Today, I spent the day with bubbling pots of not very pleasant smelling brews, but it was worth it. I attended a workshop with Debbie on the ancient craft of dyeing with woad and indigo.

I have been told how magical it is and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. Emily and I had Debbie to ourselves and we were very productive. My intention was to dye a batch of different textured yarns for another ‘free range’ project. I had small skeins of Wild Thai Silk, Angora Goat, Cotton chenille, bobbly boucle and soft lambs wool. Each took the dye in a different way, just as I had hoped.

We also experimented with over-dyeing other natural dyes and got some beautiful results.

Whilst bubbling gently in the pot, the yarn looks pale green and doesn’t appear to change at all. Only once it is lifted out and the oxidisation begins does the blue develop. I was amazed at how clearly the colour deepened before our eyes.

Here is my finished selection of yarns.