Natural Dyeing with Goldenrod

Every year, the start of September is marked by beautiful fields of goldenrod in bloom.  I have always wanted to try natural dyeing with this lovely plant, and finally came around to trying it.

I plucked the flower heads off the many stems that bordered our field, selecting for the flowers that were in full bloom. 

 

They were all emptied into a large 8-quart pot and filled to the top with water.  I gently simmered them for over an hour, while they slowly released their color. Do not boil the flowers, or they will lose their lovely gold color and become brown.  

Meanwhile, two ounces of baby Huacaya Alpaca roving were put in another pot and covered with water, along with 1 cup of white vinegar, and a tablespoon of salt. It is important to pre-soak the fiber before dyeing, especially alpaca, for the greatest color intensity.   

After an hour of gently simmering, the flower heads were removed and the lovely golden dye was exposed.

   

The roving and its water contents were added to the dye pot and gently simmered for 30 minutes.  The entire pot was then taken off the stove top and set to cool until the contents were room temperature.  This can be done over-night, as it takes a long time for it to cool.    

Once cool, the fiber was rinsed out well and then set to dry in the sun. 

Finally, the roving was spun into yarn on a drop spindle and is ready to knit!

Have a great week!

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