ALUM MORDANT ~ necessary for most plant dyes to ensure colour fastness.

Alum is considered the least harmful or safest when it come to mordants used in plant dyeing. What many don't know is that Alum occurs naturally in nature and some plants, like horsetail, contain Alum.

*Alum has long been used as an additive to both foods and drinking water.

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Basic recipe:

Weigh your DRY textile material.

ALUM: Divide the weight of the material to dye by four. Weight out that much alum mordant. A scant two tablespoons equals one ounce of alum.

Add Alum to the pot, and almost fill with warm water. Leave enough room to add the wet textile material. Stir until fully dissolved.

*You can leave the wool in for 24- 72 hours - cold mordanting.

** Or you can heat to 80 degrees Celcius for one hour.

Rinse and dry.

Organic natural Indigo ~ Dye colour Blue 

[our Indigo is NOT synthetic but the real stuff]

Country of Origin: India 

The advantage in dyeing with Indigo is, that no mordant is needed.  The water doesn't need to be heated to more than 40 degrees Celsius and a little goes a long way. We can dye 3-4 kg of Wool using 50g of Indigo. 

There are many ways of dyeing with Indigo. Below you will find the recipe for a yeast vat.  For a straight forward no-waiting-required approach, you can use Hydros as an oxygen remover. Waiting time approx. one hour.

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Basic Recipe ~

It is possible to create a vat from indigo, lime (calcium hydroxide) and over-ripe fruit such as bananas or dates that relies on the chemistry of the sugars* rather than fermentation of the fruit. But it’s easier to simply use fructose shared in

Michel Garcia’s 1-2-3 recipe. It’s very simple: One Part indigo,two parts lime and three parts fructose, plus warmth.

*Fructose and glucose found in ripe fruit are reducing sugars; ordinary sugar – sucrose – is not a reducing sugar. 

FERMENTATION USING YEAST:

For 500gr wool etc. at one time . (amount can be repeated several times using the same bath)

9l water
dye container with lid
separate pot for the water bath to add the container
110gr sugar
50gr dried yeast with out preservatives etc.
30gr bicarbonate of soda
40gr ground Indigo
thermometer

This Method requires the dye bath to be on a constant 40 degrees Celsius and shouldn't exceed 50 degrees Celsius. Ideally put the dye pot in a water bath on a wire rack to ensure even distribution of temperature. 

1. Fill pot with 9l of water and heat to 40 degrees Celsius. 

2. Mix sugar and yeast and add to the water. Leave until dissolved and bubbly. 

3. Dissolve soda in a glass with hot water and add the dye, stir until smooth. Add to yeast mixture. 

4. Close lid and ideally put into a bin bag, you want it as air locked as possible. Leave at steady temperature for 8 hours. 

5. Lift lid and stir carefully until all the foamed Indigo has returned into the dye. Try to stir as little air into it as possible.

6. Close the pot up again and leave for 48 hours until the water is yellow green.

7. The water will show a metallic shimmer on the surface when ready. Carefully stir it back in.

8. Add the damp but not mordanted wool etc. make sure all are under the water add a plate or a metallic disc to press the wool etc. under the surface. Whatever swims at the top will be unevenly dyed.

9. Close it up and leave for 6 -12 hours. 

10. Remove wool etc. and press out back into the dye bath.  

11. Open wool etc. and leave exposed for at least 20min. All should turn blue. 

12. If you prefer a deeper blue add it to the dye bath again and repeat step 9. 

13. Wash twice with a mild soap, then rinse 4-5 times using vinegar in the last bath. 

14. Hang up and air for a few days or weeks. 

You can repeat this dyeing process using the same dye bath several times.

Madder Dye Cut or ground ~ Dye Colour a variety of reds including orange reds, brick red, blood red and fiery reds.

*Collected in the Wild of Iran

The color depends on a variety of conditions, like the soil the roots where grown, their age, the mineral content of the water used for dyeing, the temperature of the dye pot, and how much madder you use in relation to the fiber. Many dyers suggest mordanting the wool just with alum and not to use cream of tartar as well, but that is your own choice and why not try to experiment a bit? Like with any dyeing, you will need to soak the fiber overnight or for a few hours before adding them to the dye pot for both hot and cold dyeing.You can dye with madder either cold or with heat; some dyers use chalk to get better reds.

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Basic recipe:

(You can adjust the amounts as needed)

100 grams dried madder roots
100 grams mordanted (Alum) fiber (50 grams for darker reds or 300 grams for lighter colors)
7 to 10 liters of water
6 grams calcium carbonate (chalk) if using

Soak the roots in the dye pot over night
Bring o 65 degrees Celsius for one hour
Strain through cloth
Add yarn and dye bag to dye pot
Keep on 65 - 95 degrees Celsius for one hour

**IMPORTANT: The higher the temperature the darker the colour.

Organic *ground, **cut or whole Hibiscus flowers 

Cultivated in Egypt.

For a light purple colour on wool and deep pinks to dark greys on Linen & Cotton, using different mordants. 

*Use 50% of dye according to the weight of the dry fabric/fibre you would like to dye when using ground Hibiscus. 

**Use 75-100% of dye according to the weight of the dry fabric/fibre you would like to dye when using cut or whole Hibiscus. 

*** If you like to read about how to dye Linen with hibiscus, follow this link here: Creating Colour from Food by AppleOak FibreWorks

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Basic Recipe: 

This dye will need a mordant, Alum, when dyeing wool. 
10-15% of Alum. 
Mordanted fabric or yarn, 50% - 100% hibiscus dye. 

Add water to the dye and bring to the boil.  Keep on a simmer for 30min.
Strain the liquid through a sieve (cloth if using ground hibiscus) and returning the liquid back to the pot (no more heating required).  
Add your dyestuff and let it soak until your required colour depth is reached, from 1/2 hour to overnight.

And than there was the nettle. Turin is a slightly shiny 4ply and has much to offer! Spun in the Czech Republic, this yarn is made from wool blended with Ramie and Silk to produce a delicate but strong yarn with a cheeky shine to it. This is one of our favourites to use in plant dyed multi-colours – it makes the colours come alive – ever changing with the light.

Due to its Ramie and silk content, it makes sturdy socks, but it can also be used for knitting flattering garments. Beautifully soft but can be a little stiff at the beginning, this yarn will win you over in no time.

In a nutshell for 1 skein:
60% wool & 20% Ramie & 20% Silk
4 ply
weight Fingering
100gr/ 3.5oz
425m/ 464.7yards
2-3mm needles
Handwash only

Indigo* - herbaceous plant ( you might get a bit of blue on your hands while
Knitting - that is easily washed of with soap and even healthy!)
Vegan note: please be aware that we use Lac and Cochineal dyes as well, which would be of animal origin ~ Cochineal** - small louse; Lac*** - the casing made by beetles to hatch and protect their eggs.

I love this wool yarn, simple and beautifully soft. We now have a full new Pattern Collection available in this lovely yarn.

https://appleoakfibreworks.com/collections/patterns-for-softwool/products/a-story-of-forest-friends

We're often asked, is, why do we call it Softwool? We originally mistook it for merino for starters! It came up while talking with Albina (LBhandknits) about this yarn and how well it knits up. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that this wool is stronger, has a lot less pillage and is almost as soft. Albina has designed a couple of cardigans, a sweater, and a dress for this lovely yarn and a name was necessary, so Softwool it became. 

Once being aware that it isn't merino, you can just feel a slightly stronger handle, less of the plush and more of a textured smoothness. Perfect for colour work, the Softwool line comes with one of our biggest colour ranges, inviting you to enjoy your favorites when choosing from a broad colour palette, including pastels as well as stronger dominant tones.

Suitable for all kinds of projects, like "Ada" and "Ripple and Bloom" both of which have been custom designed for AppleOak FibreWorks by LBHandknits.

In a nutshell for 1 skein:
100% wool
weight Sport
100gr/skein
300m/328yrds
3-4mm needles

Indigo* - herbaceous plant ( you might get a bit of blue on your hands while 
Knitting - that is easily washed of with soap and even healthy!)
Vegan note: please be aware that we use Lac and Cochineal dyes as well, which would be of animal origin ~ Cochineal** - small louse; Lac*** - the casing made by beetles to hatch and protect their eggs.

Creating wearable Colours in a close relationship with nature - this Palette has been inspired by Irish Moors, Mountain flowers and Mossy Woodland Rivers.

Dyed with Herbal & Vegetable Dyes as well as Lac and Indigo.

Light and silky to the touch, Yeti is made from equal amounts of Yak and Mulberry Silk fibres – spun into a fine fingering weight yarn to create garments which are as light as a feather.

This yarn makes a wonderful all year garment – both, yak and silk, are temperature regulators.

Yak is one of the most expensive fibre in the world – with being warmer than sheep wool and still as soft as cashmere, it will keep you warm and cosy when needed.

It is hard wearing, durable, soft, warm and light weight.

Yeti is available as a kit as well.  Check out Criostal, designed by Albina from Lbhandknits, highlights Yeti in a simple delicate shawl pattern. 

In a nutshell for 1 skein:
50%baby yak hair / 50% mulberry silk
weight 4 ply
100g/ 3.5oz
466m/ 509.6 yards
2-3mm needles

Origin: Yak ~ Tibet, Silk ~ China, Spun in Mongolia and naturally dyed in Ireland.

Lincot is 'rustically spun' - meaning that the yarn is thick-and-thin, presenting like an old fashioned handspun. It takes color beautifully, with lots of subtle, rich variations in tone. And when knitted up, it gives the resulting fabric a captivatingly textured look and feel.

About the yarn: spun unevenly in Germany, the fibres are sourced from sustainable and ethical friendly sources.  The uneven texture of Lincot also has interesting implications for gauge. In meterage, this yarn is a spot-on DK weight, measuring 220m per 100g. However, when it comes to gauge it 'behaves' like a much thicker yarn, and seems to work best in garments when knitted at an aran-weight gauge. This makes Lincot an extremely economical yarn! Meaning, you need far less of it than you would an ordinary DK weight yarn. For example: a sweater requiring 500g of DK weight yarn worked up for designer Albina with only 400g. 

In a nutshell for 1 skein:
70% cotton / 30% linen
weight 2 ply DK
100g/ 3.5oz
220m/ 240.59yards
4-5mm needles

Read a designer's review of LinCot here
Read the review of LB Handknit's LinCot dress knitting pattern, Rusticana, here
Get your copy of Rusticana, here

Due to the fibre content, LinCot is a great option for Vegans with several plant dyed colours!  Curious to read more about our dyes? Click here.

Indigo* - herbaceous plant ( you might get a bit of blue on your hands while
Knitting - that is easily washed of with soap and even healthy!)
Vegan note: please be aware that we use Lac and Cochineal dyes as well, which would be of animal origin ~ Cochineal** - small louse; Lac*** - the casing made by beetles to hatch and protect their eggs.

Made from 100% Pure Wool in 72 Colours ~ the coloured felt is also available in the same sizes as the Bio Felt, but due  to too little space we don't stock them. They will have to be ordered for you, simply drop us a message and we will set it up for you.

*Please keep in mind, that the colours can change from monitor to monitor. You can always contact us if you are not sure about a colour: appleoakfibers@hotmail.com

** If you are not sure what Colour it is, please see the list below, where we named the more difficult colours:

499 - off white
556 - White
540 - black
555 - Dark plum
539 - anthracite
536 - Dark brown
524 - Reddish brown

True Felt distinguishes itself from others by its woollier look and a slightly greater weight per meter (450g/m) The wool comes from South American sheep breeds and the felt is produced in Europe.

The properties of TrueFelt make this material extremely suitable and safe for chidren’s toys 4 years and older.
Due to its heavier wait True Felt is used in interior design, wall finish, photography, upholstery and much more.

In a nutshell:

TrueFelt is made from 100% wool
TrueFelt wool comes from South American sheep
TrueFelt is produced in Europe
TrueFelt satisfies the European guidelines (REACH) for the fabricating of pure woolen products
TrueFelt is GOTS certified

TrueFelt is dyed with non-toxic and heavy metal-free dyes which satisfy the EN 71, art. 1, 2 and 3 guidelines
TreuFelt is safe for children and can be used in children’s toys
TrueFelt is machine-washable using a wool program no warmer than 30 degrees

TrueFelt can shrink just slightly, but usually no more than 5%.
TrueFelt can be ironed using an average warm temperature
TrueFelt is flame retardant and can be used for heat and sound insulation.

A beautiful 3mm thick felt. Ideal for making phone pockets, bags, mouse pads, insoles, slippers, coasters or on walls for insulation, to give, but a few, possible uses.

This felt is made from 100% pure undyed wool and it is very solid and strong. It also has the Oeko-tex label making it a high quality felt. To give you an idea of size, 3mm is about the thickness of a smart phone.

- Available in 6 natural undyed shades as shown in pictures

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Origin

• Our 3mm felt is made from 100 % wool from South American and European sheep breeds and is manufactured in Europe. 
• All our wool comes from museling free farms. 
• This 100 % woollen felt contains 70 – 100 % Merino wool combined with other soft European wool types. 

A single layered gauze or muslin, made from untreated organic cotton with a fine striped natural structure naturally dyed by us ~ semi Solid.

NOTE: Some pieces, especially the darker blues, can have markings, as shown on the last picture. Every piece is unique and some have none others have more markings. You can state in the message to seller box if you prefer less or more, otherwise we will just pick randomly. 

1 Unit ordered = 80 x 80 cm 

The individual pieces are 80 x 80 cm, but we can cut them in one long piece if you prefer, long lengths would make lovely narrow curtains, with a checkered appearance. Every 80cm will be a broad strip.

This fabric is best known as the Muslin Nappy cloth and that is its original purpose.

Material: 100% kbA (GOTS)-Cotton
Size: 80x80cm
Colour: natural
Weight :110g/sqm
Shrinkage: 5-10%
Wash: 60-90 Degrees Celcius

Certification: BIO/ORGANIC/GOTS certified by CERES-082 GOTS kbA-Cotton
Made in France