Avocado Pinks

Left: superwash merino. Right: non-superwash merino. No mordant. Just slow processed in aluminum dye pots.

I can’t get over how beautiful avocado pink is. As someone who almost always prefers neutrals, these surprising shades from avocados stones and skins have been my gateway drug into a whole new world of color. Not only am I discovering newfound appreciation for every tone and shade that emerges from my modest kitchen dye pots, but I’m also finding myself incorporating more color into my clothing and home decor choices now as well.

Who is this person? Where did she come from?

One of the questions people frequently ask me when I share my natural dye experiments on Instagram or YouTube is, “Where do I start?”

And while there is no specific way to begin the process, I highly recommend beginning with kitchen scraps. Especially those that are known to produce colors that last, like onion skins, tannin-rich teas and coffee, pomegranates, avocados… Just start saving your scraps in the freezer until you have enough for a dye bath. In the meantime, pick up a book or two on natural dyeing and read about the basic process. That’s essentially how I got into this myself. Eventually I’d like to grow my own dye garden or wander out in the forest with my foraging baskets for natural dye sources, but the kitchen will always be a useful source worth tapping into.

Avocado Peel on Non-SW BFL | Third Exhaust | No mordant - Aluminum Dye Pots

Over the next few weeks, I'd like to retroactively record all my natural dye processes and the colors I've achieved here in this space. It's a great way for me to keep track of my results, especially because some of the skeins are no longer in my possession. Perhaps these recordings could also be useful for those of you who are interested in trying natural dyes yourselves.

Early Experiments with Madder Root

The Autumn Quilt