RECIPES FOR DYEING WITH LICHENS
To dye Brown with Crotal. For 6-1/4 lbs. (100 ozs.) of wool. Dye baths may be used of varying strengths of from 10 to 50 ozs. of Crotal. Raise the bath to the boil, and boil for an hour. A light tan shade is got by first dipping the wool in a strong solution of Crotal, a darker shade by boiling for half-an-hour, and a dark brown by boiling for two hours or so. It is better, however, to get the shade by altering the quantity of Crotal used. The addition of sufficient oil of vitriol or acetic acid to make the bath slightly acid will be an improvement (a very small quantity should be used).
To dye red with Crotal. Gather the lichen off the rocks—it is best in winter. Put layers of lichen and wool alternately in a pot, fill up with water and boil until you get the desired tint. Too much crotal will make the wool a dark red brown, but a very pretty terra cotta red can be got. No mordant is required.
To dye Pink from a bright yellow Lichen (Parmelia parietina). Mordant the wool with 3% of Bichromate of Potash, then boil with the lichen for 1 hour or more.
To dye Brown from Crotal. Boil the wool with an equal quantity of lichen for 1 or 1-1/2 hours. No mordant is required.
To dye red purple from Cudbear and Logwood. Dye with equal quantities of Cudbear and Logwood, the wool having been mordanted with chrome. A lighter colour is got by dyeing with 8 lbs. cudbear, 1/2 lb. logwood (for 30 lbs. wool).
To dye Yellow on Linen with the Lichen Peltigera canina (a large flat lichen growing on rocks in woods). Mordant with alum (1/4 lb. to a lb. of linen) boil for 2 hours. Then boil up with sufficient quantity of the lichen till the desired colour is got.
LIST OF LICHENS USED BY THE PEASANTRY OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES FOR WOOL DYEING[D]
SHADES OF RED, PURPLE AND ORANGE
Borrera ashney. Chutcheleera. India.
Conicularia aculeata. var. spadicea. Brown prickly cornicularia. Canary Islands, Highland Mountains.
Evernia prunastri. Ragged hoary Lichen. Stag's horn Lichen. Found in Scotland on trees.
Isidium corallinum. White crottle. On rocks in Scotland.
I. Westringii. Westring's Isidium. Norway and Sweden.
Lecanora tartarea. Crotal, Crottle, Corkur, Corcir, Korkir. Found in the Scotch Highlands and Islands, growing on rocks; used for the manufacture of Cudbear in Leith and Glasgow.
L. parella. Light Crottle, Crabs Eye Lichen. Found in Scotland, France and England, on rocks and trees; formerly celebrated in the South of France in the making of the dye called Orseille d'Auvergne.
L. hæmatomma. Bloody spotted lecanora, Black lecanora. Found in Scotland on rocks and trees.
Lecidea sanguinaria. Red fruited lecidea. In Scotland, on rocks.
Nephroma parilis. Chocolate coloured nephroma. Scotland, on stones. Said to dye blue.
Parmelia caperata. Stone Crottle, Arcel. Found in North of Ireland and Isle of Man, on trees. Said to dye brown, orange lemon and yellow.
P. conspersa. Sprinkled parmelia. Found growing on rocks in England.
P. omphalodes. Black Crottle, Cork, Corker, Crostil or Crostal (Scotch Highlands). Arcel (Ireland). Kenkerig (Wales). Alaforel leaf (Sweden). Found on rocks, especially Alpine, in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Scandinavia. One of the most extensively used dye lichens. It yields a dark brown dye readily to boiling water, and it is easily fixed to yarns by simple mordants. It is stated to yield a red, crimson or purple dye.
P. saxatilis. Crottle, stane-raw, Staney-raw (Scotland). Scrottyie (Shetland). Sten-laf, Sten-mossa (Norway and Sweden). Found on rocks and stones in Scotland, Shetland, and Scandinavia. In winter the Swedish peasantry wear home made garments dyed purple by this Lichen. By the Shetlanders it is usually collected in August, when it is considered richest in colouring matter.
Ramalina farinacea. Mealy ramalina. On trees in England.
R. scopulorum. Ivory-like ramalina. Scotland, on maritime rocks. A red dye.
Rocella tinctoria. Orseille. Grows in the South of France, on the rocks by the sea.
Solorina crocea. Saffron yellow solorina. In Scotland, on mountain summits. The colouring matter is ready formed and abundant in the thallus.
Sticta pulmonacea. On trees.
Umbilicaria pustulata. Blistered umbilicaria. Found on rocks in Norway and Sweden.
Urceolaria calcarea. Corkir, Limestone Urceolaria. Found in Scotland, Western Islands, Shetland and Wales, growing on limestone rocks.
U. cinerea. Greyish Urceolaria. In England, on rocks.
U. scruposa. Rock Urceolaria. Grows on rocks in hilly districts in England.
Usnea barbata. Bearded Usnea. Pennsylvania and South America. On old trees. Stated to dye yarn orange.
U. florida. Flowering Usnea. Pale greenish yellow or reddish brown.
U. plicata. Plaited Usnea. On trees.
SHADES OF BROWN
Alectoria jubata. Horsehair Lichen, Rock hair. On fir trees in England. Pale greenish brown.
Borrera flavicans. Yellow borrera. On trees in Germany. Gamboge yellow.
Cetraria Islandica. Iceland moss. Iceland heaths and hills. It yields a good brown to boiling water, but this dye appears only to have been made available in Iceland.
Cetraria juniperina. En-mossa. On trees in Scandinavia.
Evernia flavicans. Wolf's-bane evernia. On trees in Scandinavia. Gamboge yellow.
Gyrophora cylindrica. Cylindrical gyrophora. On rocks in Iceland. Greenish brown. Also G. deusta.
G. deusta. Scorched-looking gyrophora. On rocks in Scandinavia. Linnaeus states that it furnishes a paint called "Tousch", much used in Sweden.
Lecanora candelaria. Ljus mässa. On trees in Sweden.
Lecidea atro-virens. Map lichen. On rocks, Scandinavia.
Lepraria chlorina. Brimstone coloured lepraria. Scandinavia, on rocks.
L. Iolithus. Viol-mässa. Sweden, on stones. Gives stones the appearance of blood stains.
Parmelia omphalodes. In Scandinavia and Scotland. Withering asserts it yields a purple dye, paler, but more permanent, than orchil; which is prepared in Iceland by steeping in stale lye, adding a little salt and making it up into balls with lime.
P. parietina. Common yellow wall lichen, Wäg-mässla Wag-laf. England and Sweden, on trees, rocks, walls, palings. Used to dye Easter eggs. Used in Sweden for wool dyeing.
P. physoides. Dark crottle, Bjork-laf. Found in Sweden, Scotland and Scandinavia, on rocks and trees.
Sticta pulmonacea. Oak lung, Lungwort, Aikraw Hazelraw, Oak-rag, Hazel crottle, Rags. Found on trees in England, Scotland, North of Ireland, Scandinavia. It dyes wool orange and is said to have been used by the Herefordshire peasantry to dye stockings brown. Some species yield beautiful saffron or gamboge coloured dyes, e.g. S. flava crocata, aurata.
S. scrobiculata. Aik-raw, Oak rag. Found on trees in Scotland and England.