Need some dyeing tips

[Mimi]

Hi to all;

I'd like to get some of my wool to have that lovely, mottled, hand-dyed look, in very light colors. For you experienced dyers out there--could I just buy some wool from Dorr Mill in colors that I like and rub a little dye on it? I read in the Rit Dye website that I can just lay the wool on a surface, dissolve the dye in very hot water, and then rub it into the wool here and there till I see the effect I want. Do you think that would work on light colors? I'm looking for blue backgrounds that evoke the sky, as well as some pale greens, yellows and creams. Dorr makes lovely colors, I just need to adjust it slightly. What do you think?

Thanks for any help,
Mimi

[Shepherdess]

yes that would work. for pail colours I would make a liquid and dilute your colours allot so that they are pale. you can use a sponge brush or a syringe to place the colour. You need heat and acid for most dye. some dyes have the acid already in them. if not you can ad the acid to the liquid and heat in a microwave. You get better dyeing if you get your wool really wet first. Usually you soak it with a tiny amount of dish soap so it gets wet all the way through. Then put it in a shallow dish and microwave or steam. If you are not using food safe dye then you should not use containers you want to reuse for food.

[ingermaaike]

Yes that should work just fine but as you are dyeing then anyway you might as well dye the white roving to just what you want

[Mimi]

Thank you for the replies. When you say acid, would that be white vinegar? Maybe a tablespoon to a cup of diluted dye (LOVE the idea of food coloring)?

I am a messy person, real dying of white wool does not appeal to me. I'm raising a 4 year old grandson, the disruptions are constant and I just don't want to go there. I'm looking to do things as simply as possible. While I love to look at all the pictures of the beautiful work you all do to produce amazing colors, it's not something that I can do right now. But I really want a little mottled effect in my wool for these pillows I hope to sell and buying the hand dyed wool is part of what's making them impossibly expensive. Well, that and the needles for the felting machine, the trips to the fabulous yarn store, the endless colors of roving, etc. But I am having fun!

Thanks again,
Mimi

[Shepherdess]

yes vinegar or citric acid crystals. how much depends on your water. Very soft only a little very hard you need more. the nice thing about dying in the microwave is it doesn't matter if you get interrupted you can re zap it after leaving it to go cold. and wool loves acid so evenif oyou get interupted befor zapping it it will be fine. food colouring is not very light fast.
Ann

[MrsG2003]

As Ann suggested, using a syringe works well. I dyed some mohair that I wanted to be tricolored, I laid it out on plastic wrap, then used the syringes to apply color in spots, then rolled up and "steamed" in the microwave. Try to keep handling to a minimum when the wool is hot, and for the initial rinsing, put it in very warm water with soap, or fiber rinse. Doing small batches like this is very easy, and if you don't have time to rinse it out right away, you can let it soak in the rinse water. For the final rinse, put some vinegar, or lemon juice inthe water. After rinsing lay your fleece on a towel and blot out the excess moisture and it will dry much quicker.

What type of dyes are you using? I use Jacquard. They are very good for vivid colors, so if you use them, a very small amount will do. For pale yellow and orange I have used Ritt golden yellow and orange. I have never used kool-aid, which might work well for pastel colors.

Have fun!!!

Louise

[zed]

I always dye by adding the dye to the roving or wool, so your idea sounds really good to get it exactly how you want. I soak my wool in water and vinegar first, squeeze, then like Louise said-lay out on plastic wrap then add the dye where I want. I don't have a microwave, so I just wrap up and heat in the steamer for 30 minutes-if I'm using two layers, I swap them over after 15 mins. I put the packages in some cold water before unwrapping.