FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you attend shows?
In 2008 The Natural Dye Studio will be attending..........
I Knit
London
6th September 2008
The Knitting and Stitching Show
Alexandra Palace, London
9th - 12th October 2008
What are natural dyes?
Natural dyes are normally roots, flowers, leaves or heartwoods that yield colour when cooked or soaked. Some have been powdered to make them easier to use and some are still in the original plant form. We use historical dye plants that have been used throughout history, but there is a huge range of hedgerow plants that can be used for dyeing.
Which dyes do you use?
Alkanet, Annatto,Brazilwood, Cochineal, Cutch, Indigo, Logwood, Madder and Weld.
What is mordanting?
Mordanting is a process in which the yarn is simmered in a soloution to help the fibres soak up the colour and to help them retain the colour after dyeing.
Which mordants do you use and are they harmful?
We use a mix of alum and cream of tartar, both are harmless and non-toxic, alum is used to bathe bed sores and cream of tartar is used in cake making.
There are numerous other mordants such as copper, chrome, iron and tin, but these are not harmless and should not be disposed of in the water system.
Can I wash my yarn?
We recommend hand wash only, using hand hot water and a dish washing detergent, however if you want to try washing the yarn in the machine wash a test swatch first.
Will the colours bleed?
Not in my experience of 24 years dyeing.
Does the colour fade?
The simple answer is no more than chemical dyes.
If exposed to bright sunlight for too long, the colour will fade, but so will synthetic colours, just think of your curtains.
We dry all our yarns outside for 24 hours minimum, this ensures that any potential fading has already happened before you buy your yarn.
Does the colour rub off?
Occasionally you will find a small amount of colour rubs of on your needles or hands, this is due to a small amount of excess dye remaining in the yarn.
We double wash all our yarns until the water runs clear, however our yarn is dyed in large 500 gm skeins and sometimes there is a small amount of dye left in the middle of the skein. This is perfectly harmless and will wash off with soap and water.
Why are there bits in my yarn?
We strain all our dye baths before dyeing, but occasionally a bit of plant material escapes, this just gos to prove we use natural dyes - :-)
Some dyes such as brazilwood and madder are powdered and are very difficult to wash out, the winding process normally removes all the dyestuff but there maybe a little bit of residue dust, again it is harmless.
Can I felt the wool?
Some of our wool felts beautifully such as the Blue Faced Leicester, however you may find the colours change in the felting process. This is due to the chemicals used in washing detergents, as each detergent is different I suspect each one will have a slightly different affect on the colour. I recommend you felt test swatches before you felt items where the colour is vitally important.
Do you have more of this colour?
We dye 1- 2 kilos of each colour/yarn, when its all gone I am afraid there won't be any more.
Each dye bath yields a slightly different set of colours even when dyed to the same recipe with the same dyes. There are so many variables in natural dyeing such as weather, the age of the plant when harvested, water type etc that its impossible to get the excat colour twice, unless however its by accident - :-)
Most of our stock is on-line either in the site shop or ebay, its best to check both shops for availability.
Do you dye to order?
No, this is due to the colour variability, however we can dye the same colour combination, add it to our shop and then you can decide if you like the new variation.
Do you sell wholesale?
Yes - please e-mail me for our wholesale information.
