How Natural Dyes Work | Ask Textile History

[@MamamanaDoDo]

This hits all the right notes on my nerdy heartstrings 😍

[@linr8260]

Yay chemistry! The way indigo changes colour when the air hits it again is always so cool tbh. Very high on my list of "who even thought to do that" tbh.

[@KristineVike]

100%! So much of history and crafts/colours food honestly has me scratching my head so much and just a deep awe of people in the past. How DID we come up with all those steps??

[@KnitzyKitzy]

At 2.34 “Is it Indigo, is it Indigo ?! Yay!” Probably just me. Love this video, so interesting.

[@KristineVike]

Indigo is so cool!! 💙

[@MamamanaDoDo]

I did the same exact thing!!!

[@lornamurphy]

10:41 trumpets play " Enter the Mordants" thanks for this video, very interesting and just the right amount of molecular level stuff x

[@KristineVike]

I am so glad you think so! It is an utter delight when two of my big interests get to collide!

[@OnePaperPlane]

I think it's a lovely coincidence that my ADHD decided that today I wanted to learn about dyeing natural fibers with natural dyes, and you posted this the same day. This is awesome!

[@KristineVike]

Coincidence? I think not. 👀 So glad it tickled your learning itch!

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

Thank you for working so much to help all this be accessible to so many of us.

[@KristineVike]

I am so glad you found it so!

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

@@KristineVike 🌻💚🌟

[@haleyhoudini]

This was SO COOL, Kristine! I always love your textile history videos, but this one in particular really scratched the scientific itch! And this was so awesome to watch after returning from the drug Discovery chemistry conference, where my mind is thinking about all the amazing applications in medicine, and while dying and other similar molecular pharmacology of say natural plants seem less interesting at face value than innovative drug development, this is still so incredible! Our worls is an amazing place, and I am so grateful for people like you that help us learn about it and experience it in different ways!! ❤

[@KristineVike]

I am so glad it scratched that itch! And I agree, there is so much cool and utterly fascinating chemistry out there! ❤️🧪

[@Addysfearless]

Sitting here sewing and waiting for my pavlova to do it's thing and thinking about tulips and high school chemistry and how much more interesting it would've been to study in this application.

[@KristineVike]

Chemistry textbooks. But it’s all cooking and textile crafts. 👀👀

[@familywilliams4058]

I'm in the middle of chemistry classes right now, and this is amazing. I will admit my only experiment with natural dyes is when I boiled a pot of acorn bits and shells (leftover from making acorn flour) and dyed some linen, but I wish I had the time and equipment to try it more often (especially since I keep finding out about more "weeds" that can be used to dye fabrics when I do research on whether or not they are edible).

[@krasavitsarose]

I love hearing you talk chemistry. It takes me back to my uni days before med school. I majored in chemistry, but I am nowhere near as knowledgeable as you! I love your explanation and how you make it understandable to us.

[@KristineVike]

I am so glad people enjoy it! It is a bit of a niche overlap, but sooo fun!

[@MijnWolden]

My brain: "Let's get chemical, chemical. I want to get chemical, let's get into chemical". Ohno what have you done.

[@KristineVike]

👀🧪

[@katebowers8107]

I think you could call a possible series on science and sewing “the lab coat.”

[@KristineVike]

I love it! 😂🥼

[@elskersten-vandijk7227]

Yay science 😁 ok but a question about the "don't cook in the dye pot" adage, I've always wondered: if you wash the pot, don't the potentially toxic chemicals just... wash off? My parents used to work at a chem lab and from what I understand they "just clean" the glassware between uses as well. Is this 'rule' an abundance of caution? Is there something about a metal pot vs glassware that's different? Does the rule stem from a time when pots were made of more reactive materials instead of our modern stainless? Not to undermine the safety instructions, just curious 😊

[@KristineVike]

There is certainly an overabundance of caution here. Safety guidelines are unironically written in blood. And it only takes poor washing once to create a problem. If someone is decent-but-not-quite-good-enough over a lifetime you can see things slowly start building up in the body. By the time there is a health issue, it’s already too late. I have far too many anecdotes and stories from chemistry professors in their younger days who were “just gonna” to detrimental consequences to either themselves or their classmates. I’d rather be the overly cautious one. Especially when talking to people with less chemistry knowledge who may not fully understand the risks they are taking. Which I assume is probably going to be most of the audience. 🙂

[@elskersten-vandijk7227]

Thanks! Fully agree that an abundance of caution is a good thing 😊 my parents still rinse their dishes twice. Force of habit. Speaking of things that are theoretically safe but you still should definitely not do: have you seen XKCD's (purely hypothetical!) video on swimming in a nuclear storage pool? 😁

[@Loxalair]

Depends on the chemistry. When I did inorganic chem in uni, we washed the glassware in water three times, then rinsed with acetone, and everything went into special vats for proper disposal so we wouldn't get heavy metals in the water supply. Also, crucially, no one was then using the glassware for food preparation. If a few molecules were lingering, even odds that it wouldn't disrupt the next experiment too badly. If a few molecules linger in a pot, they can build up in the body and become a Problem

[@barbaraseville4139]

“The best catalyst is dirty glassware” 😊

[@elskersten-vandijk7227]

@@barbaraseville4139 haha well that sums up this little conversations quite neatly 😂 you can clean your materials but I guess there's no guarantee they'll be clean 🙊

[@resourcedragon]

Wow! Awesome presentation! You made difficult material made comprehensible. Thank you. And a second thank you for the pussy cat fix at the end.

[@KristineVike]

I am glad it was comprehensible! That was utmost on top of my list. ❤️

[@nz-nz]

Great discussion. Thanks for the video!!!!!

[@liart6219]

This was fun and interesting! Thanks

[@ljbj4]

To me this was great; however, I didn’t understand most of it. Albeit I appreciate knowing what ingredients are toxic! The experimenter in me was duly warned and thankful for all those before who learned the hard way! 😊

[@gypsychc]

Thank you doll, always great pleasure watching a new informative broadcast. Hugs

[@KristineVike]

I am happy you find them informative. They are rather fun to make!

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

Yes!! I love it when you make these kinds of vids! Thank you!

[@lesleyharris525]

So interesting thanks for the information, if possible could you please explain the reason for add salt to the rinse water when dying. ❤

[@varde42]

Thank You for this :)

[@KristineVike]

Glad you liked it!

[@kellybryson7754]

Wow! That was only a scratching of the surface, but my brain hurts. Thanks, though, very interestng.

[@KristineVike]

I imagine it can be a bit overwhelming to get thrown in with very little warning, but I am glad you enjoyed it all the same!

[@newmoonjlp]

Please also be very careful in how you dispose of dye baths that contain potentially toxic mordants!

[@jennglow4647]

Cool 😀

[@katebowers8107]

🥼

[@cosplaygoose3246]

Interestingness