Searching for Witch's Hair and the color yellow

                                    Dodder or it's other common name witch's hair.

About a week and a half ago I sent my cub reporter for some pictures of some Dodder that I was going to post about.  Hubby took some great pictures on his hike with Maulie. I later went exploring didn’t hike as far as he did but found clumps of Witch’s Hair to do my natural dyeing. Next time I am going to get more then the little I used .

 Witch's hair is a parasitic plant that uses other plants as it’s host plant. You see it all over the place in the foothills of California.  Witch's hair is from the morning glory family of plants you'll notice that texture when your picking it out of the host plant.  Now that I have found a great supply I am going to have fun making the color yellow. I stick the Witch's hair in the enamel pot with some water let it  soak for a while and  then heat up the water and Witch's hair in the pot.  Next I add some pre soaked wool . After boiling it for an hour I add alum as the mordant. I then will let it sit for a couple days in the  pot.  Next step rinse it and hang it on the rosemary bush. 

              This was the original wool color and the bottom piece is the color I dyed it.
 
 



                                 Look at the top white wool and doesn't
                                 that color look like a sweet yellow
                                 after it's dyed.




                             Next time you see your fellow hookers you can brag
                             I have a pot of witch's hair soaking.  Lol. Cheri