Dyeing!

Yesterday Theresa came over and we spent the day dyeing up some wool!  I am very haphazard and do-it-yourself in my dyeing method.  Next time we are going to attempt to mix up stock solutions according to the "rules" so that we can get some repeatable colors.  But here's how we did it yesterday. . .

No pictures of this, but what we did first was get our colors together.  We used lanaset dyes, which I got from Sheep Hollow.  They have a nice starter kit with 12 colors, which is what I purchased.  You just mix the powder and boiling water -- easy as pie!

First we soaked the roving.  Last time I dyed, I used plain cold water, but this time I added a little vinegar to the water.  (You can see our little color guide on the paper towel in the bottom left-hand corner.)  Then you squeeze out the water.  We found that the more water you squeezed out, the better. 

Next we sprayed the roving with some vinegar and started to "paint".  That's Theresa painting up some BFL.  My wacky method?  Mix up stock (unscientifically mixed, I'm afraid) in canning jars and use these stocks to create custom colors in the plastic cups.  Apply to roving with a plastic spoon.  I need to find some of those squirt bottles for applying the dye.  (Anyone know where these can be found?)

Then wrap up the roving in plastic wrap and. . .

Cook it!  I have a big old enamel pot reserved for just this purpose (you wouldn't want to use it for food after this!)  I put a brick in the bottom and a metal trivet thing on top.  A couple of inches of water go in the bottom to create a bit of steam.   Then the roving-buns sit on top.  Cook until you finish eating lunch or whatever. 

Take the roving out and unwrap it.  Then leave it to cool -- it's hard to be patient, but we had a lot going on to keep us occupied and it didn't take that long really.  Then you just rinse out the roving gently in the sink.  Squeeze out the water and . . .

Hang to dry!

Aren't they pretty?  (And who knows which half is Theresa's and which half is mine?  The colors should give it away.)

This morning the roving was completely dry and I pre-drafted it.  This bit of roving was dyed using patches of yellow and yellow-gold.

Spun it.

And plied it.  I made a two ply using the Andean Plying Bracelet method.  Theresa showed me where I was going wrong and now that I have the hang of it -- I love it!

Here's proof that you never know what you are going to get when dyeing.  The first roving I dyed was done in green, navy, yellow-gold & magenta if I remember correctly.  When I applied they dye I thought it looked terrible.  But it went into the steamer and came out a completely different color.  The magenta and yellow-gold gave me patches of pumpkin-y orange and the navy and magenta blended into violet.  I can't wait to spin this one up!

So that was our little dyeing experiment.  I'm pretty happy with the results and the actual dyeing was a lot of fun.  I see more of this in our future!

Comments

[Vicki]

It's all so pretty. The handspun looks great. That Andean plying looks complicated. I'd end up with a big mess I can tell you :)

[claudia]

Nice work! Dyeing can be very addictive....

[Felicia from sweetgeorgia]

Beautiful!!!!! Fabulous colours!!! I bought my squirt bottles at the dye shop, but you could probably find some at a restaurant supply store.

[judy]

i use 'sport bottles', you know, the water bottles with the little closeable spout? they work great, and you can even leave dye in them to use another day.

[Jennifer]

The colors look great! I have plans to try my hand at dyeing this summer.

[Jackie]

Looks great! You two did a fantastic job. What kind of roving did you use (does it matter at all?)? I can't wait to try, too. :)

[Michelle]

The colors are gorgeous! The gold you spun up in particular : )

[Jessica]

Dharma Trading is a good source for all sorts of dyeing supplies online. http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3393-AA.shtml
Your rovings came out beautifully.

[Evelyn McClennen]

Just ask your hairdressor to save the perm bottles. They are small and the hairdressor cuts the top off to use so it's usually a small cut. I did this for my husband who is an abstract painter. Just wash them good....the perm solution comes out completely.
Evelyn

[Judy]

so much fun!

[karen]

the colors turned out wonderfully! That multicolored roving on the bottom of your post is just amazing! Yum! Beautiful! I was thrilled to find your blog/post - because this last week I got seriously addicted to dyeing myself, take a look in my blog if you like!

[celia]

Beautiful colours! how did ou keep it from felting?

celia

[Brandy]

I found my bottles at walmart, but I prefer 5 ml droppers from the pharmacy used for medication

[stephanie]

I'm afraid I would be horribly unscientific as well...but that would be ok, as long as I ended up with those beautiful results, that last one is breathtaking.
(Your spinning is pretty darned nice too...)

[Lizzy B]

Hair supply stores usually carry bottles that you can cutthe top off of. Your rovings are lovely!

[Delf]

I get squirt bottles at a local restaurant supply store.

[Krista]

That looks like tons of fun. The way you described it, it reminds me of what hair stylist does to dye someone's hair. Maybe it doesn't turn out multicolored, though.

[Heidi]

Gorgeous results! I'm finding that dyeing and spinning are more fun than knitting! Shhhh! Don't tell!

I also get my dye supplies (like squirt bottles) from Dharma Trading. They're good people.