The walnut dye samples were drying this morning and showed a beautiful range of chesnut browns with more variation in colour than I expected for such a dark dye.

I spend an hour or so this morning winding them up into mini skeins and sewing them into place and adding labels.

This is probably my least favorite part of the process because its fiddly and takes forever but they do look great displayed like this.

Once wound they, and the beads get transferred onto rods so they can get fixed to a display board. Not all the samples will make it onto a board because I would have too many shades of beige on there but the walnut dye definitely deserves a place.

Speaking of beige, the magnolia bark dye is looking predictably beige in the slow cooker. The flowers gave beige, the bark looks like it will give beige and the leaves will probably give beige. It’s such a beautiful tree for a boring dye.

The discovery process is still fun though and totally worthwhile.

I can see already plants that came out quickly going over that I didn’t have time to get into the dye bath. I think next year I need to have a whole pile of yarn samples ready to dye for the June-August period of the year. A winter project all of its own potentially.

Middle small neighbour is due over any time now for some crafting fun, although it better hadn’t be with anything light-coloured because my hands are walnut stained. I can hear her coming up the footpath, so I’m ready for chaos!