A dyers diary

Latest Entries

- Bog 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....

As the sleat and hail have been whipping by outsid

As the sleat and hail have been whipping by outside I have been busy winding and labelling. Our emails are being transferred to another server (I think!) and are out of action until midday tomorrow so please bear with us if you have tried to email us today. All this delicious green coara 4 ply is getting ready for a shop update in a couple of weeks.. we will keep you posted with progress. Xx

#indigoandtansy #naturallydyed #shilasdair #isleofskye #isleofskyenaturaldyecompany #britishwool #plantdyed #botanicaldyes #slowcolour #yogaandyarn

Winter on Skye :: it is wild, it is wet, it is moo

Winter on Skye :: it is wild, it is wet, it is moody, it is dramatic, it is liberating, it is energising, it is challenging, it is ever changjng and for all its trying moments we do love it here on this very wild island!

#skye #oldmanofstorr #trotternish #trotternishridge #isleofskye #northendskye #shilasdair

I grabbed a pic of simon the dyeman with our troll

I grabbed a pic of simon the dyeman with our trolleys of yarn... it’ll be another 2 weeks until it is washed, wound, skeined and labelled and then they will be on the online shop.. I’ll keep you posted xxx

#shilasdair #isleofskye #isleofskyenaturaldyecompany

Madder & cutch :: a big day of dyeing yesterday wi

Madder & cutch :: a big day of dyeing yesterday with our madder and cutch brew. We had 2 batches of yarn ready to dye. The rich burgundy on the left was the first dye session...then not wanting to waste the used dye liquor we dyed a second batch which is the lovely subtle raspberry caramel on the right. Can’t decide which shade we like best!
#shilasdair #cutch #madder #isleofskyenaturaldyecompany #isleofskye #plantdyed #botanicaldyes #naturallydyed #knittersofinstagram

A madder milkshake :: we have been soaking our mad

A madder milkshake :: we have been soaking our madder root for a couple of days now.. when you bring it up to temperature it froths and foams like a milkshake.. it reminds me of a dessert my gran used to make for me with red jelly and carnation milk !🍓🍧🍦 #madder #isleofskyenaturaldyecompany #shilasdair #britishyarn #plantdyed #botanicaldyes #isleofskye

Follow Me!

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Warning: The account for shilasdair_yarns needs to be reconnected.
Due to Instagram platform changes on March 2, 2020, this Instagram account needs to be reconnected to allow the feed to continue updating. Reconnect on plugin Settings page