Blackberry Colors

Lesson I learned from this little experience was “don’t be discouraged by experts”!

One of the things my dear husband is most excited about our move to Oregon is the abundance of blackberries. He is a mead maker and a very diligent berry picker. I think he enjoys the quiet occupation of his hands.

I will pick berries too. I make jam and goodies and like to eat them fresh. Then low and behold what should I stumble upon in one of my favorite fiber books by Jenny Dean (1999). Wild Color, Watson-Guptill Publications, but yet another divine use for blackberries.

The colors represented were gorgeous and I had to have a go at it. The author gives very thorough instructions on natural dyeing processes. We have an rather abundant blackberry bush overtaking a rhododendron just off the front patio. I was on it.

As the above photo shows, the blackberries created such a rich ‘dye’ bath that I was able to run three separate skeins through it. To be honest I didn’t measure, so I do not have a ratio of berries to water to give you.

Now, I was so excited to share my little experiment that I presented it to a very dedicated group of natural dyers on Facebook and my post was denied and a rather sharp post was added from the groups moderators within a couple of days. I was quite schooled and felt rather horrible about it. It has not come easy for me to be expressing myself and my creations and I sadly took it to heart much more severely than I should have. Apparently, the blackberries themselves are not considered to be reliable for dyeing. They are considered ‘fugitive’ and are not colorfast. In fact colors that come from berries are not considered to be ‘dyes’ at all. Good to know.

However, I decided to “not be discouraged by the experts” and to carry on with my color experiment. The whole point for me was to be playing with color and enjoying the process. Time will tell just how colorfast the yarn is. All parts of the blackberry bush can be used for dyeing with the canes and leaves producing beautiful greens. I am planning to use the canes also and hopefully either weave or knit a ‘blackberry’ scarf in lavenders and greens. That is my vision and what a vision that would be!