Dyeing wool using natural materials is both fascinating and fun. It can also help to rejuvenate your existing yarn stash! While it may seem daunting to get started, this 1-day workshop will give you enough hands-on experience and confidence to continue experimenting at home. Plus, you’ll leave with a selection of beautifully dyed wool in various colours—perfect for creating a hat, mittens, or socks, depending on your preference.
What to expect:
- small group (max 4 people) in a stunning setting near Gunnerside in Swaledale
- learn both the practical process and the theory of various mordants and dye plants
- choose wool bases and weights to suit your needs
Typical day:
10:00 AM – We begin by exploring the mordants (alum and iron) and preparing the wool for dyeing. As the wool mordants, we’ll gather plant materials from my garden or nearby to use in our dye baths.
After preparing the dye baths, we’ll take a light lunch while the dyes simmer.
Afternoon – The focus turns to dyeing your wool and experimenting with modifiers to shift colours. There will be time for a coffee and cake break as we dive deeper into the process.
5:00 PM – We’ll wrap up the day with your own naturally dyed wool and a newfound enthusiasm for natural dyeing!
Cost:
£75 per Person
Includes:
100g of wool – any base or weight, split across 5 skeins OR 100g of fibre.
All dye materials
Light lunch, coffee/tea, and cake
Information sheets with all the tuition details covered during the day
What plants will be dye with?
Natural dyeing is a seasonal journey! Depending on the time of year, we’ll gather fresh plants like heather, nettles, elderberries, or woad from my garden and surrounding areas. We can also use dried materials such as daffodils or eucalyptus leaves, or if nothing else is available, staples like onion skins, avocado, and indigo are good options. Expect a vibrant selection of four to five colours, perfect for your knitting or crochet projects! Or why not choose to dye fibre to spin your own yarn?
Or you can book by emailing yorkshirewildwool@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you promptly to confirm availability. For groups of 3-4 people custom dates can be arranged.
Workshop dates 2026
Thursday 29th January
Saturday 31th January
Friday 20th February (fully booked)
Saturday 14th March
Sunday 15th March
Saturday 28th March
Friday 3rd April
Thursday 9th April
Sunday 19th April
Wednesday 6th May
Friday 15th May
Wednesday 10th June
Sunday 14th June
Friday 3rd July
Sunday 5th July
More dates for the rest of the year will be announced later.
I look forward to welcoming you to a day of creativity, nature, and wool!
PS. Friendly dogs welcome too!
