I got a wild hare up my bum the other day and decided to try dying some wool. I used procion dyes because that is what I had onhand. It worked out ok, and it was fun! The colors turned out way different, but thats to be expected using procion on wool. (right?) I bought some acid dyes because I deffinately want to dye more. But I have a few questions.
The tut. I used instructed me to "cook" the yarn in the microwave for 3 mins, rest for 3 mins, cook for 3 mins.. so on untill it had cooked for a total of 9 minutes. It seems like a couple places might have scorched though. Was there something wrong w/ the timing? Or should I not use the microwave at all? What would be a better way to heat set it?
I also had a really hard time with lots of tangles and headaches getting the yarn wound into a big loop. Any reccomendations for ways to wind the yarn?
Where do you buy your undyed yarn?
Thanks in advance!
WeeEssentials
12-22-2008, 09:24 PM
I buy mine from knitpicks right now. I just learned that when you take a skein and you wind it into a cake or a ball, you'll find that one end comes from the "inside" of the skein and the other from the "outside." Grab the outside one. Until I learned that, I had the worst time with it getting horribly tangled - turns out I was grabbing the inside end.
I prefer to do mine on the stove - it takes longer, but I just don't trust my microwaves. :P To kettle dye, I just dip it into the pot with the dye and vinegar (1 tsp acid dye and 3 tbsp vinegar) I kind of "line" the pot with the skein rather than just drop it in, and that seems to help keep it from tangling, too, and makes it easier to separate the skein back into a skein. :)
I just tried a ball winder for the first time - so nice! Expensive, but if you plan on winding a lot, you should get one.
Otherwise, try doing a search on nostepinne - I used my knife sharpener (you know, the pole-shaped ones that come with a set?) instead of buying one.
cadensmama
12-23-2008, 07:23 AM
if your using chem dyes, i would avoid the microwave if you plan on cooking food there. second, i'm assuming you know ALL the proper precautions to take? if it scorchedc, was it wet?
third, get a ball winder anbd swift. the best $100 ever.
Bethannp
12-23-2008, 08:27 AM
The tutorial I used included safety precautions.
http://www.instructables.com/id/SZC4JOWF9AZJOIB/
It was that one.
The yarn was pretty well wet, it was still wet from soaking when I pained it and the dye was pretty wet too. And it was still wet when it came out.
Bethannp
12-23-2008, 08:33 AM
so with the swift can I reskein it or just go from the skein to the cake?
cadensmama
12-23-2008, 09:51 AM
you can go from the skein to the cake to the skein.
how do you know it was scorched? did it look burnt?
cadensmama
12-23-2008, 09:59 AM
okay...first i found this on there:
Microwave oven (ideally an extra one, not one you use to cook food in)
this is right on. with acid dyes, i would NOT use my food microwave.
i would NOT add vinegar right on to the yarn the way she does. Everything I've read suggests NOT putting vinegar directly onto the fiber.
The rest of her instructions are great though. Dust mask is very important. Make sure you get one that is for lead and stuff, not just a dollar store one. You want a respirator type mask for best practice.
And instead of draining in a collander i suggest wrapping the wet yarn in a towel and stepping on it until it is dry. The yarn really needs to be next to dry for the colors to not bleed and run. You want it slightly damp at best. Remember you add water to the dye so that makes up for what you take from the yarn. You don't want it soaked.
I throw mine in the oven for 1.5 hours at 250
Bethannp
12-23-2008, 10:09 AM
you can go from the skein to the cake to the skein.
how do you know it was scorched? did it look burnt?
There were some places on the yarn that looked burned.
okay...first i found this on there:
this is right on. with acid dyes, i would NOT use my food microwave.
i would NOT add vinegar right on to the yarn the way she does. Everything I've read suggests NOT putting vinegar directly onto the fiber.
The rest of her instructions are great though. Dust mask is very important. Make sure you get one that is for lead and stuff, not just a dollar store one. You want a respirator type mask for best practice.
And instead of draining in a collander i suggest wrapping the wet yarn in a towel and stepping on it until it is dry. The yarn really needs to be next to dry for the colors to not bleed and run. You want it slightly damp at best. Remember you add water to the dye so that makes up for what you take from the yarn. You don't want it soaked.
I throw mine in the oven for 1.5 hours at 250
I did this yarn in my regular microwave, I hope that didnt hurt anything, this was a trial run to see if I wanted to go more into dying yarn. I was planning to get another cheap microwave to use just for yarn though, but I'm not sure I like the microwave method.
Do you cook it in your regular oven?
The yarn was deffinately very wet, and the colors bled together a lot. I didnt mind the look, but I can see that there would be colors I would not want bleeding together.
Bethannp
12-23-2008, 10:10 AM
oh also. i wrapped it in saran wrap, would that melt in the oven?
WeeEssentials
12-23-2008, 10:19 AM
You could also steam it - we have a stock pot that came with a steam pot insert, and I stick my yarn in the steam pot over the stock pot of boiling water for about 45 minutes, covered. Works beautifully, and I feel like I have more control over it, although there isn't much that can happen as you steam it short of the water evaporating from checking on it too much. :P
