FLYMPH FORUM

In the Oliver Edwards video where he ties North Country Spiders, he does a Yellow Spider dressing that I really like. Here's a pic of my feeble attempts at doing Mr. Edwards' Yellow Spider.

Hook: Daiichi 1550 size 14
Body / Thread: Pearsall yellow silk
Hackle: WHite hen hackle dyed in turmeric

Many of us have fallen short in attempts to copy the talented Mr. Edwards, but your yellow spiders are a mighty fine effort.

I forgot to mention that the yellow hackles were actually white hackles dyed in a Turmeric, water & white vinegar solution (which I also use to dye gray / dun hackles into various shades of olive).

Lovely spiders, and thank you for adding the comments about dying the hackle. Nice to see the results, and be inspired to try this myself.

Wow! That dye bath really came out well.

Nicely done. I know of the video of Oliver Edwards tying the yellow spider. I'd like to know more about the dye you speak of. Could you give more information or tell me where I could find it? Thanks much.

Turmeric is a spice most people find in their kitchen. Easy to aquire in other words. Easy to use, also. You got to be careful so the yellow stays where you want it .

I have dyed wool and fur using turmeric. Some of it keeps the new colour for years and some fade. I have been more successful using alum instead of vinegar. It could be just a coincidence with som other reason for the result, but that is what I have been using from then on. Alum is sold where you find turmeric, at least in our grocery stores.

Bill Bailey is the pro in this department. There are other members with more experience than I have...

dd

Beautiful color. I, too, would like the details of the dye bath; I love the idea of dyeing with vegetable matter. How much turmeric was required and did you have to keep revisiting the bath to achieve the end color?

Has anyone ever dyed material using beets? ...or anything else out of the garden.

I've used artichoke for an olive color dye bath. Gave a nice natural light olive color.

I take an old jelly / jam jar, add some turmeric, maybe a tablespoon full (approx.), fill the jar 2/3 of the way up with warm water, then add a couple drops of white vinegar. Put the lid on the jar, shake the jar to dissolve the turmeric and then add the hackles.

I leave the hackles to soak for a couple hours, then drain the jar and keep adding clean water until all the yellownsoultion is out of the jar.

When wet, the hackles stick together, so I separate them and place them on a paper towel to dry. Once dried, I fluff them up (back and forth on the stem) to get them back to their original shape.

Some interesting hackles can be made with turmeric. Light tipped starling then look a little like Golden Plover. Grizzly whites become a yellow Grizzly, etc. As mentioned previously, grays become various shades of olive.