Georgia is hot. This time last year and every year I would have felt the breezes off the Rhode Island beaches starting to cool and the odd evening would require a sweatshirt, a shift that would bring fall kitting to mind. Since landing in Georgia last June I haven't even worn a light shirt with long sleeves. It is beastly hot and humid. I hope I get to wear a sweater or a scarf by November but the urge to make warm layers for my winter wardrobe isn't pressing.
Dyeing, however, is perfect for a hot summer day.
(avocado pits with baking soda)
I've been saving onion skins and avocado pits and skins since we first moved, so in a way these dye pots represent our first summer in the South. Thanks to Covid we haven't really met people or gone to many places beyond the usual errands. We did discover a great local farm stand and some beautiful spots for walks.
(avocado skins with baking soda)
I simmered the skins and pits in separate pots for about an hour, turned them off and let them cool. Once they had cooled i scooped the skins and pits out of the dye bath, added the yarn and some fabric scraps, then simmered for another hour leaving everything in the dye bath until it had cooled completely. If you use 100% wool as I did make sure your rinse water is the same temperature as the dye bath within reason, otherwise you run the risk of felting the yarn. Hang to dry.
I saved the pits and skins and repeated the process, each repeat will have less intensity.
I was surprised at how much the color of the avocado changed, they turn almost the color of beets but more muted. You can see where the color comes from.
Next in the pot was some tumeric which I grabbed from my spice cupboard and onion skins which i have been saving in the freezer all summer alongside the avocados. Neither require a mordant, tumeric is a fugitive dye meaning it will fade over time but the immediate results were spectacular.
the onion skins look pink in the dye bath but the end color is a warm amber, changing the amount of water will result in green or chartreuse, I need to replenish my supply to try that out.
the first set from left to right
avocado pits, onion skins, avocado skins
the second round, tumeric and the avocado pits and skins combined.
I used Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Natural which is a warm off-white tone and unbleached muslin that I use for embroidery projects.
Pure white wool or cotton would yield brighter results.
So this is what I do when I'm missing the promise of a New England Autumn but it's just too hot to knit.
Now I just need to decide what to make with it.
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