Is dyeing with avocados possible?
Dyeing with avocados might seem strange, but it’s actually possible and it can deliver some great results. You can use avocados as the perfect dye for silk, cotton, linen and yarn, among many others. It can also work for wool. The trick here is that you need to mordant the textile first, as otherwise the color will wash off. But once you use the mordant you can easily start dyeing with avocados!
How can you prepare the avocado dye bath?
You need to keep the pits and peels from avocado in the freezer, just to be safe. Chipping the pits is a very good idea before you put them into the freezer. Around 5-6 avocados will be needed for 100 grams of wool. That’s all you need if you want a great light to medium pink shade. Of course, if you want a deeper color you will need more avocados.
Once you cut the pieces, make sure that you add them in a jar with water and a bit of ammonia, ¼ cup of ammonia per liter of water will do the trick here. You want to leave that in the sun and give it a shake or a stir. This is needed if you want to aerate the liquid, so try to keep that in mind. Heating the dye up every few days is a very good idea, as that will help clear bacteria quickly.
Dyeing the yarn or wool
- You first need to soak the wool or yarn in cool water. Remember that you need to use a mordant beforehand if you want the color to stick.
- Strain the dye liquor via a sieve and a fine cloth, as this helps remove debris. Add the dye into a heat proof vessel after you do so.
- Insert the textile into the dye bath and then leave it there for a few days.
- You will have to add the wool roving or yarn into the cool dye bath and then you have to heat it gently. Dyeing with avocados is certainly tricky, but it works if you are committed to it.
- Maintain the yarn and dye right under the simmering point for an hour or so.
- Now you have to turn the heat off and leave it in the dye pot overnight.
- You can also leave the yarn inside the dye for a few days. You can then reheat it based on the color.
- Rinse it under cool water with a wool wash detergent, keep in mind that you might lose a bit of color with this approach.
- Hang it to dry and then you can say that dyeing with avocados is finally possible as everything is ready to go!
As you can see, dyeing with avocados is indeed possible and while it does take a bit to complete, results can be really good. We recommend you to start dyeing with avocados today and the results can be impressive. Yes, it does take a bit of time to achieve great results so you need patience for this. Yet it can work if you do it right!