Weld – reseda luteola – farvevau

weldI wasn’t actually sure if my weld plants would grow big enough the first year (my previous batch didn’t), nor whether I could use the leaves from the rosettes, or have to wait for stalks.

Turns out the first year leaves dye just fine. In fact, so well that most of the dyestuff from the first pot ended up on the synthetic tulle that I used to submerge the plant matter! I use a large canner for plants that need a controlled temperature, and it has a hotplate IN the water, so I figured I need to keep the plants away from it.

As you can see in the top and bottom photos, the plants thrive much better in my prepared, watered and weeded patch in the garden than the rough living in my overgrown abandoned veggie garden.

weld2

weld3

So anyway, the yarn afterwards looked really bleak compared to the tulle, so I ended up picking more leaves and just tossing them in on top. I just did 2 wool skeins with some cotton tests, then did another batch with a strainer over the hot plate instead for the rest of the wool. Much better.

vau2013

Also a single copper skein, rhubarb, and some in blue pots, one of each type.

weld4Weld likes chalky water and temps below 70 C. Solar dyeing on silk wasn’t that great a succes though, at least not with just the leaves in the jar and no artificial heating.

Big bag of dried weld from last year in my closet, so I may elaborate at some point during the winter, if not I guess it’ll grow back next summer.

Not my most exciting dye adventure to date, I hope to do more with weld in the future.

GUUUL!

Jeg var faktisk ikke klar over, om førsteårs rosetterne var noget at farve med, eller om man skulle vente på blomsterstilke, men det viste sig at gå glimrende. Dog satte det meste af farven sig på den tylpose jeg havde lavet for at holde planterne væk fra kogepladen inden i den henkogningsgryde jeg bruger til planter som ikke må overstige en vis temperatur.

Anden omgang gik lidt bedre og jeg fik checket både rabarber, kobber, jern, vaid og japansk indigo. Et par silkefed blev det også til, jeg viser kun det ene, for det solfarvede kan knap nok kaldes lysegult, snarere tonet hvid….

6 tanker om “Weld – reseda luteola – farvevau

  1. Exciting? I think so–look at the lovely range of shades you are getting! With all the work you have done with various plants, you must have one heck of a hue library now 🙂 I’ve been afraid to plant weld because it’s so invasive……

    1. Weld isn’t too bad in my opinion, now woad on the other hand gets everywhere.

      I AM looking forward to actually arranging all of my colours into something useful this winter! Still want to finish my madder project and get those alder cones done, the rest can wait until I need something specific.

  2. oh goodness, that tulle is just magic… would do for spring blooms as well as harvest squash. as usual, the collection of yarns is receiving my supreme jealousy right now. very decadent, earthy, delicious.

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