Black Walnut trees have stood next to our home for over 35 years. Other than dents in the roof, twisting my ankle on an unseen ball, and a source of enjoyment for my kids, I never saw much use for them. Now I am kicking myself for all the wasted black walnut harvests we could have been enjoying. I recently decided to collect some black walnuts in order to make a natural dye for our line of yarn. While researching how to make the dye, I came upon many other interesting articles and ideas. Did … [Read more...]
Pokeberry Dye for Wool and Yarns
Pokeberry dye is made from the berries of the pokeweed plant. Pokeweed is considered a perennial herb plant. The stalk is thick and often droops over under it's own weight and the weight of the berries. The pokeberries grow on stems similar to a bunch of grapes. Don't mistake them for edible grapes, however. The pokeweed plant has varying levels of toxicity depending on the part of the plant used. Although the pokeweed is toxic to humans, people have enjoyed eating pokeweed salit for many … [Read more...]
