Lichen

I feel in somewhat of a dilemma about lichens. They are precious and protected species, so it is not generally regarded as a good idea to gather them for dyeing. Yet they have always provided an important resource for the natural dyer, and I'd like to try some experiments to see what colours can be obtained from these amazing life forms. We have some wonderful lichens on the gravestones in All Saints' churchyard, but it would be a sacrilege, both literal and metaphorical, to scrape any away to use for dyeing. So for once, I have sourced some lichen from an ethical commercial supplier to dye with. Once summer comes, I intend to explore potential sites in Milton Keynes that may have a sufficient quantity of lichen for me to gather a small quantity. Meanwhile, here are the results from my first dye bath. Form the left, these four skeins were mordanted with alum, copper, alum+ tin and alum + iron.