Natural dyeing of wool threads, in Cretan tradition
Diagrama de temas
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Harvest
We can collect plants all year round, but the result we will have depends on the growth phase of the plant. For this reason, the picking is mostly done at the end of summer, as the mature plants give more pigments. They are used either fresh or after drying them in the shade. Fresh ones give a brighter colour, while dry ones are more intense.
The colouring ability of the plant substances was not constant. The composition of the soil, the time of harvest, the prevailing climatic conditions and water played an important role. With the same materials and different quality water (well, rain, river or spring) the result was different. Rainwater was better.
We can use them either fresh or after first drying them in the shade. Fresh ones give a brighter colour. The dry ones give us a nice colour again, a little darker, most of the time. We use them dry when we don't have time to use them fresh.
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Preparation
Tying
Thread is in singles. We take each one or both together and with a strong string we tie them well, but not tightly, so that they are free to pass the dye. As we will see, from the spinning wheel or the reel, the thread is tied with its thread. But in the cauldron, because we strain it, there is a risk that the binding will break and the thread will get tangled. That's why our first concern is to tie it well. We tie the thread to the coil, quite well, taking care not to break and not to get tangled.
Cleaning
Cleaning the threads from the natural fat. Today, to dye purchased hair, we must bear in mind that this hair may have undergone treatments for straightening, polishing and maintenance with substances that are not visible, but affect the good result of the dye. For these, it is good to first soap them with Cretan soap and rinse them with plenty of water. For one kilogram of wool, dissolve 2 soup spoons of soap in warm water.
Wetting
Put enough water, preferably a little lukewarm, in a container and add one or two spoonfuls of alum. Place the thread in the water with the wringer and leave it for one to two hours. The wet thread is meant to draw the colour evenly. Alum helps it attract the paint. Plants that are rich in tannin (a natural astringent), need colour stabilisation. The most common substance is the squeeze with the alum. The ratio is for one kilogram of wool, and two soup spoons of alum.
Dissolve the alum with warm water. Since the crystals are difficult to dissolve, it is better to have them crushed so that they become a powder. We put the dissolved squeeze with the corresponding creamer in a sufficient amount of water - preferably rainwater - to cover the wool and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
Soaking
Drain it and keep it wet until we paint it. Place it in a container and keep it wet, until we dye it.
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Main dyeing
Heating
Put the wool in the dyeing liquid - the water where the plant has been boiled and strain it with the help of a cloth. Add water and one of the natural dyes to a pot. In a container, we put a quantity of water, the herbs or the roots, place them on the fire and let them boil enough. In an iron container, we put a quantity of water, the greens or the roots, everything we intend for dyeing, we place them on the fire and let them boil enough, just as we boil the greens. For a better result, leave the leaves and boil them together with the thread. This is how they give us a nicer colour. Then we add a little vinegar and a little alum.
The soft parts of the plant - flowers and leaves - require less boiling, while the harder parts such as hard leaves (fruits, bark, roots) must first be cut into small pieces, chopped, sheared and left in water for 12 hours to 3-4 twenty-four hours and boil from 45 minutes to 1 hour once they find their colour.Stir and simmer
Increase the temperature slowly, until it starts to simmer. We heat the bath and as soon as it starts to boil we immerse the thread. Dip in the above solution and let it boil for a maximum of one hour, without the temperature exceeding 85o. Let them simmer, until you achieve the shade you want while stirring them periodically, from the bottom up.
With a stick, we stir it from time to time and let it boil several times. We note that wool is very resistant to boiling. After it boils enough, take it off the heat, immerse it well in its water and let it cool.
Cooling
When they boil and we see that the water has become coloured, pour cold water, as much as is needed, so that the thread moves freely and does not stain. Let it cool in the water and dry it in the shade. The cold water we put in has this purpose, to make the thread get the dye evenly, because when it is hot, the first thread that enters the cauldron gets the dye. In most dyes, we leave the leaves and they boil together with the thread. This is how they give us a nicer colour.
Some greens give us two and three shades. The way to paint the shades is the same, as above, except that we supplement the water, if necessary. The leaves themselves are boiled. When the thread is drained, spread it out and let it dry. This way it pulls the paint even better. Then we wash it with enough water - some soap it a little - shake it, dry it and it is ready for use. The colours that plants give us are soft "and sweet" and in weaving they blend well together.
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Stabilisation
After several hours, and after it has cooled down well, we drain the thread, and shake it slightly so that the leaves fall, which we keep along with the water to continue with the second dye. When the thread is drained, spread it out and let it dry. This way it pulls the paint even better. give us a lighter shade. Leave it in the bath for one to one and a half hours and then wash it with cold water and let it dry. Then we wash it with enough water, dry it and it is ready for use. After it boils enough, let it cool. Grandmothers called this "sleeping". So, the thread was pulling all the paint. Vinegar is also a colour stabilizer. They also often used the pickled washings from the fermenter's vessel. If you don't want it light coloured let it cool in the dye. You let it dry and then rinse it with lots of water until the water comes out completely colourless. Dry it in the shade.
Our grandmothers used to call this "sleeping". Their phrase "cover it to sleep" is typical, so it would absorb all the paint. After several hours and, after it has cooled well, we drain it, and shake it lightly over the cauldron, so that the leaves that hold them fall as well as the water, to continue with the second dye that will give us the lighter shade.
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Oaktree acorns
Collection
In August (before it rains).
Instructions
- Dry the whole acorns in the sun.
- Put them in warm water - cover them for 48 hours.
- Boil them in the same water, adjusting the boiling time according to the shade we want. The darker shades we want, the longer we let them boil.
- Take them off the heat and let them cool.
- After they have cooled, we strain them. Discard the boiled acorns.
- In this liquid dye (tincture) put the wet clothes so that they don't get tangled.
- Gradually raise the fire until it begins to simmer until we achieve the shade we want.
- Let the threads cool in the dye unless we wanted a very light shade, in which case we let them dry in a shady place.
- Rinse the threads, "whipped", until the water comes out clean.
- Dry them in the wind or by tying a weight to each "circle".
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Walnuts
Collection
End of August, or the beginning of September
Instructions
- Use one kilo of dried leaves for one kilo of future
- Boil the leaves, and cut them into smaller pieces - if they are dry, we first put them in water for 24 hours - and in the same water, for at least 45 min to 1 hr, so that colour comes out.
- Let it cool and strain them.
- If the dyeing liquid is not enough, add more according to the amount of wool, so that it moves freely
- Soak the thread to be dyed in warm water – and put it in the dye.
- We turn up the heat and let it boil, monitoring the shade we want, from half an hour to 45 minutes.
- Allow the wool to cool in dyeing liquid, take it out and dry it, then rinse it until it runs clear.
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Onion
We also make a nice dye with the onion leaves, i.e. the outside of the onion, the pink.
Collection
We collect onion leaves all year round from our kitchen, and our friends, from our greengrocer and the producers. Its harvesting can also be done inside our house. Whenever we clean onions, if we put the outer leaves in a bag, we will soon see that we have collected a large amount. We can also ask our well-known greengrocer, who has a lot of junk left, or ask a well-known gardener.
Instructions
Let the onion skins soak in water for 3 to 8 days.
Boil them in the same water for at least an hour, depending on the shade we want to achieve.
Strain the juice that boiled the onion skins and let it cool to 40°C,
Dip the fresh thread in and let it boil up to 80°C until it gets the desired shade. We pull them out, squeeze them lightly and let them dry in the shade.
After drying with the dye, rinse it well, until the water comes out completely clean (colourless) and dry it again, away from the sun.
Recipe
- 200 gr onion leaves
- 1 kg of yarn
- Wrings for wetting the thread.
2nd RECIPE: 150 gr. onion leaves, 50 gr of rose petals. After they have boiled well, we put the thread and the dyeing is done as above and it will give us a nice frieze-pink colour.
3rd RECIPE: 150 gr. onion leaves, 50 gr of rose petals and 100 gr. pounded rice. The dyeing is done as above, i.e. we put all three types in the cauldron and boil them together. We put the thread wet with the wringer and continued in the same way until the last rinse and drying. Here again, we have an orange-pink colour.
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Pomegranate
The peels from the pomegranates also give us nice colours. We keep the foreign ones from the pomegranates we consume at home. Also, in October and until December, we can harvest from trees left with a lot of waste. We use them the same way, i.e., drying them or fresh. They give us a darker colour when dry. Still in the spring, after flowering when the trees shed a lot of their fruit, we collect those small wheels from below and they give us a nice colour, both fresh and dry.
Collection
The leaves are harvested in August, and the pomegranates from October to December. Also, many pods that fall prematurely from the tree are used, fresh or dried in the shade, throughout the year, for dyeing or dressing.
Instructions
- Use one kilo of dried plants for one kilo of wool. In the case of leaves, almost twice the amount of leaves is required than the weight of the wool.
- Put the skins and membranes (chips) of the pomegranates in water for 2-3 days.
- Boil them in the same water for about an hour and leave it until it cools down to about 400 (until we can put our hand in it).
- Strain the dye liquid from the pomegranates well.
- Soak the thread to be dyed in warm water and put it in the dye. We raise the fire and let it boil, watching the desired shade for 30 to 45 minutes.
- We let the wool cool overnight in the dye liquid.
- Dry it in the shade and then rinse it with plenty of water until it runs clear
- Dry it again in a shady place.
Recipe
- 500 gr outer pomegranate peels
- 1 kg of yarn
- Wrings for wetting the thread.
Boil them together with the thread, as in the previous recipes. They usually give us a nice mustard colour and dry them a soft brown.
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Flowers of the field
Chamomile, daisies, nettle, ivy, oregano, artichoke, calendula.
Collection
Spring, from the end of March to the end of May, is the time to collect the flowers. In the plains, they are presented in November, while in the mountainous parts in February and March. In the spring we have the white daisies. Harvesting is easy. We collect the flowers together with the leaves. They also give us a nice colour.
Dosage
The number of flowers we will need depends on whether we will use them fresh or dried. For one kilogram of wool, we will need about 700 gr of fresh flowers or 400 gr of dry ones. Note that the flowers of calendula and chamomile can be used fresh or dried.
Instructions
- Put the dried flowers in the water in the evening.
- The next day, boil them in the same water on low heat for 30-45 mins, without the temperature exceeding 75-80.
- Strain the boiled flowers with the help of a strainer and strainer.
- Let our tincture cool down to about 40 (to be able to put our hand in it) and dip the freshly squeezed wool into it.
- Gradually raise the temperature and let it boil (no more than 85) for 45 minutes to an hour, watching to get the shade we want. For this purpose, it is good to put a small sample of the same wool, so that we can easily check the shade.
- Take it off the heat, let it cool in the dye liquid and dry it with the dye, without rinsing it.
- After it dries, rinse it with plenty of water until the water runs clear and let it dry again, in a cool and shady place.
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Flowers and plants in the pot or garden
Hibiscus flowers, marigolds, red dahlias, red chrysanthemums, coleus
Collection
From the red chrysanthemums, we take the overripe flowers, together with a few leaves, and use them fresh (August-September). To dye yarn with a nice leaf, we collect leaves and stems (clumps) in August, when the plant is pruned, to renew itself. We take the overripe flowers together with a few leaves, i.e. we take the whole top of the leaves from a bouquet or from useless ones that are thrown away. Fresh they give us a nice colour, dry they are not good.
The flowers of the red hibiscus that close and fall every day, we use them as dyes from May. Marigold flowers when ripe (September). We collect the red dahlias from May to June. The flowers of the red Hibiscus, which every day close and fall useless, we collect them and use them in the same way.
Marigold flowers also dye when ripe. They also dye the marigold leaves separately, but also together with the flowers. We use them both fresh and dry.
Dosage
For one kilogram of dry wool, we need
- Hibiscus: 300 gr of dried flowers or one kilogram of fresh.
- Marigold; 500 gr of dry flowers with a few leaves or a kilo of fresh.
- Red dahlias: One kilo of fresh flowers.
- Coleus: One kilo of leaves together with the twigs or 500 gr dry.
Recipe
- 300 gr red hibiscus flowers, dry or 1 kg fresh
- 1 kg of yarn
- Wrings for wetting the thread.
Boil thread and flowers together and we have a nice beige colour.
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False yellowhead
Collection
We find false yellowheads everywhere. It is a wild bush and is found in uncultivated fields, even on the roadside. It has yellowish flowers its foliage is rough and its smell is strong. Leaves and branches are collected at the end of August (just before flowering).
Instructions
- Boil until the leaves melt.
- Strain the juice and put the rest inside to boil for half an hour.
- Then take it out and sift it well with ash.
- Pile it in a coffin and pour warm water over it.
- Leave it for a day and then wash and dry it.
The plant should be boiled immediately after harvesting, preferably in a stainless-steel pot. If, before boiling, it stays in the water for one night, if we use pure squeeze or none at all and use a copper pot, it will give us yellow-green shades.
If, after painting, we cover it with ashes and pour warm water over it, it will give grey-green to deep green shades.
If, instead of ash, we dip it in ammonia solution, it will give bright green shades.
If we immerse it for a few minutes in warm water, where we have dissolved a small amount of bluestone, it will give blue-green shades. These "strange" sharpenings give an idea of the surprises that await him or her who will deal with vegetable dyes with pleasure.
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Μadder
The red colour that gives our rice is usually the tile, with shades up to pale pink. But we can produce many shades if we use darker threads, dyed with other greens, and give them a second dye with rice. We find it by digging in the soil and recognising it by its red colour. Its surface leaf is similar to the almond leaf, except that it is harder and rougher. It belongs to the condyloid. It grows in thick and wet fields, vineyards, and gardens. Now it is not well known for its pigments, although it is found in many villages.
Collection
The best time to collect it is in October and November. The colour it gives us depends on the area where we collected it. The basic colour it gives us is tile, but it can also give a bright red colour, as well as purple. After collecting the roots, we wash them well and dry them in the room, especially in the shade and, after they are well dried, we store them in a mesh bag. It is maintained too much. We also use it fresh.
Instructions
- Put the crushed roots in water and let them soak overnight.
- The next day, place the pot with the softened roots and the same water on the fire and slowly raise the temperature to 60o.
- Rice should never be boiled. Keep this temperature for an hour.
- Σtrain the dye liquid, let it cool until your hand accepts it, and then put the wool in it. Slowly raise the temperature to 60o and hold it at that level for another hour, stirring the yarn frequently.
- Pull the wool and let it dry with the dye. Then rinse it with plenty of water until the water runs clear. Even better, soap it with pure soap and rinse well.
Recipe
- 500 gr of fresh roots. If the roots are dry: 400 gr.
- 1 kg of dry yarn
- Two or three spoonfuls of squeeze.
If the roots are fresh, we take them and pound them, so that they break and soften a little. We can do this in a stone mortar or down on the floor. If the roots are dry, put them in hot water for a few hours, then drain and pound them, just like fresh ones.
We then put them in the cauldron with water and let them boil enough. Then pour enough cold water, boil the thread, wet it with the squeeze, mix it with the roots and let it boil several times, stirring it from time to time. When it boils enough, take it off the heat and let it cool. When it cools down well, we drain it, shake it, let the roots fall, pound them again, put them in the cauldron in the same water and continue to dye in the same way and we have a second shade. Always in the same way we have three and four shades up to pale pink. That is, with the above quantity, we can dye up to 4 kg of yarn. With rice in the same way we can dye threads that we have previously dyed with other grasses, such as threads dyed with a beautiful leaf or with hibiscus flowers and they give us a nice "grena".
Also, yarn dyed and rinsed from pomegranates gives us a light brown colour and yarn dyed and rinsed from walnuts gives us a dark colour.
Stripped, so that the outer paint that holds the thread is gone, so that it can cleanly pull the paint from the rice. In the same way, we bring out their shades. After painting, we dry it and after a day or two we rinse it well, shake it so that the roots fall, if any are left and let it dry and it is ready for use.
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Indigo
Indigo is neither a flower nor a plant, it is a chemical preparation. It is used by large textile companies. We can get it from stores that sell paints.
Indigo comes from the leaves of a plant that has been cultivated in India since ancient times. It is mentioned in Indian manuscripts of the 4th century. e.g. The Arabs brought it to the Mediterranean in 119 c. In the past, they dyed blue with a flower, so they asked for what they also put in the washing of clothes. Now they replaced it with a chemical that doesn't give us dye, that's why we ask for indigo.
We also strengthen the indigo with a little hydrosulfite, which is also a chemical preparation and we will ask for it from the same shops. It helps the paint to become indelible. The most important dye substance in its leaves is colourless and comes out with hot water. Oxygen from the air turns it blue. There is also synthetic indigo.
Instructions
- Take 25-30 gr of pimpled indigo flower, for one kilogram of thread.
- In a container, preferably glass or white plastic, put a little warm water, 1-2 kg, pour the flower - indigo, and mix it gently, with a glass or plastic stick, until it dissolves well. Copper stains will be created that will cover the entire surface.
- Leave it for about a quarter and then we put in the cauldron as much water as is needed for the thread, as in all dyes, we heat it until it becomes lukewarm, up to 30o,
- Throw in the mixture of (indigo) and at the same time a spoonful, not too full, of hydrosulfite, which we get from a pharmacy, dissolved in warm water, mix it gently and place it on a very low heat until it reaches about 30o.
- Leave it for about 10 mins, without boiling.
- At this stage, we will see that it does not take the dye, but when we lift a wooden stick above the cauldron and try to open it with our hands, we will see that it gives us the blue colour we expect.
- If we wanted a darker blue, we did it again, after adding more flowers.
- In the same way, we continue the shades up to the soft siel.
- After the dyeing is finished, we drain it, leave it for several hours, rinse it with lots of water until the water comes out clean - and dry it in the shade.
Note: If we want to make green ones, our thread must first be dyed yellow, with tangerine or pomegranate or almond leaves or false yellowhead etc.
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