On Mondays, my daughter has two straight hours of hockey practice in Concord, New Hampshire. It’s COLD in that arena- but it is right on the Merrimack river, so I have lately been wandering the riverbank, looking at plants to maybe dye with (Wild grapes! Bedstraw! A bunch of What The Heck Is This Plant?). I use an app on my phone called PlantSnap to try and figure out what stuff is- it is not the most accurate thing. One plant I snapped gave me the result Barberry (it’s actually invasive bittersweet, apparently)- but I knew that was wrong.. but I also knew I’d seen the barberry plant in my wandering through the woods. Lo and behold, Barberry (Berberis vulgaris and related species) were documented as sources of yellow dye from China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1644 CE and 1636-1912, respectively) (Cardon, 2007; Haji 2010; Han, 2016).

Well, of COURSE I was going to go harvest some! However, the documentation I have found is… confusing and contradictory, to say the least. Cardon reports the dyesource is ‘The root and the wood, stripped of bark’ for Berberis thunbergii; Han reports the dyesource is Berberis amurensis but does not list a plant part and Haji specifically mentions roots of B. vulgaris. Initial investigations, therefore, were carried out using the plant parts listed by Cardon and Haji- roots, and wood stripped of bark. Naturally, I also have NO IDEA which species of Berberis I found- it could be a wilded B. vulgaris or other import, or it could be the native North American B. Canadensis.

I got both wood and roots, and started with the roots. After washing the dirt off them, I crushed them in my mortar and boiled them in water. My first dye attempt in neutral pH was.. pink? Dangit, I am looking for YELLOW. So, I changed the pH to 8-9 with ammonia; MORE pink! Dropped the pH to acidic with vinegar, vaguely yellowish but not really what I was looking for at all. Dumped out that batch and carefully peeled a stick of its bark, chopped it, boiled it, and- absolutely NOTHING happened. Left it on the pellet stove overnight to warm and… NOTHING STILL. :/ Ok, roots make pink and barkless wood does nothing… ok, let’s try the bark itself! Found a couple craft websites that mentioned bark, so away we go.

First, I tried old bark off of dead branches (trying to collect responsibly!). That result was sub-optimal. I went back and gathered some offshoots that were green.

In boiling water/simmering on the pellet stove, I used equal amounts of green peeled Berberis bark in acid water and basic water. After 24 hours, the basic solution was distinctly more yellow. I let the solutions simmer/steep for another day or so to see what color developed from the solutions (and that gave me enough time to spin more yarn to test with!).

Discussion

Whatever species of Berberis I found does not dye well with the wood or the roots, contrary to published information. However, green bark from fresh shoots dyes adequately with basic solution and with/without alum pre-mordant (Berberis is considered to be a dye type that is substantive and doesn’t require pre-mordanting). More work needs to be done to find the optimal concentration for a less orangey-yellow. Additionally, since the extant dyed materials studied were largely silk, I will need to obtain some undyed silk to test this dye with to see what the color differences are.

Cardon, D., 2007. Natural Dyes: Sources, Traditions, Technology and Science, Archetype Publications, 801 pages.

Haji, A., 2010. Functional Dyeing of Wool with Natural Dye Extracted from Berberis vulgaris Wood and Rumex Hymenosepolus Root as Biomordant. Iran Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, V. 29 N. 3, pp 55-60.

Han, J., 2016. The Historical and Chemical Investigation of Dyes in High Status Chinese Costume and Textiles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). Master’s Thesis, available through University of Glasgow College of Arts. 374 pages.

Methods, Thoughts, Discoveries, and the Future

I am NOT a fiber person (haha) so my spinning skills are questionable at best. Hanks of undyed merino were purchased once my dyeing experiments outpaced my spinning speed!

To raise pH I used washing soda or ammonia, depending on the type of dyestuff and what results I saw from small pH changes.

To lower pH I used white vinegar.

I did most of my experimentation with a stainless steel pot and a million canning jars. Micro-experiments were carried out on paper plates for easy cleanup.

After weeks of shoving mushrooms in my pockets, or in plastic bags that then went into my pockets, I decided that I really needed a better solution. I used commercially-available basketry supplies, Alder twigs, and birchbark to make myself a gathering basket. I tried dyeing the cane with a mushroom dye, and the results were.. poor. I thought that maybe another plant-based dye might work better so tried one of the oak galls- and the results weren’t any better. So, I just skipped the colorant and wove the basket as-is. My daughter has named it my ‘Nature Purse’ 🙂

Thoughts and Discoveries

I love wandering through the woods! However, during the course of this project (and into the future) I have determined the following things:

• The answer is probably brown, or yellow (What’s this? I wonder what this will do!)
• Purple mushrooms are a cruel lie.
• 90% of mushrooms all resemble each other and are useless for dyeing OR eating.
• I have lived on this property for four years and only just last week discovered that I have a LOT of alder trees, and a lot less birch and beech than I had thought!
• The names of mushrooms in some cases are completely hilarious (wolf farts!)
• The longer I have been in the woods, the more off-color my mental nicknames for mushrooms get.. early in a ramble the names are simple like “Old man with teeth” or “Yellow army hat”. It goes downhill from there.
• Whatever you are actively looking for, you won’t find- so enjoy the wander and find NEW things!
• People look at you REALLY WEIRD when you are uprooting weeds (bedstraw) or picking wild grapes behind your kid’s hockey practice rink
• Lichens, as a whole, smell AMAZING when boiling- like subtle perfume.

The Future

I have a WHOLE LOT to discover still!! I have tons of trees and plants to find and use, a new mordant to try (Tin), and I really need to learn to spin better- or at least faster, I used all my spun yarn and then had to make new yarn every time I found something new, until I gave in and purchased a couple hanks of undyed wool to test out dyes with limited shelf lives (berries etc).

At some point, I *will* use some fermented urine… but only when nobody else is in this house.

I am going to try to actually write this up as an actual research-style paper, but that’s probably a wintertime project, because I am having way too much fun in the woods to sit in front of this computer!

The Period and Possibly Period Dyes

These dyes are the ones I have research to show they were used in period, their direct European analogue was used in period, or that they exist in Europe and could potentially have been used, though I have no evidence of their direct usage.

Not Period

• Pokeberry (New World)
• Most Fungi (Just not used like that in the record at all)

In Progress/Planned (P- Period, NP- Not Period)

• Iris Root -P
• Acorn -P
• Barks; Oak, Apple, Beech, Birch -P
• Galls -P
• Fermented Lichens (Currently 5 types fermenting- Parmelia, Evernia, Umbilicaria, Usnea, Xanthoria)-P
• Leaves; See Above
• Tinder Conk -P
• Several kinds of Knotweed -P/PP

Experimentals (Found in the record but not often used today):

Tinder Conk as mordant

Club Moss as mordant

Methods:

For each dyestuff, I started with 100% weight of dyestuff to wool. Wool was handspun from tops purchased from the Woolery on both drop-spindle and spinning wheel until my dyeing experiments outpaced my spinning speed, at which point I purchased undyed Merino wool skeins from Knit Picks. Wool was scoured gently with Soak brand soap. Most wool was pre-mordanted with alum and then clipped off the skein as needed for testing. Short-term dyes were performed with a stainless pot on the stove with temperature controls (many dyes react poorly to boiling, some however require it!). Long-term dyes (eg lichens) were left on the pellet stove to keep warm for however long needed. Post-dye mordants were applied in disposable plastic containers as iron, copper, and tin are all variably stinky/toxic.

Extra special thanks to Kristina Rudmann/Meave Douglass for unknowingly helping me with this project through files she shared with me years ago 🙂

Useful Resources/Informal Bibliography (I swear I will actually get my citations in and an APA format biblio.. eventually)

The Rainbow Beneath My Feet, Bessette A.R. and A.E, 2001, Syracuse University Press, pp 176

Casselman, K.D., 2001. Lichen Dyes, The New Source Book. Dover Publications, 82 pages.

The Colour Cauldron- The History and Use of Natural Dyes in Scotland, 1986, Mill Books, 230 pp

Berberine References

Cardon, D., 2007. Natural Dyes: Sources, Traditions, Technology and Science, Archetype Publications, 801 pages.

Haji, A., 2010. Functional Dyeing of Wool with Natural Dye Extracted from Berberis vulgaris Wood and Rumex Hymenosepolus Root as Biomordant. Iran Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, V. 29 N. 3, pp 55-60.

Han, J., 2016. The Historical and Chemical Investigation of Dyes in High Status Chinese Costume and Textiles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). Master’s Thesis, available through University of Glasgow College of Arts. 374 pages.

First thing- the photos! I have divided my experiments into three sections-

Period (Dyestuffs I have gathered that are known to have been used in period, or are direct New World analogues of period dyestuffs- also included, Dye Fails/Whoops because failing is definitely period)

Possibly Period (Dyestuffs that could have been used in period but are poorly documented, or have a broad distribution in Europe and could potentially have been used)

Not Period (Dyestuffs that are unlikely to have been used in period, or are New World only)

(*note: The red plastic item is in the photo so I could attempt to accurately color adjust the photos)

Period Dyestuffs (as of 10/29- I have multiple Period Dyestuffs in progress)

Not Period

Overviews of Colors of Stonemarche as of 10/29/2021

(or: What color is the bottom of a rabbit hole? Probably brown.)

Introduction

I have been gathering natural materials in my woods, my yard, behind the kid’s hockey rink where I spend 5 days a week, and the nature preserve next door, and testing them to dye wool with. I have handspun most of the wool, and thus far mostly pre-mordanted with alum (because it’s easier to do that way en masse). I ended up buying a couple hanks of undyed wool because my experiments were outpacing my spinning ability.

Additional mordants include iron and copper (both made by myself- rusty iron I found in the woods in water, and old SCA coins I had that are pure copper). All dyestuffs have been collected from the wild/non-cultivated in New Hampshire. While I *could* grow actual period dyestuffs, finding things in the woods and playing Mad Scientist is way more fun 🙂 *ALL* dyestuffs are found near my home in Stonemarche, and none are cultivated- that’s my personal rule for this project, some things are escaped cultivated plants but were found way back in the woods away from any residences. I have mostly been sticking to seasonal dyestuffs thus far- mushrooms and plants that won’t persist through the winter. Most of the mushrooms are non-period sources of dye, but as they are ephemeral in nature I am doing them first and working towards more period and non-seasonal items (eg tree bark, tree leaves, etc). Following this post, I will be explaining methods, categories, and showing photos.

Click through to the pages below for the full set of the Colors of Stonemarche experiments- Natural Dyes Parts 1, 2, 3, and The Quest for Berberine. Photos are in Part 1, Dyestuff lists and bibliography in Part 2, Thoughts and Discoveries in Part 3, and the Quest for Berberine is its own whole party!

Most of you are wondering, ‘What the heck is a fiddlehead?’.. they are ferns- that you eat! I have only encountered them in New England, where Fiddlehead Season is a thing.. for a brief period, you can buy them fresh in the store, and I usually do- but now, I can also pick my own! Today, I did!

In this area, fiddleheads are the baby, curled fronds of ostrich fern. They have a concave inside stem and a papery covering. They can be found in damp areas in woods. They MUST be steamed or parboiled before eaten. They are kind of spinachy-asparagusy in taste.

As with any foraging, make sure you know what to look for, and only take one or two from each plant so it can thrive! I just pinch each fiddlehead off with my thumbnail.

Lots of animals have returned to the woods.. caught a deer herd, turkeys, and a fisher on the woods cameras!

Out again yesterday, found more/different prints 🙂 Busy times in the woods!

I spend a bit of time wandering around the woods, and snow makes it even more fun! Here are some interesting prints I have found this month!