During the first week of October, we celebrate the ancient crafts of spinning, weaving, dyeing, and basketweaving that are the heritage of every culture. Here are some herbs and plants that have played a vital role in human life:

• Spinners' Herbs
  • Flax
  • Cotton
  • Nettle
  • Hemp

• Dyers' Herbs
  • Blue: indigo, woad
  • Pink/red: madder, St. John's wort, alkanet, bloodroot
  • Yellow: agrimony, yarrow, goldenrod, Scotch broom
  • Purple/lavender: blueberry, elderberry, grape, pokeweed
  • Tan/brown: sumac, tea, onion skins, walnut

• Weavers' Herbs
  • Teasel (dried flower used to raise nap on woolen cloth)
  • Pyrethrum, lavender, wormwood, feverfew (insect repellents)
  • Soapwort, a.k.a. fuller's herb, latherwort (soap for delicate fabrics)

Check craft magazines and local newspapers for announcements of Spinning and Weaving Week activities in your area, or visit this page.

Resources:

• Spinning: Spin-Off Magazine, Hands-on Spinning, by Lee Raven
• Dyeing: Wild Color: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes, by Jenny Dean
• Weaving: A Weaver's Garden: Growing Plants for Natural Dyes and Fiber, by Rita Buchanan