It’s indigo harvesting season
Indigo is often recognized as a type of blue color, but the word originates from the plant that produces this iconic hue. Around the world, there are many plants which contain the molecules that create indigo blue. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we're fortunate to have an ideal climate for cultivating one such plant.
Persicaria Tinctoria (“Japanese Indigo”)
I found this dried leaf on one of our plants. It shows the deep blue hidden in these gorgeous green leaves!
JAPANESE INDIGO
Persicaria tinctoria, also known as Japanese Indigo (pictured in the three images above), is native to parts of Eastern Asia. For the past few years, we've been growing it right here in our Seattle studio garden. This annual plant quickly reaches 2-3 feet in height each season, with broad green leaves and small pink flowers, it is a vibrant addition to our garden. We often harvest it 2-3 times each summer, maximizing the amount of dye we can produce.
FRESH LEAF DYEING
Traditionally, indigo dyeing involves a reduction vat, requiring a few ingredients, heat, time, and patience. However, since we have access to so many fresh leaves at our studio, we utilize a less common method to achieve the same rich blue tones. This simple process, when executed carefully, yields vibrant, long-lasting blues and teals.
Early in the morning, we begin by harvesting the plants, cutting each stalk down to about 6 inches above the soil. We then strip the leaves from the branches and wash them with water. (The branches can be replanted to grow more indigo!) The leaves are blended with ice water, and after filtering, we're left with a cool, slightly thick dye bath. It’s important to work quickly, as the leaves must remain fresh and the dye bath cold to preserve the blue color. After combining all the indigo rich liquid, we soak the yarn in the dye bath. Initially when removed from the bath, the yarn appears yellow, but as it oxidizes, it slowly turns blue.
Unlike other natural dyes, indigo doesn’t chemically bond with the fibers but rather adheres to the surface. To achieve a deep blue color, the yarn must be repeatedly soaked in the fresh leaf bath, gradually layering the dye with each cycle.
On the right, you can see the yarn is initially a yellow-green color before oxidizing and becoming blue.
yarn dyed with fresh indigo leaves
silk scarf dyed with fresh indigo leaves
We offer quite a few accessories knitted with yarn dyed with our studio grown indigo leaves!
