How to Make Natural Dyes for Yarn

Dyeing your own yarn can help you achieve the perfect color, especially if you’re reusing yarn from an old or thrifted garment. It’s also a lot more eco-friendly to buy undyed yarn and dye it yourself using natural materials.

You can extract dye from all kinds of plants around your neighborhood or garden. You can even use food scraps and vegetable waste!

Making natural dyes for yarn isn’t hard at all. In most cases, you just have to boil the organic matter – like leaves – on the stove and leave it overnight. Then choose how you want to dye your yarn. You can pick one color or use multiple dyes to create a unique set of skeins.

How do you dye yarn?

If you can make a pot of tea, you can dye your yarn!

Before you start, you’ll need:

A container that can be used for dyeing and set aside for craft projects

White vinegar
Spoons and cups
A second container or cling film

Your natural dye
A heatable pot you can put on the hob (your “dyepot”)

Make sure to wash your yarn with white vinegar. Add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar per skein to enough warm water to cover all the yarn in the container. This will clean the yarn and open the fibers so the dye can take.

After soaking for 30 minutes, rinse the yarn under cold running water. Then place it in the second container or on top of some cling film.

There are several ways to dye yarn:

Solid dye

Tonal dye
Gradient dye
Variegated dye

Speckled dye

Below you can find modified instructions for dyeing techniques that are as eco-friendly as possible. You can also look online for more instructions and modify them to suit your purposes and equipment!

Remember that natural dyes for yarn will not have the same contrast and vibrancy as synthetic dyes.

Before beginning to dye, make sure that all the equipment you use isn’t also used for food prep. It’s good practice, and you don’t want to accidentally introduce an allergen or give yourself food poisoning.

How to dye solid yarn

Solid dyeing yarn is one of the simplest ways to dye yarn, and it will give all the fibers an even coloring.

To give your yarn a solid color, you need to:

Fill up your dyepot with enough water to cover your yarn

Add your yarn to the pot
Add your natural dye and let it soak for 5 minutes
Place the dyepot on the hob and let the water come to an almost boil

Gently stir the pot without felting the yarn to disperse the dye
Take the pot off the heat and let it cool to room temperature
Once cool, rinse the color out with cold water until fully rinsed

Hang the yarn on a line or airer to dry

How to dye tonal yarn

Tonal dyed yarn, also known as semi-solid dyed yarn, has a marbled look due to dyeing different areas with different strengths of color. This is usually done with the same coloring.

To give your yarn a tonal dye, you should:

Fill the dyepot with enough water to cover your yarn
Add a small amount of natural dye and let it disperse
Add your yarn to the pot

Let the yarn sit and then gently turn it over
Set the pot on the hob and heat to a simmer (or medium heat)
Add some more dye and flip the yarn over occasionally

Repeat adding more dye as you want and continue flipping the yarn over gently
At the 30 minute mark, turn off the heat and let the yarn cool
Once cool, rinse under cold water until the color is fully rinsed

Hang the yarn on a line or airer to dry

How to dye gradient yarn

Gradient dyed yarn, also known as gradated or ombre yarn, starts with the darkest color and gradually fades into the lightest color. This can be done with one color or two.

To give your yarn a gradient dye, you need to:

Separate your skeins into mini-skeins without cutting them – you can do this by wrapping part of the skein, tying it, and continuing to the next skein
Set newspaper on a table and cling film on top of it
Use the same number of paper cups or small containers to the number of mini-skeins you have

Fill each cup or container with a third of warm water then add your natural dye at different levels – starting with the darkest color on one end and then the lightest or a different color at the other end
Mix the dye in the water
Lay the mini-skeins on the cling film with some separation

Pour half of the first cup/container of dye onto the first mini-skein and gently squeeze the dye into the yarn without felting it
Repeat the above step for every mini-skein
Pour the rest of the dye onto the mini-skeins cup-by-cup

Make sure the yarn connecting each mini-skein receives a mixture of dye between each step
Let the mini-skeins absorb as much dye as possible without manipulating it too much, then wrap the skeins together in the cling film
Add the wrapped yarn to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for one minute at a time until any water leakage is clear

Let the yarn cool before opening the cling film and rinsing each mini-skein at a time under cold water
Rinse out excess water and hang the yarn to dry
Once dry, undo the ties and wind the mini-skeins into one skein

Another way to dye gradient yarn is to separate the mini-skeins and place each in a mason jar or container with water and different strengths of dye, soaking them separately. You’ll need to use warm water for this to make sure the dye takes.

You can also use the solid dye technique but alternate the mini-skeins, letting them soak for longer to achieve a darker color and less time for a lighter color.

How to dye variegated yarn

Variegated dyed yarn uses up multiple colors, so it’s best for when you have leftover dyes from other dye attempts.

You’ll need to mix your dyes separately according to the best practices for that dye, then pour the dye and water into a container or mason jar.

To give your yarn a variegated yarn, you should:

Fill your dyepot with enough water to cover your yarn and add the yarn

Add the first dye to one section of your yarn gradually – use a spoon or spare pencil to gently move the yarn so the dye can take
Once the first color has spread through the yarn, add the second color to another section of the yarn without completely touching the first amount of color
Repeat for as many colors as you have – let the colors blend naturally

Once the yarn has been completely dyed, put the dyepot on the hob and let it simmer at medium heat for 30-40 minutes
Turn off the heat and let the yarn cool
Rinse the yarn under cold water until the water runs clear

Hang the yarn to dry

Another method to dye variegated yarn involves hand painting the dye, similar to dyeing gradient yarn.

How to dye speckled yarn

Speckled yarn has spots, speckles, or sprinkles of color onto a plain background. This can be easily done using the gradient dye technique but only adding small splashes of color.

Why are natural dyes better for the environment?

Natural dyes made from plants and vegetable leftovers are much more environmentally friendly than synthetic dyes. Many synthetic dyes rely on chemicals that are carcinogenic or cause allergic reactions.

Natural dyes use organic material to cut down on chemical usage and be friendlier to the environment. However, this can still pose a risk, especially when using poisonous or irritating sources like nettles.

The amount of water needed to dye yarn synthetically isn’t just limited to extracting dyes like natural dyes. Simply producing synthetic dyes requires a lot of water usage. Homemade dyeing cuts down on the water, especially if you dye in batches and reuse water where possible.

What can you use to dye yarn naturally?

All kinds of plants can be used to dye yarn, including cabbage, flowers, stems, fennel, onion skins, and more. In fact, practically every plant can be used to dye, but the amount you need to bring out noticeable coloring can vary greatly.

Experiment with different sources of natural dye. If you’re going for any kind of brown, why not just throw together all your food scraps and extract a brown from mixing them together?

How to make natural dyes from plants

Dyeing yarn naturally doesn’t have to be difficult, as this guide from All Natural Dyeing shows. You can find sources of dye in your garden or neighborhood.

The best way to extract the dye from your natural sources is by boiling them in water. All you have to do is:

Collect your natural source of color and chop or break it up into small pieces
Add your natural source to the dyepot and cover with water

Heat the dyepot until near boiling and simmer for an hour
Allow the water to take on as deep a color as possible and leave the pot to cool
Soak overnight

Strain the solid remains of the source from the liquid – don’t use the same equipment you’d use for cooking
Store the remaining dyed liquid in a mason jar or keep it in the dye pot and add your yarn

The resulting color will vary greatly depending on how long you boil the dye, how much you cut up the source, and how much water you use.

Sometimes overheating can ruin otherwise vibrant colors, so always make sure to do your research on how best to extract the color.

Mordants can be used to create more vibrant colors, but many mordants are poisonous or could potentially pollute water when rinsed. Provided you give your yarn a vinegar bath just before dyeing, you shouldn’t need to use a mordant.

If you do, try not to use it for every project. You might find you like the more muted colors!

Keep a record of all of your dye attempts so you can track which colors work best for you. Make sure to write down what you used, how much you used, how long it boiled for, and any other variables.

Include a small cut of the dyed yarn to the page or stick a label with a name or date on it so you can track the color.

You could even make your own swatch of colors!

What natural dyes make green?

Natural sources of green include:

Artichokes
Chamomile leaves
Coneflower flower heads

Grass
Leaves and stems
Lilac flowers

Mint leaves
Nettle (use gloves)
Plantain roots

Sorrel roots and leaves
Spinach leaves – the older the leaves, the darker

There are many options for making a green dye for your yarn. Some are more surprising than others – lilac flowers and coneflower flower heads aren’t green at all!

You can also mix natural sources of yellow and blue to create green. This can be done together, though this might not produce solid color, or by first dyeing the yarn blue before dyeing it again with yellow.

It’s best to test this before committing to a full skein or else put it to the side for a future craft project if it doesn’t come out as you want it to.

What natural dyes make red?

Natural sources of red include:

Bamboo shoots

Beetroot
Chokecherries (whole)
Pomegranate

Red leaves in autumn
Rosehips
Strawberries

Tomato pulp and skins
Unripe elderberries

What natural dyes make purple?

Natural sources of purple include:

Basil leaves and stems
Blackberries (crushed)
Blueberries (crushed)

Elderberries (whole)
Huckleberries (crushed)
Mulberries (whole)

Purple grapes (whole)
Red cabbage

What natural dyes make blue?

Natural sources of blue include:

Cornflower petals
Hyacinth petals
Indigo leaves

Plum skins
Purple iris petals
Woad

What natural dyes make yellow?

Natural sources of yellow include:

Alfalfa seeds
Bay leaves

Burdock burrs
Celery
Crocus petals

Daffodil flower heads
Dandelion flowers
Goldenrod flowers

Heather plant (all parts together)
Marigold flowers
Peach tree leaves

John’s Wort flowers and leaves
Sunflower flower heads (fresh)
Tansy flowers

Weld
Willow tree leaves
Yarrow plant (all parts together)

Yellow onion skins

What natural dyes make orange?

Natural sources of orange include:

Butternut seed husks

Carrot peels and leftovers
Eucalyptus bark and leaves
Lilac bark and twigs
Orange peels

What natural dyes make brown?

Natural sources of brown include:

Alder cones
Broom sedge
Coffee grounds
Dandelion roots
Dock leaves
Fennel leaves and flowers or dried fennel seeds
Ivy twigs and stems
Juniper berries
Oak acorn caps
Tea leaves
Willow tree bark and twigs

Dyeing your yarn brown is a perfect way of using up any loose coffee grounds and tea leaves.

What natural dyes make black?

Natural sources of black include:

Carob pods
Iris roots
Walnut husks