Don't throw away your rhubarb leaves. Join me as I explain the simple process of extracting the tannin from Rhubarb leaves to make a great mordant for natural yarn dyeing.
What you need
1 pot used exclusively for natural dyeing
water
heat source
Rhubarb leaves
gloves
knife/scissors
strainer
bucket for straining
timer
canning jars
pen for labelling jars
Rhubarb mordant recipe
fill pot with water (up to 2 inches (approx) below the top of the pot)
add chopped up Rhubarb leaves
let simmer for 1-2 hours
let stand for 30 mins
pour in mason jars
label jars
use right away or keep in a cool place like a refrigerator
When using mordant for dyeing:
Ratio of fibre to mordant is 2:1 For example: if you are dyeing 2 pounds of wool you will need 1 pound of mordant liquid (16 ounces). Add the mordant solution into the dye pot and fill the rest of the pot with water.
To achieve the colour of Green or yellow as demonstrated in the episode
Adding 1 tbsp of Alum to your Rhubarb mordant will give you a yellow colour. Let fibre sit in the dye bath for two hours. Wash yarn thoroughly and let dry.
Adding 1 tbsp of Iron to your Rhubarb mordant will give you a green colour. Let fibre sit in the dye bath for at least two hours. Wash yarn thoroughly and let dry.