Page under construction. Instructions and a list of suitable lichen species for dyeing is coming soon.

Dyeing With Lichen

There are 1,700 species of lichen in Britain. Most lichens grow extremely slow, some encrusting species grow as little as 1mm a year! It is very Important to only harvest a small portion of a large colony, if there is no great amount in one location it is best to leave it alone. Not all lichen produce dyes however a large variety of colours can be obtained if the right types are harvested. With the Lichen in Scotland alone you can produce subtle purple, grey, black, warm brown, yellow, orange, green, soft pink, and red. Dyes can also be mixed to expand your range of colours. It does however take a hefty amount of lichen to produce rich dyes. The rule of thumb: You require equal weights of Lichen to yarn measured dry.
To Learn more about Lichen species and their conservation please see the following websites
http://www.thebls.org.uk/content/checklist.html (British Lichen society)
http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/fungi/lichens.htm
http://www.lichens.lastdragon.org/
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/lichens/index.html
http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/NaturallyScottish/lichens/inscotland.asp