Dyeing wool with plants

On this single day course with Liz Benson, you will learn to dye wool using flowers, roots and tree bark, each of which can release a range of beautiful soft colours.

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You will learn how to develop different plant colourings, discover the magic of mordants and alter colours by modifying the pH of water. You will also experiment with over-dyeing, which is the process of infusing one colour on top of another. You will go home with about 240g of wool in 20g skeins with colours that compliment each other, perfect for a Fairisle or stripy knitting project.

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Wernog Wood has an abundance of wildflowers, plants and trees from which you you can forage, or welcome to plants from your own garden. 

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5 October 2024

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£120 - Tuition fees

(plus £25 wool and mordants)

Tea, coffee and simple lunch included in your course price 
 

We also offer accommodation & evening meals

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Click here to see what we offer

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This course is aimed at adults, aged 18yrs + and is suitable for beginners to those with experience

Liz Benson began working with textiles at a very young age when she became a junior member of the Clwyd Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. She is also knitter and tends to have a pair of socks on the go at all times.

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Liz is passionate about using British wool, preferably from small scale regenerative farms. Some of her yarn is handspun, others she buys undyed from local suppliers. She then dyes the wool using a range of plants that are either grown in her garden or foraged from the surrounding village. 

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She loves the fact that you can take something that would normally be destined for the compost heap, like onion skins, and instead use it to create colour.