Like my blueberry experiment this past October, I thought I'd give these freezer burned cranberries a go. I had some hunches about how colors might turn out in regards to my blueberry results. Though with the cranberries, I was pleasantly surprised.
1st dye bath:
to start, I had 13oz of cranberries
9 grams of 100% wool yarn in the form of 3 tiny skeins.
1 skein with no mordant
1 skein with alum
1 skein with vinegar
This first picture is the non mordanted yarn half way through the dyeing cycle. I'm checking the yarn. I gave it a few squeezes to check the color-- because I'm impatient.
Sometimes I'll reach into the pot & tug on the yarn a little, drying it with the corner of a dish towel to check the color.
Later, to let it cool off gradually while I used the other cranberries for more experiments, I moved this first skein into a jar. The wool darken over time in the bath- which is a good sign.
Left- vinegar only
Right- alum only
from bottom (darkest) to top: no mordant, alum, vinegar.
All the skeins reached a heat of about 160-180 over the course of about an hour.
The next morning a dyed with a 2nd cycle or dye bath. Leaving the cranberries in the whole time, thinking that creating a contact dye might give me bester results....
I was impressed with the no mordant color from that first yarn- but I also really like the alum yarn as it was a bit brighter. That's what I used for this kid silk yarn & hankie- alum.
I think cream of tartar would have a place here with cranberries as well as it acts as a brightener.
What do you think? Have you dyed with cranberries?
This would be a great activity to try with your children as well. If your concerned about heat or alum (for those that have wondered- alum is also used in our water supply for cleansing purposes. BUT WITH THAT SAID- YOU SHOULD STILL ALWAYS KEEP YOUR FOOD COOKING POTS AND UTENSILS SEPERATE FROM ALL YOUR DYE POTS AND UTENSILS.
For another experiment- not something I've tried yet- try soaking the cranberries for a few days to extract color- add a natural fiber of any form & let sit in the sun in your home or outside. I wonder if you'll get some dye action this way? If you try it, let me know.
If you've dyed with cranberries or if you have any questions- leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
