The Magical World of Plants: Natural Dye Workshop
The Magical World of Plants: Natural Dye Workshop
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Sunday, December 7, 2–4 pm
This workshop is for anyone and everyone who is curious about the magical world of plants and natural dyes. Join us for an afternoon full of sharing experience and knowledge about botany, herbalism, and natural dyes. Come with your questions & an open mind.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
Absolutely none. All experience levels are welcome here. For those of you who didn’t even know dyeing with onion skins was a thing to those who have harvested cochineal from the prickly pears down in the desert- you will all be an integral part of this event.
Taking the class again? Fantastic! It’s always a party. We’ll try some new techniques for different results, and it will be a whole new base yarn to explore. Returning students are absolutely welcome. Come join the fun!
INCLUDED MATERIALS
1 skein of ready-to-dye (previously mordanted) yarn, glass jar, various natural dye materials
Further notes on the workshop from instructor Nicole:
For most of human history, our ancestors have relied on nature to heal their families and bring color and beauty into their lives. In this event we will talk about the relationship between color and medicine while discussing traditions and techniques of working with natural dyes.
You will learn how to harness nature's gorgeous palette by using leaves, flowers, roots, barks, scavenged materials, and even kitchen scraps to create deep, long-lasting colors in natural fibers. We’ll talk about wildcrafting, sustainable harvesting and how to feel more comfortable in plant identification. You will find out everything you need to know about natural dyeing to have the confidence to begin experimenting. We’ll even get started with a one-of-a-kind natural dye project for each student to take home. In our workshop, we will do a Slow Dyeing technique. Together we will prepare our beautiful skein for the slow process of absorbing the pigments with time and warmth. All the necessary materials will be provided. Everyone will go home with their glass jar filled with wool & plants to sit in a warm and cozy part of your home. You’ll have instructions on how to wash and dry your yarn a week later after the time has worked its magic.
This workshop is for anyone and everyone who is curious about the magical world of plants and natural dyes. Join us for an afternoon full of sharing experience and knowledge about botany, herbalism, and natural dyes. Come with your questions & an open mind.
INSTRUCTOR
Nicole is a knitter, natural dyer, teacher, herbalist, & New Yorker living in the south of Spain. Exploring the hills around Granada, Nicole gets to know the local flora and fauna. Not a day goes by when she doesn’t knit a few stitches or dream of new colors for the dye pots. Constantly learning & exploring, hoping to share her experience with others.
You can find Nicole on social media as @ThymeWeaver.
Disclaimer: Natural dyes are a magical craft. Before you start experimenting, you should know that there exists an unpredictable aspect of natural dyes. We are working with living and unique elements. Every flower, leaf and root will be different from another. Each one will have received different levels of sun, water, nitrogen, etc. In addition, natural dyes are usually very susceptible to the properties of the water with which you dye (pH, minerals, etc.).
Therefore, it is very likely that if you repeat the same recipe you will not get the exact same color that you previously did. My advice is that you keep an open and experimental attitude and that you are willing to enjoy the wonder of the plants.
Class Policies
Wait Lists
If a class is full we are happy to add you to the wait list in case someone cancels. Send an email with the name and date of the class to hello@cleosyarnshop.com to be added.
Cancellations
We are happy to offer you a refund or store credit for any class sign up as long as you give us notice at least 48 hours before the start time of the class.
We cannot offer refunds or store credit for any late cancellations. However, if the situation was out of your control and you want to come to another class instead, we can sign you up for a future class using our Scholarship Fund which is available to everyone!
Many of our classes have a minimum number of sign ups required to run. If a class doesn't get the required number of sign ups to run and we decide to cancel or post-pone the class we will notify those who did sign up via email between 24–48 hours before the class's start time and offer them a seat in the next class, a refund, or store credit.
Photography
When you attend a class at our shop you agree to be recorded and photographed during the class. If you would like to request that your face, hands, or body not be in any photos or videos that we share on social media please send an email requesting so any time prior to the start time of the class to hello@cleosyarnshop.com. You may still be recorded or photographed during the class but we will respect your request that the videos or images of you not be shared online.
Scholarship Fund
Our Scholarship Fund is contributed to by the shop and our community to help those who need it attend our classes and events. You can read about why we started the fund here.
When signing up for a class or event, anyone is welcome to sign up for a Scholarship Fund ticket at a discount as funds allow. When a Scholarship Fund ticket is purchased, the amount discounted is taken from the Scholarship Fund to pay the shop and it's staff the regular ticket price.
If you are considering requesting a Scholarship Fund ticket but aren't sure whether it's for you or not, it probably is! The folks who have contributed to the Scholarship Fund wanted to contribute and want the funds to be used! And the lovely people putting on this class or event are still getting paid the full amount to do it. Please only pay full price if you feel you have enough to do so.
That said, we also ask that you be mindful of the amount and frequency of requests you take from the fund. Making sure funds are available to as many people as possible is a collaborative effort, so we'll check in with you and you check in with us!
If you'd like to use the Scholarship Fund, you can do so by emailing us (hello@cleosyarnshop.com), or coming into the shop and requesting a Scholarship Ticket. We will ask you how much you are able to pay (zero is an acceptable answer!) and the funds available will cover the rest.