A day planting my dye and herb garden, knitting and sewing 🌿

Join me for a day in June - I'm planting out a few things in my dye and herb garden at the allotment, as well as doing a bit of knitting, and sewing the Clo Bias Skirt (a lovely pattern by Soften Studio).
Patreon: / threadandyarn
Website: www.threadandyarn.co.uk
- Dye and herb plant images -
Dyer's cosmos: Etsy
Lady's bedstraw: Jenny Dean
Hopi Sunflower: Snapdragon Life
Chamomile: Thompson Morgan seeds
Hand brush: Toast
Black Hollyhock: Gardening express

[@ByTheSilverBirch]

I feel your pain on the slug-munching! But it was lovely to see your dye and vegetable-growing, and as a new sewist I am learning so much from your channel. Thank you so much!

[@threadandyarn]

The slug munching has been intense this year! I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel 🥰

[@kaylacorreia6239]

Love your channel! I have found that putting little shallow containers of beer around my garden has gotten rid of the slug problem very quickly!

[@threadandyarn]

Thanks Kayla! I will definitely try that tip ☺️ so glad you're enjoying the channel 🥰

[@silvertrees]

Hello, It has been lovely to watch you work on your allotment. I used to live in places with gardens and have grown dye plants. However, these days I live in a flat with no garden and you are right about allotment waiting lists. A tip for keeping slugs off plants - I used to use bird grit, which is usually finely ground oyster shells. I would put the grit around each young plant and this really made a difference to the number of plants that survived into maturity.

[@threadandyarn]

Ooh that's a good idea, thank you! I have lots of that at home for our chickens anyway. It's a shame allotment lists are so long! I hope you're able to have access to some growing space again one day ☺️

[@melissalampman7214]

Hi Lorna, I am enjoying your channel very much , I am a natural dyer, so it is fun to watch you, I mainly use mushrooms I collect and lichen, I have madder, woad, black holly hock, and I need some more Japanese indigo, I had some but, it did not grown big enough to go to seed, and something is eating my black hollyhocks. I wish I could sew like you!

[@inMuro]

hi melissa, just popping in for some random comment on yours. I wanted to say that anyone can learn to sew, whatever your age or skill level, should anything be holding you back to learn - just try it!

[@threadandyarn]

Hey Melissa, that's lovely to hear about what you use to dye with ☺️ the slugs and snails have been munching the hollyhock at my plot, I wonder if that's what happening for you? I'll have to try lichen dye at some point, thanks for the inspiration ☺️

[@threadandyarn]

I completely agree with this ☺️

[@melissalampman7214]

@@threadandyarn hi Lorna, it was what was eating myhollylocks, baby slugs, I put out some containers with beer and caught a bunch of them, so thanks!☺️

[@christinegrigg7323]

I have just found you and found your vlog really interesting. I love gardening so of course love the gardening section. The socks are so cute.❤

[@threadandyarn]

Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it ☺️ I'm looking forward to knitting a proper sample of the socks!

[@lesleyharris525]

Thanks for sharing your allotment with us, I did grow a lot of fruits and some vegetables in my garden but not for a few years now. Loved the video. ❤

[@threadandyarn]

Glad you enjoyed the video ☺️

[@nikitinaknits]

Gardening is my dream. My parents did tones of gardening while I was growing up. Love your color selection and your knits, beautiful episode!

[@threadandyarn]

Thanks so much! I hope you find the opportunity for some gardening too 😊🌿

[@veejo9535]

I loved this video Lorna, such a lovely mix of things and so very interesting to watch and be inspired by. I am very tempted to start a veggie garden of my own next year (or later this year) so any videos of how to begin such a project would be welcome. For instance I was fascinated by your rope growing technique for your tomato plants and the info about nematodes, so please keep them coming. Your sheep socks are just gorgeous and I am sure will be a winner at the show in the autumn. I hope you finished your skirt in time for your family event as it was looking very pretty with what you showed us so far 😊

[@threadandyarn]

Thank you 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed it. There are lots of little things I'd like to share like that, some things that I do as second nature, but others might find useful. Good luck with your own veg patch! You could always start some no dig beds in the autumn or winter this year, to make it easier next year :) I'm excited to knit a sample of the sheep socks soon ☺️

[@veerakatariinax]

Love this, it’s so inspiring!

[@threadandyarn]

Ah lovely, glad you enjoyed it Veera :)

[@mycosyspace3050]

Hi Lorna, thanks for so inspiring video showing as always your amazing sewing and knitting projects as well as taking us to your allotment :) I am having at my allotment lots of calendulas and other flowers too but the biggest struggle are snails: I am using cracked eggs and sea mussels shells sprinkle around my crops and it helps. Love the sheep socks pattern :)

[@lesleyharris525]

Another option is beer traps, good luck. ❤

[@threadandyarn]

Hello, it sounds like you're having a similar issue to me! Your flowers sound lovely though. I have lots of eggs, so perhaps I should try that, thanks 😊

[@judithhamid5435]

Really lovely relaxing video to watch after a long, stressful week - thank-you. So sad to hear you are losing plants to slugs! Really interesting to see that you have heavy clay soil up in Gloucestershire too - we have the same in Sussex. Would be interesting to know how you learned about which plants are good for dyeing - was it something you've always known or did you have to research it? Even though I'm not a gardener I am enjoying seeing what you do with yours - it's very 'real'. Will check out the Patreon posts!

[@threadandyarn]

Glad you enjoyed it, Judy! It's something I've been reading about for years, but only experimented with growing them myself in the last few years. Jenny Dean's books are brilliant, and Rebecca Desnos has a good intro guide. They are mostly focused on dyeing, but it would be nice to find a book with an equal amount spent on growing tips for the plants too!

[@JardineraAnge]

Hi Lorna! I've just discovered your channel (it was a youtube suggestion on my feed) and I'm so thrilled - gardening and knitting are my two passions and I've been wanting to try dying my own yarn with my own plants for ages. So I'm looking forward to learning a few things from you. All the best! 🥰

[@threadandyarn]

Ah lovely, I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I love finding people with similar interests on here ☺️

[@orchidsheart]

Some really lovely projects you have going :)

[@threadandyarn]

Thanks! 😊

[@michellelockett6518]

New subscriber love your channel xx

[@threadandyarn]

Thanks so much for saying so 😊 I'm really glad you love it xx

[@pettipaw]

The sheep socks are so cute!

[@threadandyarn]

Thanks! I love the little sheep and I'm really excited to knit up a proper sample soon 😊

[@sharonmorris924]

We grow a lot of our own food, the slugs have been eating everything this year! I am trying old raspberry canes and spiny old bramble sticks around the second batch of runner beans an idea I got from Huw Richard’s channel 🤞

[@threadandyarn]

That's an interesting tip, thanks Sharon! I've been meaning to watch more of Huw's videos ☺️

[@MichelleMonstera]

I love love love this type of video! I'm so invested in your dye plants! 😍

[@threadandyarn]

Ahh I'm so glad!! I'll do an update when they're a bit bigger 🥰

[@inMuro]

hey lorna, thanks for the video, i really enjoyed it whilst attempting to draft a pattern (yikes)

[@threadandyarn]

Ooh well done!! What sort of pattern is it?

[@inMuro]

@@threadandyarn i'm making a dress! i have some gorgeous MM 'lazy day' linnen and i want to make an ellis-type dress with pintucks in the bodice and ties in the back, let's see if i can manage it. Thanks for all your sewing inspooo, always inspiring🌠

[@threadandyarn]

@@inMuro that sounds really gorgeous!