obtain a good
spreading aut’the locks to dry in the out- range of color even thougli they map have
door air.
This treatment is especially good fop
it tendency to make the wool brittle
tender.
and
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down breeds as Southdown or the fine The wool should still have elasticity -
wool of the Merino. Squthdown fleece. is after washing, mordant&g and dyeing. -
very short and has much crimp. Merino The best utensils are ‘brass, copper, stainfleece,
Which has a fine crimp, is difficult less steel, pyres and eflamelware. Be sure
to handle hut worthwhirc ?f wnshed lind of temperature (simmer, don’t boil the
carded with care.
wool) aud of aulple room for the fleece to
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Color and Thickness y
Even though’.the fleece is’ taken from
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float. Avoid crowding in the utensil as it
will not permit even mordanting pr dyeing.
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‘^ Madder Ito&
TO dye 2 oz. of wool, prepare 4 skeins of wool, each weighing !4, ounce.
‘Premordant 2 skeins with alum and cream of
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tartar arid 2 skeins with chrome.
Place ‘/1 ounce of pulverized madder root (Rubh tinctorum) in mu&n bag i,
and soak in 2 quarts of water over;night. The following day use medium heat
to bring the madder slowly to the boiling point. Let it boil vigorously .for pnly *
10, mVinutes. Remove theecn;iadder from the dyeb’ath an&divide ,the dye evenly
in 2 *dyepots. (The madder\ root may be used for a bcond, weaker dyebbh
later:) ,
Place the 2 alum-premordanted skeins in 1 dyepot’ and the Chrome-premordanted
skeins ih the other. Simmer the tyarn in the pdts for 30 minutes. *
’ Remove ail the -skeins from the dyebaths. Add a pinch of tin to the 1 bath an,d
replace 1 of the alum-mordanted skeins in it. Add b pinch of iron ‘to the other
j,
bath
tional
and replace
10 minutes.
1 of the 3
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1.
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