We have a lot of lichen growing around our property, and I wanted to learn more about its dyeing potential. In my initial research, I kept encountering Lichen Dyes: The New Source Book by Karen Diadick Casselman, and thought it might be a good place to start. Lichen Dyes was published by Dover Publications, Inc. (Mineola, New York 2001). This slim book is packed with information.
The preface discusses the ethics of using lichen dyes (lichen is very slow growing and can take decades to replenish itself). Five chapters include a history of Asian and Southern European lichen dyes; domestic dyes of Northern Europe and North America; safe lichen dye methods and techniques; eco dyes and alternative mordants (less toxic); and how to identify lichen and the ethics of collecting it. The back matter includes reference material about lichens, pigments, reagents; a glossary; an annotated bibliography; and indexes.
The glossary defines lichens as a symbiotic biological entity composed of algal and fungal partners. According to Casselman, lichens can produce brilliant dyes—in shades of yellow, orange, ochre, russet, brown, copper, bronze, olive, true green, pink, mauve, violet, red, rose, magenta, purple, and blues—depending on the dye method used. Some lichens produce beige or champagne colors, but can be used as mordants.
I really appreciate Casselman's emphasis on the ethical collection and use of lichens. At times in history, lichens were collected for dyeing at an industrial scale, completely wiping out the local lichen population until it could slowly rebound. She advocates following an Eco Dye philosophy that is based on salvage botany (for example, collecting lichen that has blown down in wind or rainstorms, or is growing on tombstones or buildings, rather than scraping it off wood or stones in nature). Additionally, she recommends developing more ecologically sound methods for mordanting and dyeing that don't require toxic chemicals. I'm looking forward to trying out some of her methods in seasons to come, using the lichens growing in our yard!
In this episode of Plants to Dye for – season 2, we're dyeing with cochineal. Cochineal dye comes from parasitic insects (Dactylopius coccus) that live on the prickly pear (or nopol) cactus and are native to Mexico, Central and South America and the Canary Islands. They live in colonies and obtain moisture and nutrients from the cactus. The females produce carminic acid, which they use to deter insect predators. A natural red dye is derived from the carminic acid, which can be pushed to the shades of red with cream of tartar, or fuschia with soda ash.
The dye has been used to color food and to dye fiber for centuries. Farmers brush the cochineal off the cactus leaves to harvest, and then dry the insects.
I purchased cochineal from Dharma Trading right here in the Bay Area.
They import dried insects that are sustainably farmed in Peru, a major exporter of the product. Dharma recommends using 20% Weight of Fabric (WOF) for cochineal. This value may differ per vendor, depending on the intensity of carminic acid in the insects (for example, Maiwa recommends 3-8% WOF for a medium shade using their product). Cochineal dye is very sensitive to the pH, so distilled water is recommended. The dye also performs best when the dye bath is kept between 180 and 200° F.
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Dried cochineal insects
The weight of fabric for this project is 385 grams (or about 13 ounces).This includes four white cotton dish towels, and one dish towel that has already been dyed with madder, which I plan to use for an over-dye experiment. Twenty percent WOF for 385 grams of fabric is 77 grams of cochineal, or 2.7 ounces. I have 2 ounces of cochineal – close enough. Fabric should be scoured and mordanted. We used a gallnut mordant, followed by a bath of 15% WOF alum and 2% WOF soda ash as a brightener. See Scouring your Fabric (Soaking Method), Mordanting Fabric (Oak Gallnut), and Mordanting Fabric (Alum Brightener).
Outdoor studio with basic equipment
For this project you need basic dye equipment, and a well-ventilated workspace. You need a soaking pot, a dye pot, a heat source, and a candy thermometer to keep the dye bath at a consistent temperature. You need a grinder, a small pan or can, strainers, and jars in which to store the decanted liquor and the dye bath. For safety, wear a face mask when working with fine powders, and rubber gloves when working with soda ash.
Add to a pan, and cover with 3 inches of distilled water.
Bring to a boil, and then turn off heat. Let soak overnight. (Note that some instructions say to simmer for 30 minutes, but I didn’t do that.)
The next day, pour the extracted liquor into a jar, filtering out the pulp.
Add the pulp back to the pan.
Repeat steps 2-5, two more times.
First, grind the dried cochineal insects to release the carminic acid. I’m using my marble cutting board and rolling pin, metate style (but am protecting the marble with layers of freezer paper). You could also use a dedicated coffee mill, or small food processor, one that is not used to process food.
Makeshift metate and supplies for grinding the cochineal
Ground cochineal powder
Add the ground powder to a small pan (I’m using a can that once held enchilada sauce). Cover the powder with three inches of distilled water. Cochineal is sensitive to pH, so distilled water is recommended because its pH is neutral. Tap water may be more acidic.
Use distilled water when working with cochineal
Stir together the cochineal powder and distilled water
Bring the mixture to a boil, and then turn off heat. Let soak overnight. The resulting liquor is deep red and glossy. The next day, pour the extracted liquor into a jar, filtering out the pulp. Add the pulp back to the pan, and repeat two more times to continue extracting dye pigment.
The extracted liquor is glossy red
Strain the extracted liquor through a sieve into a jar, and reuse the pulp
Note that you can continue extracting color several more times, although the color becomes weaker. The number of times depends on the concentration of carminic acid. I extracted dye a total of six times over the course of a week. You can see that the resulting dyestuff becomes lighter and lighter. Compare the jar on the left (extractions 1 and 2) with the jar on the right (extraction 6). I could have continued, but have limited storage space, so chose to stop with six extractions.
Extractions 1-6, from left to right
I'm using extractions 1-3 for this dye project, and am storing extractions 4-6 in separate jars, so it doesn’t dilute the dye from the first three extractions.
Extractions 1-3
According to Maiwa, some dyers keep the remaining pulp in a jar of water for several weeks and use it for future dyebaths. I’m storing my pulp in the freezer for future experiments.
Allow to cool in dye bath for maximum color absorption.
Rinse and hang to dry.
Presoak prepared fabric before dyeing
Add water to the soaking pot and presoak the prepared fabric for at least an hour (or overnight). This helps ensure that the fiber soaks up the dye evenly. Stir occasionally.
Combine extracted dye and distilled water
Pour the cochineal liquor into a pan of distilled water. I started with a gallon, which is plenty for the fabric to move around the pan when stirred. Add more water as needed. Simmer your dyestuff for an hour keeping the temperature between 180 and 200° F.
Simmer the dye bath, keeping the temperature within range
Add the wet dish towels. Stir to loosen the fabric. Add additional water if needed. Simmer the fabric for an hour, keeping the temperature between 180 and 200° F. Continue to stir periodically for even dyeing, turning fabric frequently while simmering. Surprisingly, I did not have much trouble controlling the temperature of the cochineal dye bath, compared with the madder project (see Dye Project: Madder Root).
Let the dye bath cool
Turn off the heat and let the pan cool. Leave the dish towels in the dye bath for as long as you want. I covered the pot with foil, and soaked overnight for saturated color.
Rinse fabric until the water runs clear
Squeeze out water
Squeeze out excess dye from the dish towels into the dye bath. Rinse the dish towels in cool water until the water runs clear. The color was so saturated, that I used more water than usual to rinse. Run the dish towels through the washing machine’s rinse and spin cycles without soap.
Use the rinse/spin cycle a couple of times
Air dry the fabric
Let the towels air dry. In a couple of weeks, run the towels through the washing machine using Synthrapol and rinse. Include a piece of white cloth to test colorfastness. Air dry again.
Cotton dish towel dyed with cochineal (fuschia)
You can save and re-use the dye bath for lighter shades. Preserve the dye in glass jars to reuse in future projects. The color may be less intense but is still usable. Cochineal can be used in combination with other dyes, such as madder or logwood.
On a tip from friends, my husband and I visited the Crystal Springs Reservoir, located across the bay in San Mateo County. We've driven by the reservoir multiple times on our way to Filoli Gardens (even picnicked in the car overlooking the lake), but this was our first time to visit. Plus, someone was having a birthday that deserved to be celebrated!
We weren't alone – the paved, flat trail is a lure for hikers of all ages and stages in life. We saw folks in strollers and wheelchairs, runners and bikers, slow and fast walkers, crutches and canes, and a few who just wanted to find a bench in the shade and enjoy the view. Most folks wore masks, and found a way to keep distance while enjoying a variety of activities – all grateful to be outside and moving!
Lake access is prevented to protect the water supply
View of the lake through the oaks
Shady culvert for tributary creek
We had fine San Francisco Bay Area weather – mid-seventies with a marine breeze through the valley. In a bend in the road we found lichen growing in the oak trees (it must be the perfect microclimate for them). We spent some time goofing off.
Abundant lichen
Goofing off by the lake
The dam is over a hundred years old, but was recently refurbished and expanded. A small monument celebrates the centennial of the dam, and its engineer (Hermann Schussler, 1842 - 1919).
Monument to Crystal Springs Dam
"If you seek his monument ..."
Crystal Springs dam water level
We didn't make it to the Jepson Laurel tree or the Pulgas Water Temple (future outings), but we loved getting out of the house, exploring new territory, and seeing new sights. We headed for home and the rest of the birthday celebration with pizza, chocolate cake, and a DVD. I recommend the Sawyer Camp Trail as an accessible and family friendly trail!
San Mateo Bridge with a view to the East Bay hills
Last year a friend gave us a beautiful Easter lily in a container. We enjoyed its blossoms and variegated leaves for several months, and then the plant died back to replenish itself. The bulb was completely neglected over the winter. In late spring, I noticed a few fresh sprouts, and decided to give the lily some care.
Multiple new sprouts from the same bulb
I replanted the bulb in a terracotta pot with fresh potting soil. The original plastic pot was getting too small and looking a little battered. Within a few weeks, the sprouts really took off, and the leaves started to unfurl.
Stems and leaves emerge
(Snake Pot to the left by Jason Quisenberry)
Now we're enjoying the beautiful leaves and how they soak up the sunlight. The plant is doing very well on the patio (although some kind of insect has munched on a few of the tender leaves as they emerge). We're still waiting for blossoms, but enjoying the plant as it is. New life!
