So, I finally dyed some fleece yesterday, and it didn’t work the way it was supposed to. I don’t know what happened, but if any of you have any input, I’d love to hear it.
I presoaked 4 ounces of Romney for an hour.
I put 2 1/2 gallons of water in my pot, with 10 Tblsp of vinegar and 1/4 cup of 1% dye solution. (My understanding is that full saturation of dye would be 1 cup of dye to 4 ounces of fiber).
I put the wool in, brought it to a boil, turned it off, and let it sit for two hours, at which point there was still a lot of dye in the water,
and the locks were pink at the tips and light yellow at the tops. So I doubled the vinegar and brought it to a boil again. Let it cool all the way, and it was the same, just a little more dye was absorbed.
So I dumped a bunch of vinegar in, straight from the bottle, and brought it to a boil again. It boiled much faster this time, so it was already boiling when I came to check it. I don’t know how long it boiled before I turned it off.
It sat overnight, and while more dye was absorbed, there was still pink in the dyebath, and the locks are still very unevenly dyed.
It’s pretty, sure, but not what I was going for, and I don’t know why it didn’t dye evenly.
SO, right now, I’m soaking 4 ounces of wool again. I’m soaking it in soapy water this time to ensure it’s thoroughly wet before it’s dyed. I’m going to use vinegar from a different bottle, and I’m going to use less water and a little more dye.
I should probably only change one or two things, but I’m not that patient right now. Theoretically, the amount of water shouldn’t matter, as long as the appropriate amount of vinegar is added.
I have to run, now, but there is something else I want to show you. We’ve done more to the outside of the house. I’m going to photograph it later today and post it for tomorrow, when I’m going to be at the Black Sheep Gathering (most likely) in Eugene, OR, before heading over to Bend to visit my mom. I’ll have the kids and my brother with me, so we’ll see how much time I actually get at Black Sheep. But I’m very excited. I’ll proabably see you Tuesday, but look for a post on my house tomorrow. I will be seeking opinions on paint colors.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Well, as I’ve never dyed before, I have no practical advice to give you, but I think the above stuff looks pretty. Would soaking the wool in straight vinegar, after thoroughly wetting it, help?
June 19th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I usually add vinegar and a few drops of dish soap to the presoak and citric acid to my dyestock. I rarely have problems exhausting a dyebath. The amount of water only matters when you’re painting with the dye, because it’s what determines depth of shade when you’re not allowing the fibre to swim in a bath.
When I dye on stovetop, I bring the bath to a simmer, just below a boil, and keep it there for about 40 minutes. When I’m dyeing in the oven, I set the temp to about 300-320 and put my pots in for about 40 minutes. I use very little water when I’m dyeing in the oven.
June 19th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Have you tried spinning a bit of it to see what it looks like? Even though it’s not what you had planned, you may find that you like it. I think it’s lovely!
June 19th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Hi Laura, Hmmmm — do the fleece locks feel greasy with lanolin? I wonder if that would affect absorption? Also, it seems to me that the dishsoap in the 2nd round may help. When we used natural dyes, we used Jacquard synthropol (sp?) as a pre-soak, and a post-dye wash. Let us know what helps!