 |
| Ile de France nature dye. |
June 19/16
Fibre: Ile
de France
WOF: 312
grams (g)
Dye: Nature dye using onion skins and alum
mordant.
Format: Scoured
uncarded fibre. Used leftover alum
mordant rejuvenated with one tsp. alum and half tsp. cream of tartar.
Added dry
fibre in a mesh bag to very large pot of prepared alum mordant. Also added very
small amount of dish detergent. Brought to a simmer and simmered for fifty
minutes. Drained. Rinsed briefly. I did this the morning of dye day.
Nature Dye: Three year’s accumulation of onion
skins. The previous day I prepared the onion peel
dye. I placed two stuffed grocery bags full of dried onion peels into a large
dye pot and added water to cover. I simmered for about four hours and then let
it cool overnight.
The next
morning, I drained the dye liquor into a couple of buckets and discarded the
onion peels into the compost bin. I poured the dye liquor back into the dye pot
and added the fleece which was encased in a mesh laundry bag. The dye liquor
was a very deep, dark orange.
The fleece
was completely under the liquid. I brought the temperature of the dye vat up to
a simmer and simmered for four hours stirring frequently.
The dye vat
was allowed to sit on the stove for two and a half days while I was at work. I
then removed the mesh bag containing the fleece, drained it and then placed it
in the sink with lukewarm water and some dish detergent to soak for twenty
minutes. A lot of colour was still washing out. Washed four times, last with
TNA (Synthrapol substitute). Colour still coming out and still smells of
onions.
It was
rinsed in a sink of slightly cooler water, drained, then rinsed again in clear
water. After draining it was put in my front loading washer on the spin cycle.
From there
it was spread out on mesh screening to air dry in a summery breeze and
sunshine.
The
resulting colour was a dark yellow orange.
When dry, I
took fifteen g and drum carded it into three mini batts of five g each for a
sample.
I made
three rolags. I spun it on my Ashford Elizabeth Saxony wheel on the 8:1 pulley
using the woollen point of contact draw at 40 wpi. Three bobbins of five g each
spun Z.
I plied on
the same wheel using a ratio of 12:1 in the S direction. The wheel was set to
use double drive.
Fibre: Ile
de France
Preparation:
Drum carded rolags
Spinning
Technique: Woollen. Point of contact. 8:1. Double drive. Plied 12:1. ZZZ S.
TPI: 4.6
tpi
Twist angle
of plied yarn: 36°
WPI: 13
Bradford
Count: 3/7s [1]
Finishing:
Very warm water with dish soap. Rinsed in warm water twice. Wuzzed. Hung to
dry.
Suitable
end uses: Cardigans, mitts, hats, slippers, upholstery, rug weft.
Notes: This
is a short stapled fleece. It is not soft.
