Turmeric Dye

I’ve dyed the Manx/Portland/Ryeland wool with turmeric and I’m pretty happy with the results.

I boiled a few tablespoons of turmeric for ten minutes or so, then added the wool (unmordanted). I only left it for a few minutes – it absorbs the dye very quickly.

I managed to get a few different shades. My theory is that there are (at least) two different pigments: one warmer/redder and one colder/yellower. The first one seems to absorb more quickly. So, the skein in the middle was put in the same dyebath as the one on the right and it seems more of the red pigments were absorbed by the one on the right. To the left you have the undyed yarn.

I wasn’t quite happy with the cold yellow though, so I made up a new dyebath and dyed it over to get a consistent dark gold shade.