Author Archives: Margaret Ford

Mulberries: maximising their impact

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Margaret Ford

My next door neighbour knows I like to use natural dyes. Still, coming home in early summer to find a couple of containers of fresh mulberries on my porch was a real surprise. I knew, however, that she didn’t intend … Continue reading →

Avocado pips and soy milk on cotton damask

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Margaret Ford

I have previously used avocado pips in a high pH bath to produce pinkish colour on cotton. This time I wanted to explore the effect of variations in dyeing conditions. The conditions that we know affect colour are, inter alia, … Continue reading →

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Natural dyeing : a tongue in cheek look at the vicissitudes of a cotton sheet’s life

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Margaret Ford

Life as a cotton sheet can be fraught. Not always of course. The lucky ones get bought by people who use them on their beds for years. They get to serve a very passive but important role. They mature and … Continue reading →

Posted in dyeing with avocado pips, Geranium leaf printing, Iron mordant, Natural dyeing | 3 Comments

Is soy milk a mordant?

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Margaret Ford

Jenny Dean (1) doesn’t think so. She says…”I am rather puzzled by the many references I have seen recently to soya milk/soymilk “mordant”, as I would not describe soya milk as a mordant, rather as an assistant in certain dyeing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural dyeing, soy milk, soy milk mordant for cellulose fibres | 7 Comments

Stash scrap helmet [or a beanie cover]

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Margaret Ford

The brief: “Mum, I’d like a sort of hat that goes over the other hats. Neutral colours please.” For fishing and camping in the Snowy Mountains. The design points: *keep it simple *use stuff from the stash and choose thick yarns … Continue reading →

Posted in Beanie, Clothing, Design, freeform crocheting | 2 Comments

My first KAL

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Margaret Ford

A KAL is knit-world speak for “knit-along”. I discovered that only recently when one of my usual Australian on-line yarn suppliers (Yarn Glorious Yarn at https://www.yarngloriousyarn.com.au) posted one on Ravelry (https://www.ravelry.com/groups/yarn-glorious-yarn). The KAL was for a particular design by Amsterdam based … Continue reading →

Posted in Clothing, Knitting, Scarf | 2 Comments

I love mistletoe

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Margaret Ford

OK, I know that’s like saying I love roses. Which roses? Name specific species! Leaves or flowers? Well, I don’t know more. I harvested “mistletoe” from a forest reserve in Western Australia and used it experimentally on fabric. Because it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Mistletoe as dye, Natural dyeing | Leave a comment

Dream Time Shawl

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Margaret Ford

I’ve called this blog Dream Time Shawl because that’s what its designer Teresa Dair called it. This project has been on the go (or off the boil) for several years since I bought the pattern and the yarn at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Clothing, Knitting, Scarf | 1 Comment

Natural Dyeing from the Greengrocer

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Margaret Ford

Artistic inspiration, always an elusive commodity for me, has left the building over the past week. It’s rainy and cold: it’s soup weather here in Western Australia. So my inner Earth Mother must have kicked in. Why not add a … Continue reading →

Posted in brown onion as dye, Natural dyeing, purple cabbage as dye, purple carrot as dye, Turmeric as dye, turmeric tuber as dye | 3 Comments

Yarn Dyeing: Buyer Beware

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Margaret Ford

Last weekend I went to a fibre fair in a rural town. Although i love dyeing my own yarns, especially with plants, I couldn’t resist buying some skeins of 70:30 merino:silk yarn dyed by hand by the seller with what … Continue reading →

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