Long Thread Media Library

Natural Dye Series: Easy Peasy Natural Dyeing

Three experienced dyers share their tips for getting started with natural dyes the easy way.

eBook · Farm & Fiber Knits

Natural Dye Series: Easy Peasy Natural Dyeing

Three experienced dyers share their tips for getting started with natural dyes the easy way.

Natural Dye Series: Exploring Palettes from Fresh-Leaf Indigo, Madder & Woad

Natural Dyeing

Guide to Dyeing Yarn Using Natural Dyeing Techniques

Dive into the basics of hand dyeing yarn and understand the different approaches depending on the fiber, from cotton to wool.

eBook · Spin Off · Free eBook

Avocado Ikat: A Spinner Explores Resist Dyeing & Botanical Color

In this article PDF, you'll see how Rachel Simmons created a series of samples to capture the spirit of glorious traditional ikat textiles with a less complex, sample-friendly process designed for spinners.

Naturally Beautiful Together: Unite Your Stash with Natural Overdyes

See how overdyeing with natural dyestuffs can create breathtaking results!

Spin Off Winter 2026

Find your natural fiber spin with four new projects, natural dye experiments, and pro tips for dehairing llama fiber.

Dirt-Dyed and Plant-Dyed Garden Apron

For this apron, embrace the unpredictability of natural dyes and try your hand at dyeing the yarns you weave, crochet, and stitch using mud and plant materials. Use a pin loom and the mud-dyed yarns to weave the body of the apron, and then crochet the squares together and add straps using those same yarns. Turn next to your plant-dyed yarns to add the whimsical Swedish huck embroidery.

Long Thread Podcast: Brooke Sinnes, Sincere Sheep

Season 5, Episode 3: What do algae blooms and homemade biodiesel have to do with running a yarn company? For an independent natural dyer, there may be no greater creative challenge than the local environment.

Audio · Farm & Fiber Knits

North Road Hat

Kate Larson paired the natural colors of Shetland sheep with traditional Fair Isle motifs with for this cap, but you can choose from among the hundreds of dyed Shetland wool colors to design your own palette.

Pattern · Farm & Fiber Knits

Investigative Method—A Tool for Study

Explore Fred Gerber's method of studying a prospective dye plant—which he called "the investigative method"—designed to assess the dye potential and produce a range of colors from a single dyestuff.

One-Pot Magic: Surprising Natural-Dye Rainbows

Learn the "one-pot" method that combines multiple dyestuffs for fun, multicolor effect.

Wee Cardi

Recalling a visit to Wing and a Prayer Farm, Norah Gaughan designed this cropped cardigan to make the most of naturally dyed small-batch yarn.

Pattern · Farm & Fiber Knits

Pointillist Color Effects in Spinning

Through experimentation, learn how to create interesting colored yarns that will give a pointillist effect when used.

Article · Spin Off

Dye Garden Planner

A guide to common dye plants, growing zones, and the colors they produce.

Article · Farm & Fiber Knits

Mud Cloth Napkins

Use mineral-based mud dyes to dye your warp and weft and give these napkins their subdued, earthy palette with a fraction of the water (and work) of other dyes.

Pattern · Little Looms

Color Alchemy: Modifying Dyed Fibers with Tannin and Iron

Learn how to create stunning naturally-dyed yarn with simple ingredients.

Article · Spin Off

Watercolor Towels

Plain natural-colored cotton on the loom, these towels reveal a hidden pattern when dyed. DyeLishus cotton accepts food-safe dyes, making this a perfect family project.

Pattern · Little Looms

Piece Dyeing: It's Never Over

Martha Owen's Crescent Shawl was knitted using handspun of different origins, textures, and colors. This article illustrates the gifts of piece dyeing—the process of dyeing a textile after the work is done.

Article · Spin Off