Spring is springing where I am in North America and everyone seems to be planting a garden. The warming weather is also a perfect time to try natural dyeing. With excellent timing, Dover Publications has given us two classic natural dyeing books for a giveaway.
Dover Publications natural dye giveaway!
A Weaver’s Garden and Lichen Dyes have been around for a bit, but they both have excellent natural dye information.
An excellent book originally published in 1987 by Interweave and saved from out-of-print status by Dover.
It’s a reprint; there is no new material. If you don’t know about this book, give it a look. There is more than dyeing here. Almost half of the book is devoted to knowing and growing plants for dyeing. There are also chapters on plants to spin, plants for sachets (to deter moths), soap plants and plants to make textile tools.
It is book full of useful knowledge and a book utterly unique in the textile world.
This book has great charts of the colors particular lichens will dye, and dye recipes. It includes an international history of lichen dyeing, and methods including solar dyeing. The book concludes with an important chapter on the ethics of gathering and using lichens. This book was originally published in 1996 and revised in 2001 with 40% updated material.
Interested in starting a dyeing garden or dyeing with lichens? Our usual giveaway rules apply. Leave a comment on this post between now and midnight eastern time, Friday May 12, 2017. One comment will be chosen at random to answer a skill testing question. If the commenter answers correctly they will win a copy of A Weaver’s Garden and Lichen Dyes . Giveaway value $22.90.
Jillian is the author of the best-selling spinning book Yarnitecture. She is the editor of Knittyspin and Developmental Editor for PLY and PLY Books. She kinda loves this spinning thing and wants everyone who spins to love it too, so she teaches and writes a lot. She knits, weaves, and stitches and tries to do as much of it as she can with handspun yarn. She's always cooking up all kinds of exciting and creative things combining fiber arts.
She likes her mysteries British, her walks woodsy, and to spend as much time as she can laughing.
Spy on her on her website jillianmoreno.com
I have weaver’s garden in my Amazon wishlist. Natural dyeing looks so interesting
Laurinda
What great source of information!
yolanda
Natural dyeing is on my list for this year.
I’d love to read all I can about it, as I
will be taking a class on it this summer.
Vickie
Both of those books look fantastic!
Sarah D
I would love to get into more natural dyeing!
Roz Todd
I’d love to win. My girlfriend is about to get an allotment and I have a garden and we both have fleeces so these could be very useful.
Tanya
I’ve played with natural dyes in my kitchen, with my husband looking a little strange at me while doing so… but with not much success in convincing him I knew what I was doing. I would love to have either one of these books.
Rowena Philbeck
Awesome giveaways. I am all into natural dying and those books seem perfect.
Jennifer Davis
Oh, colour me interested!
Nicole Javaly
Ooooh Lichens! I love lichens.
Kelsey
Oh, these are lovely!
Sheila
I would love to win these!
Deborah Graham
OOOHHH! These books look great. Good luck everyone!
Cicatrice du Veritas
If I can’t kill the weeds in my yard then the least they can do is dye fleece. These look so very useful. If I don’t win them, I will probably buy at least the Weaver’s Garden.
Barbata Thater
I would very much like to learn all about natural dyes. I have been using comercial dyes for years and this would expand my horizons.
Tobie
I am especially interested in growing a dye garden.
Rose
I would love to try natural dyeing!!
Shannon
I haven’t tried dying, but these books look so beautiful they make me want to try!
Pat Austin
Lovely book, would be great to win them
Christine Dam Bendiksen
I have tried dying with rhubarb once, but I m very drawn to the process, and would love to expand my knowledge with these books!
Last summer, I dyed yarn with madder. It was loads of fun and I was thinking about plants to add to my garden to use for dyeing this fall. I guess what I’m saying is these books would be a great addition to my library. Wandering off to see where I can find them.
I would love these books! I love growing flowers and have lots of woods to explore for lichen. Would love to naturally dye with these things.
Anne Sullivan
Our local Weavers Guild maintains a lovely dye garden. I would so love to add these books to the Guild library …. especially the one on lichens!
Maggie Corrigan
These look like excellent resources!
Amanda Zeigler
I’m dyeing to find out more!
BCL
Oh, so nice! I wanted to try dyeing my own yarn. I recently got a set for that, but I haven’t been able to try it yet. These books look cool!
queen of knitting
I would like to try my hand with natural dyeing.
Doreen
I used to dye wool. I was taught by a really lovely elderly lady who knew everything there was to know about plants, dyes, wool and weaving. I miss her. Would love the book!
Ginny
Oh, that lichen book looks especially interesting. Thanks for the giveaway.
Norma
These could be a very interesting couple of books
LynnB
I would really love to have these books and grow my own dye plants. Dying with lichen is also something of interest. Thanks for the giveaway.
Matilda
Very nice books! *fingers crossed*
Liljpnimpt
That’s so cool! I remember trying to dye using onion skins a lifetime ago!
Tania
Hope I win! Very interesting books
AlisonFashion
I’d love to start a natural dye garden.
Nadja Miller
I had heard of the first book but had not heard anything about the Lichen book . It looks very interesting it’s something I would love to try.
Andrew
They both look so good!
Marilyn
Thanks for the giveaways. Looking to expand my dying horizons.
Edna Vaines
I am a gardener and would love to win this! Thanks for the chance to dream of this lovely prize.
Marie A Westmeyer
I love Dover for keeping this info available to the public!
sandra sandvik
Hope to spend lots of time this summer doing some natural dyeing of fabric and yarns! Just picked up some lungwort lichen that blew off trees in a wind storm…researching if they work for dyeing so this offer is timely.
Lisa
I have really enjoyed foraging for natural dye materials over the last few years. I really want to try lichens, but have avoided them so far, because I don’t have confidence in my ability to identify them properly. I would love to learn.
Marni S
This looks awesome – I’ve been playing with some plant dyes and would like to learn better techniques
terri
I’m fascinated with the idea of natural dyes–these books look amazing. Thanks for doing the giveaway.
Dana Michele
Natural dying is on my goal list to do this year. I’ve played a little with acid dyes on wool, but want to mix in my love for the outdoors with my love of all things wool. I dream of taking walks/hikes and gathering goodies to dye wool.
Carrie
I have a little garden and lots of wool to dye. Would love to explore natural dyes! Lovely giveaway
Sunny
Oh I am starting to dye, but have not branched out into natural dyes
These look like lovely books.
Ooh! Fabulous books! I bet you’ll have a ton of entries!
I would love to grow a dyer’s garden and learn more about wildcrafting dye plants!!
I’ve been wanting to play with natural dyes! These look like great materials!
I’ve thought more than once about trying natural dyeing but have never taken the plunge.
🙂 Linda
I’d love a copy of these classics! Natural dyeing is so much fun. You never quite know how its going to work out, but I’m rarely disappointed.
I have lichen growing on our property and could put these books to good use.
The new fiber skill I hope to learn this summer is natural dyeing so these books would be a perfect addition to my library.
I find natural dyeing so interesting and I’ve always wanted to give it a try.
What an interesting idea! I love dying textiles. Maybe this will cure my brown thumb.
one of my goals once we move back to NC next year
I have weaver’s garden in my Amazon wishlist. Natural dyeing looks so interesting
What great source of information!
Natural dyeing is on my list for this year.
I’d love to read all I can about it, as I
will be taking a class on it this summer.
Both of those books look fantastic!
I would love to get into more natural dyeing!
I’d love to win. My girlfriend is about to get an allotment and I have a garden and we both have fleeces so these could be very useful.
I’ve played with natural dyes in my kitchen, with my husband looking a little strange at me while doing so… but with not much success in convincing him I knew what I was doing. I would love to have either one of these books.
Awesome giveaways. I am all into natural dying and those books seem perfect.
Oh, colour me interested!
Ooooh Lichens! I love lichens.
Oh, these are lovely!
I would love to win these!
OOOHHH! These books look great. Good luck everyone!
If I can’t kill the weeds in my yard then the least they can do is dye fleece. These look so very useful. If I don’t win them, I will probably buy at least the Weaver’s Garden.
I would very much like to learn all about natural dyes. I have been using comercial dyes for years and this would expand my horizons.
I am especially interested in growing a dye garden.
I would love to try natural dyeing!!
I haven’t tried dying, but these books look so beautiful they make me want to try!
Lovely book, would be great to win them
I have tried dying with rhubarb once, but I m very drawn to the process, and would love to expand my knowledge with these books!
These would be great for the guild library !
Last summer, I dyed yarn with madder. It was loads of fun and I was thinking about plants to add to my garden to use for dyeing this fall. I guess what I’m saying is these books would be a great addition to my library. Wandering off to see where I can find them.
I would love these books! I love growing flowers and have lots of woods to explore for lichen. Would love to naturally dye with these things.
Our local Weavers Guild maintains a lovely dye garden. I would so love to add these books to the Guild library …. especially the one on lichens!
These look like excellent resources!
I’m dyeing to find out more!
Oh, so nice! I wanted to try dyeing my own yarn. I recently got a set for that, but I haven’t been able to try it yet. These books look cool!
I would like to try my hand with natural dyeing.
I used to dye wool. I was taught by a really lovely elderly lady who knew everything there was to know about plants, dyes, wool and weaving. I miss her. Would love the book!
Oh, that lichen book looks especially interesting. Thanks for the giveaway.
These could be a very interesting couple of books
I would really love to have these books and grow my own dye plants. Dying with lichen is also something of interest. Thanks for the giveaway.
Very nice books! *fingers crossed*
That’s so cool! I remember trying to dye using onion skins a lifetime ago!
Hope I win! Very interesting books
I’d love to start a natural dye garden.
I had heard of the first book but had not heard anything about the Lichen book . It looks very interesting it’s something I would love to try.
They both look so good!
Thanks for the giveaways. Looking to expand my dying horizons.
I am a gardener and would love to win this! Thanks for the chance to dream of this lovely prize.
I love Dover for keeping this info available to the public!
Hope to spend lots of time this summer doing some natural dyeing of fabric and yarns! Just picked up some lungwort lichen that blew off trees in a wind storm…researching if they work for dyeing so this offer is timely.
I have really enjoyed foraging for natural dye materials over the last few years. I really want to try lichens, but have avoided them so far, because I don’t have confidence in my ability to identify them properly. I would love to learn.
This looks awesome – I’ve been playing with some plant dyes and would like to learn better techniques
I’m fascinated with the idea of natural dyes–these books look amazing. Thanks for doing the giveaway.
Natural dying is on my goal list to do this year. I’ve played a little with acid dyes on wool, but want to mix in my love for the outdoors with my love of all things wool. I dream of taking walks/hikes and gathering goodies to dye wool.
I have a little garden and lots of wool to dye. Would love to explore natural dyes! Lovely giveaway
Oh I am starting to dye, but have not branched out into natural dyes
This sounds like a fantastic resource!
Been looking to add them to my library!