Well, everyone says that the problem with natural dyes is that you cannot repeat colours exactly. With any dyeing process, there is scope for variation due to slight differences in quantities, moisture content etc.

With natural dye stuff there will also be variations in the amount of dye chemicals in the plant because of growing conditions, time of year, and things like that.

I know I said I was going to forget about my solar dyeing for a few weeks, but I glanced in that direction when I was passing, and noticed one of the jars was pink.

How can that be then? I have 4 jars containing flowers that were picked and processed at the same time in the same way.

The plants are a single variety, bought from a respectable supplier as plugs. They were nurtured in the kitchen, and greenhouse before being planted out.

Since the danger of frosts passed, they have been living side by side in the same beds with the same soil conditions and climate. Since I assembled them, the jars have been sitting side by side in the same place.

It will be interesting to see how this one progresses. Will it stay pink? Will the others catch up? Will the silk be anything like this colour when it is eventually washed out and dried?

I wonder if the pink jar has slightly more flowers, which has just pushed it over some boundary?

One thing is for sure. It is clearly dangerous to have fixed plans for the next stage of these scarves.

Left to right: The pink marigold jar, then one of the others which is golden, as I expected it to be.