Dyeing Wool

You’ll need a glass jar with a capacity of at least 1 liter, a skein of wool, and suitable flowers, leaves, or tea and coffee—onion skins or beets also work—and alum as a mordant. You can find these items from online retailers or at a pharmacy, but they’ll be expensive there.
Soak the skein of wool in a dishwater bath for about 15–30 minutes so it plumps up nicely; after the soak, rinse the skein thoroughly with cold water.
Now you can add the items mentioned above to the jar, depending on how you want the skein to turn out. If you want a colorful gradient, layer the herbs, etc., alternately with the skein. Heat about 1 liter of SOFT water, let it cool slightly, and dissolve one tablespoon of alum in it. Pour this water into the jar with the wool until the jar is completely full, then add another tablespoon of alum, stir it a bit, and seal the jar tightly. If you want a solid color, you should turn the jar over frequently—that is, turn it upside down or shake it gently. However, this should be avoided at all costs if you want that very color gradient in the wool.
Now find a nice, sunny spot, place the jar there, and turn it occasionally so the sun hits it from all sides. After about 14–21 days, you’ll have a color that’s uniquely yours—a one-of-a-kind, beautiful skein of wool ready to work with.When you remove the skein from the jar, rinse it thoroughly—please wear rubber gloves, as alum can cause skin irritation. First use a detergent solution, then rinse thoroughly with clean water. Instead of dish soap, I often use a simple baby shampoo without alkali or other harsh ingredients; this makes the wool nice and soft. Squeeze out the excess water well—it’s best to wrap it in a towel for this—then hang it up and let it air dry. Have fun with it, and I hope you get beautiful results with your dyeing!

Thank you, Akela, for describing so beautifully how to dye wool. I could definitely see myself trying this out sometime this summer.

The other day, I saw and admired something you knitted from your hand-dyed wool in one of your threads. Maybe you could post that picture here again—then we’d have an image to go with the text above. You really have to see wool dyed this way once it’s been knitted. Even looking at the dyed skein, you can’t imagine how beautiful it looks when it’s actually knitted. Thank you so much.

Best regards, Ina

Thank you for the description. I’ve added your post to my bookmarks so I can find it again. Since you need a sunny spot, is it true that it’s better to dye in the summer?

I often admire how beautiful the shawls turn out with self-dyed yarn.

Upon request, I’ll post another update showing how the wool looks in the jar

here in its knitted state

What about colorfastness? Does the dye bleed heavily when washed?

no, because it will be washed out thoroughly after dyeing, and the alum is added to ensure the color sets.

Thank you, Akela, for the before-and-after photos. Now even more people will surely want to try their hand at dyeing.

Best regards, Ina

I once knitted these little socks and this little hat for premature babies; they’re made from wool I dyed myself using only onion skins.