My first time trying this.

Handspun SFAC post here
HPKCHC post about handspun here
HPKCHC post about dyeing here
SFAC dyeing post here

Previously:
- made “copper liquor” by soaking copper (pipe, wire, pennies) in dilute 5% acetic acid for ages (in fact years). It’s a strong solution.

Spring 2025:
- pruned apple tree

July 2025:
- over several days, and ongoing: collected bark from pruned branches

Jenny Dean recommends equal weights of bark and fibre.

July 22, 2025:
- measured 300g bark shavings into a bucket; filled bucket with water, attached lid and left it to soak in a sunny porch.

July 28-29:

• Some of the fibres I wanted to use were unspun. I spun it quick & sloppy into 2-ply:
• petting zoo white sliver
• mohair roving
• mulberry silk top
• bamboo top
• cut 18” lengths of all yarns. 15 pc of each fibre (+ 10 more for each plant fibre).

July 30:

• sew yarns into bundles; 15 bundles have one strand each of 9 yarns; 10 bundles have one strand each of 3 plant yarns.
• weigh and label bundles.
• there is enough dye for 250g more fibre. I chose:
• Bond handspun (Copper mordant, No modifier)
• Dorset handspun (No mordant, No modifier)
• Merino handspun. By winding it onto my swift in 2 portions in such a way that every 2 rotations the yarn crosses from one portion to the other, I hope to achieve a self-striping yarn. (Alum mordant; half Alkaline iron modifier, half No modifier)
• Suffolk handspun (No Mordant, Iron modifier)
• Knit Picks sock blank (By mordanting only certain sections, and later modifying only certain other sections, I hope to achieve four different colour sections)
• put all fibre in water to soak
• weigh 3g of rhubarb leaf; simmer for 1 hr.
• put 5 bundles of plant fibres in rhubarb “tannin” water; let soak 12 hrs.

July 31:

• prepare alum / soda ash mordant.
• remove fibre from tannin; rinse.
• add all 10 plant fibre bundles to mordant.
• bring to a simmer; remove from heat.
• Leave fibre to soak for 8+ hours.
• squeeze out but do not rinse; let dry.
• meanwhile, prepare alum / cream of tartar mordant.
• add 5 fibre bundles, merino skein and both ends of sock blank. Middle 1/2 of sock blank is held out of the mordant with clothespins on the side of the pot.
• simmer 1 hour. Turn off heat.
• leave fibre to soak for 12 hours.
• rinse, squeeze out and hang to dry.
• meanwhile, add copper water to a pot, plus water for volume.
• add 4 fibre bundles and Bond skein.
• simmer 30 min; turn off heat.
• when fibres are cooled, rinse & let dry.
• return copper solution to jar.
• all non-mordanted fibres were squeezed out and hung to dry, because I can’t dye them at this time.

August 1:
- go away for the weekend!

August 4:
-mordant plant fibres a second time with alum and soda ash
- soak all other prepared fibres in water

August 5, 2025
-strained apple bark liquid into dye pot
-boiled 1.5L water and poured it over bark in pail; stirred; added that liquid to dye pot
-put fibres into lukewarm dye bath
-soaked at room temp for ~4hr
-squeezed out excess water and photographed fibres so far; returned fibres to pot
-slowly increased heat (195F in 1.5hrs)
-after ~40min, copper-mordanted fibres had turned from green to brown
-removed sock blank @ two golden shades
-over ~2hrs, copper-mordanted fibres became more ginger-y, and then reddish brown
-unmordanted Dorset looked pinkish beige
-fibres in dyepot are redder / pinker
-removed pot from heat.
-when fibres are cooled, rinse.
-soak fibres to be modified.

-meanwhile, poured ~1c. of copper solution into plastic container
-tied off corner of sock blank diagonally w/ rubber band; let it sit in room-temp copper
-hm, copper modifier isn’t doing anything; microwaved it 1 min.
-10 min later microwaved it 1 min. again
-add copper solution to small pot; simmer fibres up to 30 min.

-dissolve 3/4 tsp soda ash in 1c water
-soak fibres 1hr at room temp

-dissolve 1.5 tsp citric acid in 2c water in small pot; simmer fibres 10min.

-crush 18 tablets of iron sulphate in small pot of water
-the tablets have a coating containing red dye! which will affect results
-add fibre and heat until fibre darkens (5min or less)

-soak a part of sock blank in alkaline solution about 1/2 hr
-dip parts of sock blank in iron solution (colour change almost instantaneous)

-rinsed all fibres till water ran clear
-clean wool with wool wash after iron / alkaline / acid modifier.

Conclusions:
-rhubarb has no apparent effect
-apple bark contains tannins
-nothing really affects plant fibres
- copper mordant turns fibres green
-with no heat - nice yellows & golds (green with copper mordant)
-with heat - golden browns, ginger, copper, reddish-brown (deeper with copper mordant)
-waiting is hard
-alkaline makes it a little redder
-acid makes it a little less red
-copper makes it deeper reddish brown
-iron makes it darker and grayish brown