Alder

I've had my eye on some fine alder trees in the station car park for some time now, so a couple of days ago I gathered some cones, twigs and catkins to see how they would dye up. I could not reach even the lowest branches, so I had to gather these from the ground. I was concerned that any dyestuff would have leached out over the winter, but I need not have worried. I heated them in my slow cooker and strained off the liquor. It was very dark and smelled a bit like stewed tea, which was promising. The skeins I dyed are a rich golden brown, apart from the one modified with iron, which is unsurprisingly much darker than the rest.