[Ansteorra-textiles] dye plants

[Nancy Wederstrandt]

>
> > PS> cochineal season is here.
>
>I've got some information about various local plants, including
>dandelions, bluebonnets, sunflower leaves, pecans, blackberry leaves,
>these wretchedly tenacious burr plants in my backyard, those little
>caterpillar-looking seed-thingies that fall from trees every spring
>and cover everything, a few garden plants which were grown here but
>are probably not native, etc.  I can try to compile it for you if you
>like.

         That would be great.  No hurry, I'm working from the other side of 
it and starting to compile the bio facts.  Mostly I need texas natives... 
not garden.

About cochineal......
Strangely enough I don't know.-- the Hamilton pool area had a bunch a year 
ago but as to how much now, couldn't say.  I haven't had a chance to go 
out.  The reason  I found out was that one of the Bio classes at UT did 
some field work and a guy harvested about 30 pounds of cactus tunas for 
jelly  I asked him if he saw any white cotton patches and he said there 
were a bunch.  Usually the state parks like Pedernales Falls and such have 
tons of cactus with places.  When I go to Canyon next month I will look and 
see.  I'm wiling to share. (grin).

>
>While we're on the subject of dyes, has anyone ever tried dyeing with
>alkanet root?  It's supposed to give reds, but all I get are very
>pale grey-beiges.

The current book on my desk (Wild Color) lists that it gives grey violets 
to purple in water.  It says that you only get the red when you use alcohol 
or methylated spirits.  It also says it's sensitive to PH factor and 
minerals in the water.

  Clare