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Cutch comes from a tree in the Acacia family. It's not something I can grow in your backyard in Maryland. I have what looks like brown crystals of the extracted dye from the tree. The wood is boiled in water to extract the dye and then that is boiled down into the crystal like dye stuffs. In my research, I found that this dye was used to make the first khaki colors used in military uniforms.
I measured out just under a 1:1 ratio of dye extract to dry WOF. I dissolved these crystals in hot water and then added my mohair skeins. The skeins were mordanted with alum, although you don't need alum for color and light fastness because of the high tannin content of this dye. The tannin will act as the mordant for you and you can save one step of the dye process. I heated the skein and the dye over medium heat, never boiling but merely simmering for about 1 hour. I let the skeins cool in the dye bath and then rinsed and dried the skeins. There was still dye in the pot so we used it to over dye some madder sample skeins. This dye took prettty evenly without a lot of movement in the dyepot. I didn't have to constantly stir. I stirred once when I put the skeins in and then left it alone.
Gorgeous color, Lisa! I am dyeing linen using a "green" indigo pot and some Earthues fustic this weekend. Show 'n tell in a few weeks. I might have to get out all those old roots and stuff we bought years ago and play with them, but the extracts are so much easier and give such wonderful saturated color, don't they?
ReplyDeleteDo you still have the Alkanet? It smells so foul!!
ReplyDeleteI am trying to get a good stock pot going. I dyed yesterday with a 1:1 ratio....just a pale lavender/gray color....I'll post if I get a better color.