Time to start organising the 2019 natural dye course. This year the 5 day workshop will be from August 5th - 9th. As usual it will cover all aspects of natural dyeing on woollen yarn including mordanting, single dye baths, exhausts, indigo dyeing and dye garden. This is a hands-on course, you will go home with over 32 skeins of yarn in different natural colours that you will have dyed yourself. You can bring your own wool or use some of our sustainable Poll Dorset or Merinos d'Arles. The lace-weight/crewel wool too if you like.

Click here [for more course information] and [your booking form]

And of course a few photos taken from last year:

Japanese Indigo in the dye garden. Lets hope it is a good growing year. Last year's very wet spring meant that I couldn't start sowing until the end of May. This year we have a small polytunnel which we hope will give us more scope.

A gathering around the indigo vat. This pic was taken towards the end of the workshop. Lots of greens, purples and turquoises as well as blues are emerging like magic from the indigo vat.

Sample labelling around the solar pot

Sulphur Cosmos and wool in the solar pot on day 5. This usually turns out a rather bright orange!

This is Merinos d'Arles and the madder root it is dyed with. The plant is budding madder from the dye garden.

Maybe you would like to try a few variegated variations?