Dyeing Fiber with Black Walnuts (Video!)

So we started the de-shelling process of the Black Walnuts. Most of the green husks were soft enough to just smush off with our fingers, but a few stubborn ones needed a blade to help.

They remind me of a small pine scented coconut.

The unveiling...

Once the green was removed it was time to wash them.

We swished them around in a clean bucket. The rough nut shells help clean each other. We dumped the water when it got cloudy and rinsed several times.

They will cure in this airy basket for two weeks then we'll crack them. (I'll keep you posted.)

The husks we saved in another bucket for dying.

Then we filled the bucket with water and let it soak over night to extract all the dye.

Then we strained the walnut water through an old towel so the bits of walnut wouldn't tangle in the fiber.

Walnut sludge.

Once we had a nice clean dye bath I soaked our mohair overnight.Black walnut dye is so absolute, that you shouldn't need a mordant.

Here is the final product! A very natural brown almost as if it has come from a brown fleece rather than a dye.