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A dyers diary

Peace Bauble

March 2022

There is no need for me to write about the challenges facing the world at this current time.  Knitting offers me comfort and solace whilst my mind is whirling. I have uploaded a free bauble pattern to the online shop with a thought that it may offer you comfort and solidarity.

https://shilasdair-yarns.com/product/peace-bauble/

 

 

Dyeing with Reeds (Phragmites australis or Cuilc in Gaelic)

September 2021

The common reed is a traditional Scottish dye plant that really conjures up the magic of natural dyes. The reeds like alkaline wet marshy land. Here on Skye they generally grow up  to about 1.5 metres although in less wild weather locations can reach up to 4 metres tall. The reed beds provide a thriving and safe home for so much wildlife. They are invasive and a real spreader once they take hold so not ideal for planting in your dye garden but if you can find a patch locally already taken hold I definitely recommend having a go and dyeing with the purple flower heads of this plant.

Research shows the roots, leaves and seeds of the reed as are all edible but I have never tried and wouldn’t recommend without further guidance!The reeds themselves have been used for so many things over time: roof thatching, basket making, broom making, paper making.  Here on Skye it has been documented that fishermen used the reed for rope making.

For the dye pot it is the unopened flower heads that we use, which here on Skye are purple and sleek in mid August but that may vary on where you live especially if you have a warmer climate. Once you have gathered your seed heads pop them in your pot, cover with water and heat slowly for about an hour – you will soon see a lovely purple liquor develop.  Allow it to cool and then add your yarn, fabric or other textiles to be dyed.  Our samples shown below are 100% wool mordanted with 12 % alum.  Heat the dye bath gently for another hour and you will see the wool takes up the colour readily. The lighter green sample was removed from the pot after and hour, the darker green was left in over night.

We then experimented with the ph – so often colours in the dye bath will shift depending on a low or high ph. By adding vinegar to the dye bath and lowering the ph to 3 we dyed another wool sample which remained purple and didn’t turn in to the beautiful greens above. This acidic dyed sample is not stable as a colour, but it is a fun experiment and a good example of how one dye pot can produce such different shades of colour depending on ph. Taking the science out of it I just love the magic of pulling different shades out of one pot!

Latest Entries
Bog MyrtleBog Myrtle
November 14, 2019Natural DyesBog myrtle Bog myrtle was one of the first dye plants that I experimented with many years ago using nothing but my intuition and limited dye knowledge. I was very free and easy with my methods but always got a pleasant result, and this in turn encouraged me on in my natural dye pursuits. Since these experiments I have researched and learnt a lot more about this Skye shrub that grows all around us here at Shilasdair. Bog myrtle or Myrica gale is a woody deciduous perennial shrub from the Myricaceae family. It thrives in damp or boggy soils, which explains why we have so much of it here! As with many of these ancient plants people have used them in the past for all sorts of uses – the Vikings are said to have used Bog myrtle to treat depression and poor memory and to give a sense of well-being. We use the leaves ourselves in a tea and on Skye it makes an excellent midge repellent. But it is for it’s secret dye colour that I have my strongest connection with the plant. We tend to harvest the bog myrtle in late August but it is still possible to sneak in a final forrage as late as October before the first frosts have arrived. We use not just the leaves but also the woody twigs and stems. Without these twigs a lovely warm yellow colour can be achieved. As can been seen above. Just an over nights soaking in cool peat water can produce a yellow dye – however further heating unlocks the rich tannins which will aid us in our pursuit of a richer colour. For it is the warm khaki green that we just love to get from bog myrtle. After long and slow heating we dye our fibre in the yellow dye liquor and then leave to cool over night. The following day we reheat the dye pot and do a post mordant iron bath where we add just 2 % of dissolved ferrous sulphate. Bringing the pot back up to a low heat for 20 minutes the colour transforms before our eyes to a warm khaki green – soft and earthy it is all the more special for coming from under our feet on the hills here on Skye. [...]

Instagram

🍂Autumn is officially here. Not sure about wher 🍂Autumn is officially here. Not sure about where you stay but here on Skye there is definitely a chill in the air. 
🍂I find this time of year hugely inspiring to knit, crochet, make. 
So we are delighted to share this release of a new pattern and kit with you. Designed by me (eek!) it is a pair of cosy wrist warmers knitted up in Tuath, our Shetland fingering weight yarn naturally dyed with indigo and madder.
🍂 The inspiration for the wrist warmers comes from my daily walks to Rubha nam Braitheran ( brothers point) which is a 5 minute walk from our door. 
🍂I find great solace in this wild and beautiful coast line and find the hypnotic waves, whether they be crashing or lapping, act as an anchor in my life. 

🍂as with everything I knit these are a simple knit! It’s a 12 stitch repeat using double pointed needles. Rhythmic and calming like the waves these wrist warmers knit up quick (hurray!) and make a good Autumn project. It uses 4 shades of yarn and we have made up kits with a digital pattern which are available in our online shop now ✨🍁🍂😘

#naturallydyed
#colourworkknitting 
#shilasdair 
#isleofskye
✨slow colour magic✨ ✨it’s been a flurry of ✨slow colour magic✨
✨it’s been a flurry of activity here this week and I keep forgetting to take photos!
✨it’s wool shop visiting season I think as we have had so many lovely customers from all over the world coming to visit our wee shop on Skye. It’s incredibly inspiring meeting other makers and hearing what they are going to create with our yarn.
✨we are still managing to keep the dye pots busy and have been dyeing with birch today - final colour we need to create more healing shawl kits so more news on those coming soon 🥰
✨teasing the colour out of the birch bark is a slow process of gentle heating and soaking for days. But with patience we get rewarded with a delicate salmon colour.. magical ✨🌱🥰

#birchdye 
#slowcolour 
#isleofskye 
#plantdyes 
#plantcolour 
#hebrides 
#naturaldyes 
#dyepot 
#naturaldyestudio
✨coara chunky bundles✨ 🧶Amelia has bundled ✨coara chunky bundles✨
🧶Amelia has bundled together beautiful bunches of our naturally dyed yarn and they are in our online shop now
🌱we have all different weights in there and they make a brilliant gift - we have lots of non knitters and crocheters buying them as pressies for friends back home here in our Skye shop.
✨they are also a really good way to add colour to a project without having to buy a 100g ball of each 
🍁I admit I thought this photo would be perfect for the start of the ‘ember’ months’ when the weather starts to chill but we’ve woken up today to a glorious ☀️day! 
😃have a wonderful day no matter what the weather 🙏✨📿

#naturallydyed 
#plantdyed 
#botanicaldyed
✨we are in scent heaven in the shop today…. A ✨we are in scent heaven in the shop today…. A delivery of the most amazing incense ever by the wonderful ladies @templeofincense .
✨we love absolutely everything about this incense… the smells are truly wonderful and the explanation of the scents and their healing properties makes us want to sing 😃✨🪄📿
✨so,so happy to have these in our lives! Have popped them in the online shop too - (link in bio) so you can read up about each scent and it’s history & healing 🙏

#handrolledincense 
#templeofincense 
#skyeshopping 
#isleofskye 
#incense
📿the mala bead cowl📿 ✨such a special proje 📿the mala bead cowl📿
✨such a special project to share with you all
✨a simple knit cowl with 108 mala beads/bobbles to knit and affirm an intention.. whether it is to heal, to be strong, to be enough you can use this affirmation in each bead stitch and create a talisman like cowl to wear for comfort and peace.
✨kits are in our online shop or here in our Skye shop 11-4🙏😘✨📿

#malabeadcowl 
#naturallydyed 
#knittingwithintention 
#mindfulknitting 
#isleofskye 
#heal 
#slowstitching
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