It’s autumn and time to experiment with another of the dye plants from my natural dye garden. Madder. I’ve been patient, sooooo patient, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Everything I read about dyeing with fresh madder roots said to wait for about 3-5 years to harvest the roots. I waited 2 years. I couldn’t wait any longer.
The madder bed was thick and prickly and I was ready! I dug up two plants and harvested the roots. Some were the pencil diameter width I was hoping for, a few were larger, and many smaller.
I rinsed them and left them to soak for two days in the sun in jars of water. More patience!
The water they were soaked in was strained off even though it was a reddish orange. I’d read that this will help to get rid of the yellow and orange tones in the final dye. Then the roots were wrapped in cheesecloth and added to the dye bath. I simmered it for about half an hour and the dye bath was a wonderful red. My hopes were high!
I added alum, soda ash, a few Tums tablets for calcium and lime, and then my wool.
Poof! Pink!
I tried not to let the dye bath get too hot, but wasn’t always successful. I know from dyeing with madder that I’ve purchased in the past, that the temperature of the dye bath can alter the colours achieved. Next time – wait three years! – harvest more roots – and I think I need some real lime or more Tums tablets to achieve a real red.
But, it was so much fun! I have a variety of pinks, corals, peach coloured yarns from my own madder roots and that’s a success!