John Michie's Scotland TV Programme

Thrawnquine · John Michie's Scotland TV Programme

I watched the repeat of this yesterday afternoon and it was fascinating to see how dyes for wool are produced from lichen and other plants. I've read about the process before, but this is the first time I've actually seen it done. He's having a Michie tartan designed and wanted to use only natural colours.

wildgarlic

you need to take a look at Julie's book of stuff that she's dyed - you'd find that fascinating too I'm sure.

Smooth Hound

missed it, i wonder if its on line anywhere

earthroots

my sister has just given me a gorgeous hand dyed and knitted shawl - i'm hoping this link to the Ravelry site will work - i love to show it off - I come from a family of incredibly talented craftswoman - but unfortunately I let the side down a bit - I can knit and am learning how to crochet - but much more basic stuff than they do - I tend to describe my work as neanderthal in comparison!

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/mlhmb/feather-and-fan-comfort-shawl

Julie

That traditional method is called 'Cudbear'.
It was used in Harris for making the colours for their tweeds. There would be a pot of urine outside the front door and it was courteous of each visitor to contribute to it upon leaving. The lichens would be steeped in it and fermented for many weeks until they had released a good strong colour. This liquid was then mixed with chalk form the area, formed into balls, wrapped in dock leaves and stored inside the chimney to dry. When needed, a quantity could be broken off and used to dye the wool.
It is possible to layer the wool with the lichen in the urine and boil it up that way, but it will be an awful job getting all of the lichen out of the wool for spinning it as it breaks up into a bitty mess.
I use household ammonia and ferment my lichens in a lidded jam jar on the back of the rayburn - the sanitised modern version

All the lichens give a colour but the most versatile is the yellow one that grows in flat rings on rocks and stonework. Depending on the treatment of the wool after dyeing you can get a sky blue, a deep rosy pink or a violet colour. The others species give greens, yellows and russets.
The other benefit of Lichens is that they can be used without a mordant, although with four basic mordants to chose from it quadruples the range of colours you can get if you use them and improves the light fastness.
If you smell lichen you will recognise the aroma of harris tweed, it is quite distinctive...............but maybe not everyone smells everything like I do

Smooth Hound

lichens good for loads of things, cant think what at the minute,

butive read a few things about it,
i use it as a pressed foliage along with other woodland bits and bobs on cards, and nnot sure but it may have medicinal properties,

Julie

It is very slow growing though so in the interest of conservation you shouldn't collect too much of it. It can be used as a vegetable dyestuff in its natural state but you use an awful lot more of it. That's the beauty of the Cudbear method - a very little goes a very long way.