adventures in dyeing
i got four ounces of natural llama roving a few weeks ago.. time for some dyeing mishaps! i used a tutorial for steam-dyeing (which i of course can't find right now, sigh), but it is similar to the cold pour method described in the twisted sisters sock workbook.
here i have the roving laid out on plastic wrap. i've been using easter egg dyes and wilton's cake dyes, since the only space i have for this sort of thing at the moment is the kitchen. all food-safe stuff! i pour the dyes on from a bottle, this time using purples and yellows. when you're done, you fold up the plastic wrap on the long sides, then roll them up into little bundles. one thing i learned: be sure the ends are closed up well!
then you boil a big pot of water, and place your wool bundles in a colander over it. the water level should be just under the colander. let it steam for about 45 minutes. i placed a cookie sheet over it for part of the time, to hold the steam in.
here are the bundles after steaming. all the blue seemed to end up in the water pot.. hmph. and after rinsing:
bah! almost completely washed out. i'm not sure what the problem was exactly, but maybe this method is just better suited to acid dyes. i usually get colors like this:
i have spun up the first half of it as is, and now i'm going to re-dye the rest a different way and make a two-ply. to be continued...
here i have the roving laid out on plastic wrap. i've been using easter egg dyes and wilton's cake dyes, since the only space i have for this sort of thing at the moment is the kitchen. all food-safe stuff! i pour the dyes on from a bottle, this time using purples and yellows. when you're done, you fold up the plastic wrap on the long sides, then roll them up into little bundles. one thing i learned: be sure the ends are closed up well!
then you boil a big pot of water, and place your wool bundles in a colander over it. the water level should be just under the colander. let it steam for about 45 minutes. i placed a cookie sheet over it for part of the time, to hold the steam in.
here are the bundles after steaming. all the blue seemed to end up in the water pot.. hmph. and after rinsing:
bah! almost completely washed out. i'm not sure what the problem was exactly, but maybe this method is just better suited to acid dyes. i usually get colors like this:
i have spun up the first half of it as is, and now i'm going to re-dye the rest a different way and make a two-ply. to be continued...
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