I'm starting the week off with a peek at what is in the dye pot right now. Hooray for color. That yellow is from a batch of common tansy I picked from the roadside and the blue...well the blue was a new one on me, plucked right from my cupboard. Can you guess?
Our roadsides are awash in yellow with the tansy up there, goldenrod, mullein, and oxeyes. The thistles are releasing their seeds en masse, milkweed is starting to bloom, and the purple asters are popping up too.
What's blooming on your roadsides?
Wild guess : surely that blue one isn't the purple daylilies I sent last week.
ReplyDeleteah great post to start the month with ! Happy August my friend !
ReplyDeleteblue, from the cupboard ? ... oh that's tough ... I don't know. Can't wait to know, though ! :)
oxoxo
I happen to have purple asters out front. I've no experience in dying anything but should look it up and try it some time. Of course I'll need an old pot, but I've got plenty of material.
ReplyDeleteAhhh . . 'from the cupboard'.
ReplyDeleteD'oh.
Ooo, I know I know! Is it black beans?!! I've been experimenting with them, having really nice results. As I was about to pour some bean-soaking water down the drain, I realized this might be a precious resource, and I was correct.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a lovely and inspiring blog.
Oh criminy! I haven't the faintest idea what that blue could be, but can't wait to find out. The two colours together are just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteActually now that I look at it it kind of seems like lavender buds.
ReplyDeleteBlack lentils?
ReplyDeleteLots of wild daisies, cornflowers (I've always called them bachelor buttons) in blue, white and purple, foxglove, red columbine, elderberry, several yellow blooms I don't know the names for, thistles, scotch broom, and a huge variety of wild grasses (not really a bloom, but they're lovely). Oregon is pretty nice this time of year.
ReplyDeleteIt's gotta be black beans. I've seen dye recipes that use them, but have never tried them myself. I hope the color is is as nice as the dye bath itself!
ReplyDeletenot sure what it is but i like it
ReplyDeleteNo idea but I love the colour combination.
ReplyDeletePlease put us out of our misery soon so we can go and buy that store cupboard product !!!
ReplyDeleteLovely dye jars and love your wordless wednesday :o)
lots of queen anne's lace
ReplyDeleteWe have the tansy and the asters here too right now. What do you add to the jar if you don't mind telling and do you strain out the flowers first?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, everybody!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the blue goes...all will be revealed tomorrow... :)
Holly - what I did with the tansy was to make a "tea" with it by simmering the cut plant in water for a few hours. I then pour the tea into a jar and added my fiber that I had mordanted first with alum. I let mine sit in the sun for a few days and steep but with the tansy you'd see results almost right away. It's a great dyestuff.