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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