How coffee saved my keffiyeh.

I have a black and white keffiyeh. That's a scarf. A scarf that every hipster you know owns.

I think I just called myself a hipster. Oh well. Here’s mine:

                    

       Anyways, these scarves deserve all of the attention they are getting from the fashionable of the western world. They have simple, beautiful unisex designs that can be worn easily with almost anything.
       Traditionally from the Middle East, the keffiyeh is also called a shemagh or a hattah depending on the blend of fibers, color scheme and country of origin. It's also considered a trademark symbol of Yasser Arafat and Palestinian nationalism. I just think they are pretty, okay?
       Okay. So I have issues with white. I never wore my keffiyeh because the black and white bothered me. It was just so...white.
       To save my scarf from the dreaded ‘sell pile’ I opted for a centuries old dyeing technique: coffee. It results in a lovely antiqued shade of sepia.

       Now for a quick lesson in coffee dyeing! Yeay!

       First...boil some coffee grounds! I bought the cheapest and darkest roast I could find for three bucks at Cub. If you regularly drink coffee at home just keep your old grounds for a couple days. There’s no real measuring involved. Just make sure to fill a large pot with enough water to submerge the fabric completely without it being crunched up too much.
       Then put in a crapload of grounds. I think I used about a cup or two. I wanted to make sure I could get as dark of a sepia color as possible.
       After ten or so minutes of boiling, strain out the grounds. Then put the pot back on the burner at a simmering temperature and put the fabric in the dye bath! I let my scarf simmer for about 45 minutes. Time allowed for simmering and the amount of grounds in the dye bath are things that you can alter to your liking for color results.

***Quick Tips to Dye For***

      - If fabric is creased or really squished up in the dye bath it can lead to uneven color results. 

      - Synthetic fibers generally don’t take dye evenly, if at all. Stick to cotton, wool, hemp, linen...all those wonderful natural fibers.

      - Wet fabrics take dye easier! Soak the garment in luke warm water before submerging in the dye bath!

      - Mind how you wash the fabric/garment after it is dyed. Most modern detergents are designed to remove stains. This technique is really just a coffee stain.

      - For best results, handwash. You may need to re-dye after a few years.

I had to try the dye bath coffee...so strong and tasty...

       After you’ve decided that the fabric has had enough, let it cool down, and rinse it (with cool water) until the water runs clear. Then throw it in the dryer on high heat to set the color. I guess you could hang dry it...I was impatient.
       So here it is! My new and improved keffiyeh. The colors are perfect now! Things like this make me excited that it is getting colder outside. Scarves..gloves..hats...layering...hurray!

                                            It matches my favorite hat...extra happy thumbs up!

       While on the topic of things changing... I’d like to dedicate my second post to Ozzy. She was the most adorable, skeletal (^_^), sweet and smelly 18 year old cat I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was born in my bed, lived in the same home her whole life and will be buried with our other deceased fuzzy (and feathered) loved ones in the backyard.

       She was the first cat I ever tortured by dressing her up in doll clothes.
       She hated it.
       I was seven.

                                                     Immamissyouozzyboo... <3 <3 <3