Love solar dyeing. Living in Miami allows me to always have something cooking in the sun. Some of my craziest experiments have given me the best color🌞
Wow, I love this video - never knew you could get such amazing colours with so little plant matter and just the sun! Will definitely try this in the summer!! Thank you !
This particularly instrument was wonderful. I have a lot a queen and fleas and black eyed Susan‘s growing in and around my property. Have easy access to a lot of avocado skins in pitch. And a lot of onion skin definitely going to try to do some. And it’s always thank you so much for your inspiration.
Did this on some silk in my fibre class last semester, it was crazy to watch the colour of the liquid change throughout the week compared to the final product
Your channel is such a wealth of information! I'm so glad I stumbled across it! Have you ever dyed with Acorn? I've been having a great time with my acorn dye pot all summer. I'd love to see how you approach it.
Hi! Love this method!!! I have had some nice success with madder root and onion skins. Have some Avacado dyeing in the sun now. What is a good method for setting the color to avoid fading?
Great! Thanks 🙏 I’m wondering if petunias would work for dying. I have a few large plants covered in a very deep purple. I notice my fingers turning purple when I was dead-heading them and so started collecting the flowers just as they turn and freezing them…. It’s going to be an experiment for sure.
love the video! thanks so much for making this, I am so excited to give it a try. I am wondering could you reuse the dye water thats left to make more yarn? or would it be better to start over from fresh?
Melissa, I reuse the dye water. For example if I am going to do a significant amount of dyeing, once my dyepot is exhausted I will add additional botanicals and water to the dye bath.
As always, a fascinating video on dyeing yarn Christopher - I learn so much from you - not that we would ever have the hot weather here to carry out solar dyeing, but loved learning all about the process, thank you :-)
@@cabinboyknits1816 oh a summer's day here in Dublin on Ireland's east coast could range anywhere from 10 - 20 degrees - over 22degrees and they tell us it is a short lived heat wave! Just wondering - would you know the variety of the indigo plants in your garden - and do they grow well due to your climate?
LOVE. IT. I have everything I need to get started except for the fiber and the Mason jar. Will be ordering those asap. With temps routinely in the 30° + (and for a while yet, it being North Carolina) I'm definitely giving this a go! I've got my avocado pits and skins waiting for me in the freezer. 🥑 I will probably have more questions - like what fiber base did you use and what size Mason jars but I'll go check the show notes 😁 Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! Say hey to Jamie 👋
I wonder about using the hundreds and hundreds of dead Asian ladybugs that I had to vacuum up from rental cabins each summer- usually filling a vacuum bag every day?
Thank you for this great video! And greetings from northern Vermont 😀 Last summer was crazy hot, wasn't it? Your video helped me decide on my plan for making a Habitation throw (have you seen this pattern?). I'll solar dye my yarn this summer and start it in the fall. Like you, I have lots of plant material to gather right on the property.. I'm really enjoying your videos during my knitting time. Hi to Jamie too! And the pup 😀 Susannah
Susannah, I am so glad you are enjoying the videos. We have fun making them. The Habitation throw is beautiful. Happy solar dyeing in Northern Vermont. Cheers from the Cabin.
Will there be much of an effect on the yarn dying if you get a few days after of overcast or rain...no hot sun coming down? My word !! They are all so beautiful !
The dye bath might not get hot enough to take on colour. A solar oven will help increase the temp. I build one out of a box and aluminum foil.There are a number of youtube videos on making a solar oven out of a box. Thank you for the question.
The avocado yarn looked like a peach color when you took it out of the jar and then looked purple after you rinsed it. Did you see that in person? Also, how fast are these colors (the avocado and flower colors especially). Thanks for the lesson!
Alan, thank you for noticing. I accidentally had a trace of iron in the pot and it dramatically changed the colour. I will be recording an Avocado 🥑 episode within the next month and will be using iron to demonstrate the impact. I am glad you picked up on that. Cheers and thank you for watching.
Great results! I’m curious as to how much colour is left in the water. Could you mix some of the leftover dye water to create different “lucky strike” colours? Definitely going to be trying some solar dyeing. Thanks for another great video.
The lucky strike will most likely end up brown. It might be a nice brown.If you pick a couple of jars such as cochineal and onion, you will get orange.
Hi! I thought this would be a cool craft to try with my son this summer. If you have dye worthy food scraps, do you just freeze them until you need them? Then, do you need to thaw them before you put them in the jar? I just don't want any rotten food to ruin my yarn. Thank you!
Gloria, using avocado skins and pits from the freezer is fine. If you are going to use Flowers, the smell can get funking after a few weeks. I would keep an eye on your jars.
If I don't want to pick flower/veggie bits out of the yarn, could I brew a tea for a few days in the sun, strain it, add the yarn and then leave it in the sun for a week or two ?
This video is great. I’ve just dabbled a bit into natural dying/ yarn dying. Only done once. Would love to try the solar dying. All the natural colours go so well with each other, I guess it’s all the earthy undertones. If you don’t mind sharing the info....where do you source your yarn from? Thank you. Have been catching up on past videos too. Also the skein you dyed in the avocado, did you use a pre mordanted skein or just washed? I know they are a natural mordant as well so just curious. Thanks.
Heather, I sourced this yarn from Briggs and Little. It is definitely a go-to for me because it has a great price point, and is Canadian sourced fibre.
Heather, I used a pre mordanted yarn with the avocado, however you don't have to. The Avocado dye-bath really needs to get hot for the colour to change. I took about a week of 30+ C for the colour to start to change.
Brave Heart Story, thank you for your question. Cellulose fibres ( cotton and hemp ) react differently to mordants and dyes than protein fibres. Cotton absorbs colour better with tannin as a mordant and an acidic dye bath.
Be careful with iron. I read an article from someone who was making iron mordant in a glass jar, and the jar exploded. The iron produces a gas, so there has to be a hole in the lid to let the gas out.
great episode! HOWEVER, I must complain about how LOUD your intro and outro music is! I'm watching your channel at night while my family is sleeping.. not an appropriate time for extreme loud music! The volume that is just right for listening to you speak is SUDDENLY overwhelmingly LOUD when your outro music comes on! It's JARRING...extremely unpleasant...I wanted to watch more of your videos, but the extreme volume of your intros and outros made me decide to watch something else so as not to disturb others in my home. You really should do something about that problem. If you do, I'll subscribe.
Yoly, i guess body shaming is still a thing. I am quite comfortable in my skin and usually only sport an apron, especially when it is 90 degrees. There are a number of clothed natural dyers on RUclips that will probably not offend.
I was wondering about solar dyeing and your video had everything I needed to know about it. Another great video (plus did I see a cheeky bum shot ?)😆
Ohh... how exciting!! I’m totally geeking out over this tutorial!!! I can’t wait to give this a try. Stay save and laugh often. 🌻
J, I love that you are geeking out. Cheers and thanks for watching.
oh my god that coccinelle, just finished listening to this while i worked on my morning coffee.
Thank you
going to have to try this. collecting avocado pits for a first attempt with that dyestuff. plus its a canning jar craft. :)
Good luck!
Such a great tutorial. What a gorgeous natural rainbow.
Love solar dyeing. Living in Miami allows me to always have something cooking in the sun. Some of my craziest experiments have given me the best color🌞
Aileen , I love Miami. Lucky you 😃
Wow, I love this video - never knew you could get such amazing colours with so little plant matter and just the sun! Will definitely try this in the summer!! Thank you !
I love solar dyeing with my students, it’s so magical. This is a great videos that gave me some new ideas. Thanks!
Just found your channel and fascinating things happening here. Thank you
Wow. What an incredible episode. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Absolutely love❤❤..gathering my supplies and gonna try on wool yarn and some old linen fabric. TFS🤗🤗
This particularly instrument was wonderful. I have a lot a queen and fleas and black eyed Susan‘s growing in and around my property. Have easy access to a lot of avocado skins in pitch. And a lot of onion skin definitely going to try to do some. And it’s always thank you so much for your inspiration.
Steve, best of luck with your dyeing.
Beautiful colors, thank you!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
Thanks so much Christopher for showing us the solar dying process. Sure looks like fun!!
Karen, you are more than welcome. 😊
You are an excellent teacher! Thankyou for the inspiration!
Thank you so interesting not warm enough here in Scotland at the moment
Scotland is one of my favourite places. 😊
Did this on some silk in my fibre class last semester, it was crazy to watch the colour of the liquid change throughout the week compared to the final product
i love all the colors! Fantastic natural tones
Thank you! Cheers!
Those three greens with the cochineal = best colorwork ever!
Sasha, thank you, I had fun doing it. I am loving your podcast.
lovely! I dye lots but never solar dyes so you have inspired me to try it this Summer:)
Rita, i would love to know how it turns out. Cheers
WOWZA..can't wait for Summer now!
Fascinating as always. That cochineal is so brilliant. Best wishes
Thanks Michael
I love what you are doing!!
Thank you for making and sharing this video! Super inspiring as we head into the summer!
Just finding your podcast on 12/18/2020 and I love it! Thanks so much from NYC!
K, welcome to our channel. You live in one of my favourite cities. 😊 Cheers from the Cabin
UMMMM IM IN LOVE WITH THIS CHANNEL! THANK YOU FOR SHARING. I'M GOING TO TRY WITH MY COCHINEAL
Obsidiana, what a great message to wake up to this morning. Thank you so much for your comment. Best of luck with your yarn dyeing.
Thank you, I’ve been searching for solar dye resources and this video was really helpful!
Thank you Heidi. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to reach out. Cheers
Wait there should be TONS of videos about this online!!! I am in Italy, why boiling skeins is still a thing if we can just solar dying?? Great stuff
lol! Your naked under that apron! Good for You, I also am a naturalist. Enjoying your video.
Mary, I am usually just wearing sunscreen and a smile. I am glad you enjoyed the video.
Your channel is such a wealth of information! I'm so glad I stumbled across it! Have you ever dyed with Acorn? I've been having a great time with my acorn dye pot all summer. I'd love to see how you approach it.
I plan on doing an episode on dyeing with acorns. I have a forest full of them and will have to wrestle the squirrels.
Hi! Love this method!!! I have had some nice success with madder root and onion skins. Have some Avacado dyeing in the sun now. What is a good method for setting the color to avoid fading?
Great! Thanks 🙏 I’m wondering if petunias would work for dying. I have a few large plants covered in a very deep purple. I notice my fingers turning purple when I was dead-heading them and so started collecting the flowers just as they turn and freezing them…. It’s going to be an experiment for sure.
Burly Purly, best of luck with dyeing petunias. I would love to know the results.
love the video! thanks so much for making this, I am so excited to give it a try. I am wondering could you reuse the dye water thats left to make more yarn? or would it be better to start over from fresh?
Melissa, I reuse the dye water. For example if I am going to do a significant amount of dyeing, once my dyepot is exhausted I will add additional botanicals and water to the dye bath.
Amazing 👏🏼👏🏼 so, how do you fix the colour after dying??🤔🤔
As always, a fascinating video on dyeing yarn Christopher - I learn so much from you - not that we would ever have the hot weather here to carry out solar dyeing, but loved learning all about the process, thank you :-)
Summer, thanks for the comment. How hot does it get where you live?
@@cabinboyknits1816 oh a summer's day here in Dublin on Ireland's east coast could range anywhere from 10 - 20 degrees - over 22degrees and they tell us it is a short lived heat wave! Just wondering - would you know the variety of the indigo plants in your garden - and do they grow well due to your climate?
LOVE. IT. I have everything I need to get started except for the fiber and the Mason jar. Will be ordering those asap. With temps routinely in the 30° + (and for a while yet, it being North Carolina) I'm definitely giving this a go! I've got my avocado pits and skins waiting for me in the freezer. 🥑 I will probably have more questions - like what fiber base did you use and what size Mason jars but I'll go check the show notes 😁 Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! Say hey to Jamie 👋
I used wool from Briggs and Little. It is a mixture of various breeds. Any type of wool should be fine. Jamie says hello.
I wonder about using the hundreds and hundreds of dead Asian ladybugs that I had to vacuum up from rental cabins each summer- usually filling a vacuum bag every day?
Thank you for this great video! And greetings from northern Vermont 😀 Last summer was crazy hot, wasn't it? Your video helped me decide on my plan for making a Habitation throw (have you seen this pattern?). I'll solar dye my yarn this summer and start it in the fall. Like you, I have lots of plant material to gather right on the property.. I'm really enjoying your videos during my knitting time. Hi to Jamie too! And the pup 😀 Susannah
Susannah, I am so glad you are enjoying the videos. We have fun making them. The Habitation throw is beautiful. Happy solar dyeing in Northern Vermont. Cheers from the Cabin.
Love you videos
Thank you
Will there be much of an effect on the yarn dying if you get a few days after of overcast or rain...no hot sun coming down? My word !! They are all so beautiful !
The dye bath might not get hot enough to take on colour. A solar oven will help increase the temp. I build one out of a box and aluminum foil.There are a number of youtube videos on making a solar oven out of a box. Thank you for the question.
The avocado yarn looked like a peach color when you took it out of the jar and then looked purple after you rinsed it. Did you see that in person? Also, how fast are these colors (the avocado and flower colors especially). Thanks for the lesson!
Alan, thank you for noticing. I accidentally had a trace of iron in the pot and it dramatically changed the colour. I will be recording an Avocado 🥑 episode within the next month and will be using iron to demonstrate the impact. I am glad you picked up on that. Cheers and thank you for watching.
Omg I’m so glad that I wasn’t seeing things! That was so cool.
Great results! I’m curious as to how much colour is left in the water. Could you mix some of the leftover dye water to create different “lucky strike” colours? Definitely going to be trying some solar dyeing. Thanks for another great video.
The lucky strike will most likely end up brown. It might be a nice brown.If you pick a couple of jars such as cochineal and onion, you will get orange.
Fantastic!!
Thank you Sheron
love this thank you
Does the wool have to be soaked in alum for the avocado dye? Or can I do it without?
Hi! I thought this would be a cool craft to try with my son this summer. If you have dye worthy food scraps, do you just freeze them until you need them? Then, do you need to thaw them before you put them in the jar? I just don't want any rotten food to ruin my yarn. Thank you!
Gloria, using avocado skins and pits from the freezer is fine. If you are going to use Flowers, the smell can get funking after a few weeks. I would keep an eye on your jars.
If I don't want to pick flower/veggie bits out of the yarn, could I brew a tea for a few days in the sun, strain it, add the yarn and then leave it in the sun for a week or two ?
Definitely.
This video is great. I’ve just dabbled a bit into natural dying/ yarn dying. Only done once. Would love to try the solar dying. All the natural colours go so well with each other, I guess it’s all the earthy undertones. If you don’t mind sharing the info....where do you source your yarn from? Thank you. Have been catching up on past videos too. Also the skein you dyed in the avocado, did you use a pre mordanted skein or just washed? I know they are a natural mordant as well so just curious. Thanks.
Heather, I sourced this yarn from Briggs and Little. It is definitely a go-to for me because it has a great price point, and is Canadian sourced fibre.
Heather, I used a pre mordanted yarn with the avocado, however you don't have to. The Avocado dye-bath really needs to get hot for the colour to change. I took about a week of 30+ C for the colour to start to change.
Wwwwwooow. Is this applicable to cotton yarn too?
Brave Heart Story, thank you for your question. Cellulose fibres ( cotton and hemp ) react differently to mordants and dyes than protein fibres. Cotton absorbs colour better with tannin as a mordant and an acidic dye bath.
Thank you so much. Very well explained. I think I’ll try it next summer. How do you dispose of the tea afterwards?
Lili, thank you for your comment. I dilute the remaining tea with water and pour it back into my garden.
and you know you* are hungry when watching this, you think about spaghetti....
* and by you I mean me xD
Will you be doing a video for dyeing with Indigo?
Steve, I plan to do an indigo episode in the later part of this year. Thanks for asking.
Gostava que fosse em português
How to fix these colors for a long time? Sweaters need to be washed even by hand
Can you solar dye with wool mordanted with iron?
yes, but be careful, too much iron will make your dye tea go grey and it could damage the fibre.
Be careful with iron. I read an article from someone who was making iron mordant in a glass jar, and the jar exploded. The iron produces a gas, so there has to be a hole in the lid to let the gas out.
Are they red onion skins or yellow?
Pat, they were yellow onion skins
Doesn’t it go mouldy?
WLD, if you leave it out long enough it will go moldy.
great episode!
HOWEVER, I must complain about how LOUD your intro and outro music is! I'm watching your channel at night while my family is sleeping.. not an appropriate time for extreme loud music! The volume that is just right for listening to you speak is SUDDENLY overwhelmingly LOUD when your outro music comes on! It's JARRING...extremely unpleasant...I wanted to watch more of your videos, but the extreme volume of your intros and outros made me decide to watch something else so as not to disturb others in my home. You really should do something about that problem. If you do, I'll subscribe.
Why are you shirtless? You skin is sagging and doesn’t look good. But the video is good.
Yoly, i guess body shaming is still a thing. I am quite comfortable in my skin and usually only sport an apron, especially when it is 90 degrees. There are a number of clothed natural dyers on RUclips that will probably not offend.