Dyeing Yellow-Green with Nettle — The Universal Wild Dye Plant

Use 200-300% WOF of fresh nettle leaves, or 100% WOF dried. For 100 g of wool, gather 200-300 g of fresh leaves or 100 g dried. Harvest before the plant flowers for highest dye content — once nettles bolt and flower, the leaves lose pigment. Wear thick gloves when picking — the stinging hairs on fresh nettles inject formic acid and histamine on contact. The sting disappears completely during drying or simmering. Strip leaves from stems; the stems contain little dye.

Place the nettle leaves in a dye pot with 4 litres of warm water and soak for at least one hour. The water will turn a greenish-gold as the chlorophyll and flavonoids dissolve. Fresh leaves release colour faster than dried. The stinging hairs are deactivated by water — after soaking, the leaves are safe to handle without gloves.

Bring the pot to a gentle simmer (75-80°C) and hold for 30 minutes. Do not boil — excessive heat breaks down chlorophyll and shifts the colour from green-yellow toward muddy brown. Stir occasionally. The liquid will deepen to a warm greenish-gold. The leaves will darken and lose their green colour as pigment transfers to the water.

Strain the dye liquor through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot. Press the leaves to extract all remaining liquid. Nettle leaves become soft and pulpy during simmering — strain thoroughly to avoid leaf fragments sticking to the wool. The strained liquor should be a clear, warm greenish-gold.

Pre-wet the alum-mordanted wool in lukewarm water for 15 minutes, squeeze gently, and lower it into the nettle dye bath at room temperature. Slowly raise to 75-80°C over 15 minutes, then hold for 45 minutes. Turn gently every 10 minutes. The wool will develop a soft, muted yellow-green. The colour is gentle rather than vivid — this is characteristic of nettle and part of its charm.

Turn off the heat and let the wool cool in the dye bath overnight. Remove, squeeze gently, and rinse in lukewarm water until the runoff is clear. The final colour is a soft yellow-green — natural-looking and understated. Lightfastness is moderate. The green tone will gradually fade toward warmer yellow with prolonged sunlight exposure as the chlorophyll component degrades faster than the flavonoids. Dry in shade.