Natural Dyeing: Goldenrod

Two weekends ago, I took my goats for a walk in the woods and noticed that the back of my neighbor's field full of goldenrod. How could I pass that up?

The next day I took a short walk to collect some. Along the way, I passed a couple of busy turtles.

My idea for the goldenrod was to try it in an all-in-one dyebath. This is where the mordant is added directly to the dyepot rather than mordanting as one step, then dyeing as another. It was a common way to dye, once upon a time. Now, the tendency is to do large batches of fiber to have ready for future dye projects. The appeal to the one-pot method is saving on water, time, and energy by doing it all at once. 

So that was my plan. HOWEVER, after I got it going, I realized that the time requirement for mordanting was 60 minutes, while the timing for the best goldenrod yellow was only 10 minutes. I didn't think 10 minutes was enough time for the fiber to absorb the mordant, so my dyebath went for the full 60 minutes. 

Preparing the dyebath

• Recommended amounts are equal parts flowers to fiber. 
• Bring to a simmer
• Simmer for 30 to 60 minutes
• A low simmer is said to bring out the clearest yellow (Dean)
• Let cool overnight
• Strain

Preparing the all-in-one dyepot

• Mix the mordant in a jar of hot water until dissolved
• For 8 ounces of wool fiber I used
• 2 tbsp alum
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• Add to dyepot and stir well
• Add fiber and bring to a simmer
• For goldenrod, both Dean and Buchanan recommend 10-15 minutes for the purest yellow
  
• Longer simmering is said to bring out the greenish tints.

Results

I'm not sure how accurately that portrays what I got, but in real life, it's a very pretty light yellow, even with the longer simmering.

Modifiers

I divided my dyed fiber into three roughly equal portions for two afterbath experiments: one with iron, the other with copper.

Iron afterbath

I recently purchased ferrous sulfate (iron) from Amazon and wanted to give it a try!

• Remove fiber from dyebath and set aside
• Mix ferrous sulfate powder in hot water
• Amount: scant teaspoon (one quarter the amount of a regular mordant bath)
• Stir into dyebath
• Add fiber and heat to a simmer
• Simmer 30 to 60 minutes
• Cool overnight
• Remove fiber, wash, and dry

Iron is said to "sadden" color, so I guess green is a sad yellow.

Copper afterbath

For this one, I first used some of the decanted copper solution I used to mordant fiber for hardy hibiscus. I was doubtful there was enough copper left in it to make a difference, however. I followed the same procedure as for the iron afterbath. 

copper afterbath using decanted copper mordant solution

Comparison: original goldenrod on left, same with copper modifier on right

I debated whether to leave it at that or try a stronger copper solution. The weak solution only seemed to muddy the yellow, which I don't find very appealing and didn't give me good information concerning the potential of the afterbath. So I added an eighth dose of copper sulfate to the copper afterbath and put the fiber back in. It simmered for about 30 minutes or so.

second copper afterbath with more copper

A much more pleasing change of color, don't you think? 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the day's final results.

Left: goldenrod, no modifier. Center: iron modifier. Right: Copper modifier.

Natural Dyeing: Goldenrod © Oct 2024

by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal