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©2005 Reenie Hanlin
 
This process works
for dyeing both yarn and rovings. I refer to it as fiber in my instructions.
I also recommend you
reading my other tutorial, Dyeing Fiber in the Microwave.
1. Soak fiber in warmish
(not hot) water that has a few glugs of white vinegar in it.
A glug IS a scientific
measurement. :)
1 glug= @1/4 cup-ish
ratio of vinegar to water- 1/4-1/2 vin. per gallon of H20
I soak for a minimum of 1/2 hour.
2. While the skein is soaking, prep your workspace.
I put a thick layer of newspaper on my kitchen counter, and
then spread out plastic wrap sheets. I made them
two wide with the sides overlapping and longer than my fiber by @ 6 inches on
either side.
3. Mix up your dye solution.
I used acid dyes for the turquiose/olive combo.
(see pic at
http://www.livejournal.com/users/reenieart/29055.html )
I bought the dyes at Dharma.
http://www.dharmatrading.com
I used 1/2 tsp. dye in 1 cup hot water. You can also use ¼
tsp. of dye effectively.It all depends on how intense
you want your colors. Experiment.
ALWAYS wear a face mask when
working with dye in powder form. I have read that breathing it over time is
toxic and you can build up reactions to it. Whatever- I tend to be
overcautious with things like my lungs and cancer and stuff. I do it under my
range hood (with it on) also. Once the powder is dissolved in the water, it is
safe, unless you drink it of course.
I also use utensils and jars that are for dyeing only.
4. Lightly squeeze out your fiber- I left mine a bit soppy
(sopping?) but not so it was in a puddle either.
Lay it out on the plastic wrap.
I then painted the dye on with paint brushes or sometimes I
use bottles with spouts on top- like mustard bottles or
other squeeze bottles. My bottles came with my tie dye kit, but you can buy them
at dharma.com also.
I also squeezed the yarn to make sure it was soaking up the dye through to the
bottom.
(using rubber gloves of course)
If you use minimal dye the colors will still bleed together a bit. I used too
much brown dye in mine and the turquoise blended with it to make a beautiful
green. I like these accidental occurrences though.
5. Once the fiber is painted, pull the sides of the wrap
together and close. The colors across from each other should be touching
so they don't get all mixed up.
Roll up the ends to seal and fold in half and place in a sacrificed casserole
dish.
Put into the toxic for-dyeing-only microwave and nuke for 3 minutes on and (2
minutes off with door open.)
This off-time keeps the wrap from blowing up and exploding.
I still watch carefully to make sure it doesn't though.
I did about 3 or 4 "on" sessions and then let it sit for about 5 minutes before
taking out of the casserole dish.
If you are real concerned about temperature and stuff, the acid dyes are to be a
min. of 180 degrees to set properly (according to manufacturer’s directions) I
figured that if it was THAT hot that the wrap was almost exploding it was pretty
close. There is a balance you have to find between not hot enough and scorching
the yarn or roving. Use your judgment. Each microwave varies in its power. Mine
tends to be a bit pitiful.
6. I took the wrapped fiber out of the casserole dish and
spread it back out on to the newspaper. I VERY CAREFULLY opened the ends of the
wrap to let out the steam and opened the rest so the fiber could cool. This can
be a runny mess so make sure your work space is protected.
The wrap WILL be all melted to itself- don't let this worry you. I actually had
to use a scissors to cut mine in spots because it was so melted together.
7. Once the fiber cooled enough to touch (but was still hot)
I put it to soak in a bowl of water that was about the same temperature as the
fiber. Too cold and it will felt (but you know this). You can also put a few
more glugs of vinegar into this rinse water.
I did change the water again for a second soak- just to make sure the dye was
not still coming out.
The first soak had just a trace of dye in it, so I knew the colors had held in
the fiber.
Don't run water directly on the fiber or it will felt it also. Well, maybe
gently to rinse a bit.
Then squeeze out and hang to dry. I put my fiber into mesh lingerie bags and
give them a quick spin in my washing machine. This takes a huge amount of water
out of the fiber and speeds the drying time. If you have dyed yarn, you may want
to weight the bottom of the skein to stretch it out a bit.
HAVE FUN!
reenie
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