Tag: Gardening

Dye Kits Are Available!

Embrace a touch of last summer.

OAQFF NATURAL DYE KIT

I have kits available that will supply you with mordanted fingering weight yarn (3 25g mini skeins) and 10g of dried flowers (from my garden) to dye your first skeins of yarn.
The steps outlined in the kit are very simple. It’s as simple as 1,2,3. You provide the glass jar and I will provide the rest. Once you purchase a kit you will receive an invite to become a member of a Instagram group where you’ll be able to see what others dye and post your pictures too.

If you’d like to dye your own wool I also have an E-Guide that you can download. This will give you the basic steps you need to get you on your way.

2022 Natural Dyer’s Harvest

Can you believe it; last night after dinner on October 10th I was in the greenhouse packaging up all my dried flowers.

I have learned so much this year. This year was my first time gardening to produce dried flowers to dye yarn and fibre with. I learned so much. Here are the highlights:

  • Not planting sweet peas; not enough colour.
  • Plant only a few nasturtiums; not 18!
  • Plant sunflowers against a wall or fence to allow for adequate support.
  • Don’t buy a dyers coreopsis mixture. Buy just the yellow ones as the mixture included a lot of chocolate coreopsis.
  • Pay better attention to Indigo! Water well and pick leaves more mindfully by replanting stalks.
  • Lastly, keep seeding through out summer so I get more crops into the first frost.
  • Tango cosmos are my FAVOURITE!
OAQFF Dyers Garden Harvest

I still have yarrow to package up as well as many more sunflower heads. I also have ziplock bags of marigolds that I will freeze as Tammy from Wing and a Prayer Farm had mentioned in her class that I took virtually during covid. She is an excellent instructor and emits enthusiasm when telling others about her farm.

Well now I’m off to finish packaging up my yarrow and create a dye bath from walnuts today.

Cheers,

Keli

Black Holly Hocks

Next Up Black Hollyhocks

This afternoon I gathered thirteen grams of black Hollyhocks and have been simmering them for two hours. I can’t wait to see the colour tomorrow morning.

My method of simmering plants.

Look at the colour of my fingers!

Just from picking petals off!

I also was harvesting my sunflowers this morning. Check out my video. I can’t wait to share this experiment with you as well. I have to wait for the seed heads to dry before removing the seeds.

Now time to go check on that simmering “brew”.

-Keli

Madder & Marigolds

I used yarn dyed with madder root extract and eco-dyed yarn with marigolds. What I love about naturally dyed yarns is that all colours go together; some just pop more than others. Here is red yarn and yarn with yellows and green speckles.

Budding Vines Cowl

I have since soaked and blocked the cowl, and I will show it to you next week. It is notable how blocking a garment can make such a difference to the knitted fabric.

Now I am putting together packets of my dried flowers for you. You watched me plant seeds last spring, water and feed the plants all summer, and then harvest the flowers. Soon you’ll be able to dye with my flowers too. Make sure to subscribe to my website so that you don’t miss more details.

Cheers,

Keli