Christmas baking and natural color

Dec 15, 2022

In November I wrote about the resourceful, accessible magic of using kitchen byproducts for dye. Here’s another example that combines my passions of natural dyeing and Christmas cookies.

I started with some hazelnuts, specifically the non-toasted kind, with their skins still on. I want the skins, so I toasted them myself in the oven. I let them cool for a bit, and then gently rub the skins off and set them aside. The hazelnuts are for baking, and the skins for dyeing.

My hazelnut skins, ready to be used for dyeing.

I got 10 grams of hazelnut skins from about 200 grams of hazelnuts, which was more than I needed for my recipe but I wanted a little bit more for my dye bath. The skins will keep for a long time, so I usually save them for months until I have the amount I want for a dye bath. I would probably aim for at least 10-15% weight of fiber- hazelnut skins are very light, so it would be hard to actually get to 100% wof. Also, hazelnuts are expensive- this is a dye material I use for small projects and experiments, not yarn production.

Hazelnut skins contain tannins, so the dye bath will eventually become a deep red color. It has a rich, chocolatey scent that is the perfect accompaniment to Christmas cookie baking.

The results that are consistent with other materials with tannins (the colors are similar to those from avocados). Raising the pH will intensify the color and make it a little more pink, while lowering it will give peachier tones. The addition of iron will turn the color purpley gray.

I made two small dye projects from the dye bath. This tiny wool vessel was one of my first ever dye experiments, dyed with hazelnuts back in 2016. The color had faded a bit (this dye has good colorfastness in my experience, but I had kept this out in my living room, exposed to the sun, for several years) so I decided to give it a refresh.

When you partially immerse the wool vessel, the part that is fully in the dye bath will get darker, while the top part will gradually turn a lighter color as it absorbs water. If you want the top part to stay white, take the vessel out sooner, before it has a chance to get fully wet.

I also dyed a cut of silk charmeuse and sewed it into a scrunchie. The color isn’t quite as pink as you might get with an avocado, it’s a little more earthy and muted.

While all these experiments were going on the stove, I fired up the oven for these hazelnut thumbprint cookies! The recipe is from Smitten Kitchen. These cookies make a great addition to my Christmas cookie platter. Now I can celebrate with cookies and natural color.

Thanks to everyone who has read my newsletter this year! This is the last newsletter of 2022. I’ll be back next year continuing to share my adventures in natural color. If you’d like to receive this newsletter directly in your inbox, you can subscribe below.

I’m participating in a Christmas Fair at Espacio Raíz in Valparaíso next week, December 17-24, with naturally dyed yarns and a few other items that would be good for small Christmas gifts. Follow me on Instagram for more information and to see the latest from Neblina Wool

You can also follow me on Pinterest, where I’m cataloguing all of my natural colors, including ones which have sold out, as well as other dye experiments and natural color inspiration from places I’ve visited.

Follow me @neblina on the Making app for more casual day-to-day photos of dyeing, knitting, sewing, and other crafting.

Check My website for currently available yarn.

Neblina Wool Dye Studio Notes

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