Hi,

I tried grass (you know, from the lawn) as my source material for dye. I boiled about half a small pot full of grass (ripped up, roots removed, just the green leafy bits; best to grab from the fringe areas where the mower doesn't cut it as you get longer blades of the stuff). Anyway, I gently boiled this in water with some concentrated lemon juice for about 1.5 hours (adding water if it got a bit low). After that, removed the grass leaves by pouring through paper towel over a collendar. Added vinegar, and the wet and washed wool, and gently boiled that for another hour or so.

Ended up with what I can only describe as very blonde looking wool. It's a great colour. Actually, I'm really pleased with the colours these plant dyes produce. It's all very easy to do as well. Apparently, the final colour can depend upon all sorts of things, like if you use a copper pot or stainless, etc. Anyway, if you're thinking about dying stuff, maybe it's time to mow the lawn?

- Jeff