I wrote last week about dyeing some yarn with acorns. I was able to finish it this past Saturday. It ended up being a 6 day process. The results were worth it though.
To begin, I had to first crush the acorns and then soak them in water for several days. After that I simmered them for 2 hours. Once they were finished simmering I allowed them to cool completley before I strained them out of the liquid. I now had my dye bath. To the cooled dye bath I added my skein of yarn that I mordanted with alum. I brought this up to a very slow simmer and kept it there for one hour. The result? A very rich tan color that makes me think of cafe au lait.
The photo shows specs of yarn that were not dyed. I did this on purpose to add interest when I knit with it. I achieved the specs of no dye by tying off the yarn in several places before I dyed it. Just like tie-dyeing. This skein is now destined to be a pair of socks for my husband.
November 18, 2007 at 11:48 pm
[...] other day I finished knitting a pair of socks for my husband. I made them out of the yarn I dyed with acorns back in September. I think they turned out really nice. I love the little flecks of white. The [...]
October 17, 2008 at 8:20 am
I love your yarn so much that I went out to the backyard and collected a bucket of acorns. I do have a question about simmering the nuts. Do you use the water that you soaked them in to simmer them in?
Hi Diane,
I do not update this blog anymore and I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. For future reference the new site for this blog is now located at CraftyHerbalKnitter.com and there you will find a contact form where you can reach me if you still have any questions concerning the acorn dye.