Natural dyeing with walnut husks is the most reliable way to achieve vibrant browns. Using walnuts is easy work with and doesn’t require a mordant or modifier to get excellent results. This tutorial on how to make walnut dye will lead you through the process of extracting natural brown dye from walnut husks. It also covers a range of methods to obtain different shades and colour patterns for your yarn.
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What colours does walnut dye make?
Almost any shade of brown you want, including cream. It is important to note that the length of time the fiber spends in the dyebath will determine the colour. Additionally, if you are looking for a range of colours, from light to dark, pay particular attention to the colours attained within the first 30 minutes to an hour of the fiber being submerged in the dyebath. This is when the fasted changes occur.
Note: For the palest colour, I submerged the wool yarn in the walnut dye and took it out instantly. After that, I rinsed it under the tap immediately to get rid of as much dye as possible (this shows you how potent walnut dye is!). Even a few seconds in the dyebath makes a difference.
Do I need to use a mordant when dyeing with walnut?
No. According to Catherine Ellis, walnut husks contain a chemical called juglone which acts as a very strong binder of dye to fiber. Apparently, it is even stronger than the tannins walnut contains. For this reason, walnut dye is considered a direct or substantive dye and mordanting your protein fibers (such as wool and silk) is not necessary to bind the dye to the fiber. However, if you are using plant-based fibers such as cotton or linen you will need to pre-mordant them.
Processing and storing walnuts
If you want to extract the nut from the walnut you can separate the husks from the shell which contains the edible nut. If not, there is no processing required. Freezing the husks is the best way to preserve the dye within them. According to Catherine Ellis, drying causes them to loose some of their dyeing potential. However, Jenny Dean has had great success using dried walnuts for wool and silk through a long extraction time of 4 weeks and adding vinegar until the dye solution reaches a pH of 4.5.
Idea: To learn more about Catherine Elis’ and Jenny Dean’s experiments with walnut dyes, check out their respective blog posts (Natural Dye: Experiments and Results, and Wild Colour) on the subject.
Note: Jenny Dean mentions on her blog, not to worry if your walnuts or walnut dye go moldy, don’t throw it out! The mold may change the colour and lead to some interesting results.
Tip: You can also re-use walnuts that you have previously used for dyeing. Just strain them from the dyebath and freeze them.
When to pick walnuts for dyeing
Picking the walnut while it is still green is recommended, for me this occurs in August. However, the walnuts I found were ground fall and of various stages of freshness. Most of the husks were somewhat damaged and missing the nut too. Despite this, the husks performed admirably. So, if you come across some dubious looking ground fall don’t pass it up!
Instructions on how to make walnut dye
Note: The entire process will take a few days to complete.
Dyeing equipment and supplies needed
Dye pot Gloves and apron (walnut dye will stain everything!) Safety glasses (if working with toxic mordants) Face mask (if working with toxic mordants) White ladle to see the true dye colour Colander and Gauze to strain the dye Portable hot plate or stove Notebook to document your method and results Alum Mordant (optional) Fibers and fabrics (wool yarn or white roving, silk, cotton and linen) Washing soda to darken the colour without iron or copper
Steps:
I’ve briefly outlined the steps to dyeing with walnut husks. However, if you would like more explicit details for each step, please consult ‘What is natural dyeing and how to make natural dye‘.
Warning: Natural dye requires safety precautions and safety gear. For a review of the safety measures needed, refer to ‘What is natural dyeing and how to make natural dye‘.
Step 1. Prepare the dyebath and mordant the plant fiber if you are using it
I used 1 Kg of walnuts (this included the shells and nuts contained within the husks). This is just a guideline and I’m sure more or less will likely be fine for your dye.
Simmer the walnuts in water for 6 hours on a low heat.
Step 2. Soak the dyebath and fiber separately overnight
With the walnuts still in the dyebath, let them soak overnight to get the strongest dye possible. Meanwhile, soak your yarn and other fiber in water so that they take up the dye uniformly.
Step 3. Strain the walnut dyebath and add the fiber
Strain the walnuts out using a colander, gauze and a bucket. Next, return the dye solution to the dyepot. After that, add your yarn and heat it on the stove, bringing it to a gentle simmer on a medium heat.
Warning: Do not agitate or move your wool once it is in the hot dyebath. Moving it may felt it!
Note: An alternative to straining the walnuts is to place the walnuts in a mesh bag prior to extracting the dye. Then you just pull the bag out after the dye extraction phase.
Step 4. Remove the yarn when desired colour is achieved
Within the first minute remove a hank of yarn to get a cream colour. After that, keep checking the colour every few minutes if you want paler shades of brown. The next one I removed was after an hour, which give me a lovely chestnut colour.
Note: There seemed to be no difference between a 6 hour simmer and that with an additional overnight soak in the dyebath.
Step 5. Cure the fiber
Let the fiber dry in a shaded and ventilated area to cure for a few days. The curing process ensures that the pigment binds to the fiber.
Step 6. Rinse the fiber
Rinse the fiber with fresh, room temperature water.
Note: Although I used 1kg of dyestuffs, it included the nuts and shells (which do not contain dye) as well as the dye-containing husks. For this, I used 258 grams of wool, 4 grams of silk, of 15 grams cotton, of 21 grams linen. This included three exhausts of the dyebath and when I threw out the dyebath afterwards there was still dye left. Given this, I can’t say precisely how much is a minimum requirement needed of walnut husks. For a definitive ratio, consult Catherine Elis’ blog post for precise calculations.
Results of the second exhaust using alum mordanted yarn
For the second exhaust I experimented with dyeing alum mordanted yarn to see if it made a difference. I found that the colours were lighter than the non-mordanted yarn. Thus, if you are wanting the darkest brown possible don’t use alum to mordant your wool yarn first.
I also noticed that there was no difference between the wool yarn that was not mordanted with alum and simmered for 1 hour and the mordanted wool that was simmered for 6 hours then soaked overnight.
Results of the third exhaust
For the third exhaust I used non-mordanted wool. My intent was to create a graded colour scheme with the wool hanks from lightest to darkest. It worked beautifully, and as you can see the browns has much less yellow in them compared to the first exhaust.
Using modifiers to darken the colour
I used iron, copper and washing soda post-dye baths to darken the colour of the non-mordanted dyed wool yarn. For this, I added about a tablespoon of each solution to a jar and topped it up with water. Next, I added the dyed yarn and let it soak overnight. No simmering necessary.
The result was that the iron and copper mordanted wool looked almost black. In contrast, the washing soda was still a discernible dark brown.
Tip: Learn how to make your own mordant using the instructions in this article, or buy them here.
Warning: When using toxic mordants always wear safety equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses and long sleeves.
How to make colour patterns from walnut dye
Vary to shades of brown colour within a single hank or skein of wool to create interesting knitting colour patterns. To do this, you will need to use dyeing techniques such as tie-dye or dip dyeing, as illustrated below.
Varigated
To achieve this colour pattern, the wool is tie-dyed. Firstly, tie the wool up in sections using elastic bands.Then dye as normal. As you can see, the dye underneath the bands didn’t remain pure white but went a lovely cream colour. This offers an interesting speckled effect when it is knitted.
Graded
In order to obtain a two-tone colour that seamless transitions from dark brown to white, dip dye your yarn. There are two slightly different methods of dipping. One option is to submerge the yarn completely for a few seconds and then gradually raise it up from the dyebath by tying it up above the dyepot. You will need to use your judgement as to when you need to raise it up. This is due to the take up of dye by the wool which is non-linear in time (which is why gradually raising the yarn out of the dyebath in equal time segments doesn’t work). Just check on the colour every few minutes within the first hour and then every hour after that.
For the two-tone yarn with the sharp cut off between brown and white the yarn was put in place hanging up and was not moved after that. This method requires much less attention and still yields great results. As you can see, the white pops out much more than the graded yarn which is more subtle.
Tri-colour
For a neapolitan ice cream colour combination, dip about a third of the yarn in the dyebath and simmer it for a few hours. Then let it soak overnight.
Once a third of it is dyed, follow the same procedure using a different dye for the other end of the wool.
Idea: To learn how to dye your yarn pink, check out my tutorial on How to make natural dye with avocado pits and skins.
Buying walnut dye extract
Finding a walnut tree randomly where you live is not the most reliable thing. You can post a wanted add on social media or a advertising platform such as craigslist or Kijiji but if that fails you may need to purchase your walnut dye. Fortunately, Etsy market place sells a variety of walnut dye, from husks, granules, ground or chopped, buy it here .
Colour pairing
The brown yielded through natural dyeing with walnuts work a treat with other natural dyed colours. Why not try pairing it with blue from black beans, pink from avocados and orange from onion skins.
Other tutorials you might like
Books on natural dyeing
If you would like dive right into the world of natural dyeing, you might be interested in these instructional books available from amazon. Natural Dyeing by Jackie Crook, Dyeing to Spin & Knit: Techniques & Tips to Make Custom Hand-Dyed Yarns by Felicia Lo, and Indigo, Madder and Marigold: A Portfolio of Colors From Natural Dyes by Tracy Van Stralen.
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