Dye………ing!!!!

(re-post from Feb 10 2009)

Last summer I tried dyeing fibre by hammering grass  and leaves and flowers onto lengths and bunches of wool with interesting results;  it is something I expect I will try again – I need to experiment more with the plant materials and the means of releasing the colour.

On the weekend,  motivated by Laughing's  adventure,  I googled and inputted all sorts of information and advice and methods of  simple dyeing.  And did it.  I am impressed!

I wanted to try pouring the dye solution onto loosely wound balls of wool with the idea that the colours would randomly wander down into and around the fibre.  Here's what the balls looked like after I took them out of the microwave after two 'cooks' and two 'rests'. 

Here they are unwond and drying outdoors. 

I used Kool Aid, grape and lemon-lime.

The top one is six strand grey Buffalo wool;  the bottom a white regular wool.

I really like how the grey translated into muted shades and plan to experiment with other colours of wool, possibly in the Lopi as well as Buffalo.

The white offered a greater variation of colours and I am wondering how it will 'work up'  – I think I will try knitting and Tunisian crochet and maybe weaving to get an idea of effect.

Using loosely wound balls of wool definitely pleases me.  I have a vague memory of someone telling me awhile ago that she used this method and employed eye droppers to insert the dye but I cannot recall who told me.  ?  I just poured the two different colours and let them drip down but maybe a turkey baster would give a more radiating out effect.