I haven't been really happy with the way my dyeing turned out on my first two skeins. I was disappointed because I would have a specific idea and try to realize it. When the yarn didn't come out the way I imagined it I felt let down and disappointed in myself. So for my third skein I decided to go totally random. I put the very wet skein in a large plastic bowl and poured on dye (a few tablespoons of 1% stock solution mixed with a cup of water and a glug of vinegar). I poured and also used a baby syringe to push the dye deep into the skein. I lined my colors up so that they were basically in color wheel order so any mixing would produce a color other than brown. I also used a dark brown I had mixed up (brown, black and a pinch of magenta). I colored the skein and made sure there were no white spots. I stuck it in the microwave and zapped it several times. When I pulled it out and peered in the bowl it was so beautiful. Then I lifted it up and saw that most of the bottom of the skein was still white! I laid out paper and plastic and put the skein down and poured on more color on all the white spots. The hot, wet wool just drank in the dye. I added more water and vinegar, wrapped it up and put in back in the microwave. When I took it out I noticed that the liquid was pink. I rinse the skein. The water was very pink. I rinsed it again. After five or six rinsings the water was still coming off pink. Eventually I spun it out and left it to dry. I like the look of it but I worry that the magenta will just keep washing out. So I still haven't had a dyeing experience that worked out the way I hoped it would.
May 29, 2006
Potluck Skein
I haven't been really happy with the way my dyeing turned out on my first two skeins. I was disappointed because I would have a specific idea and try to realize it. When the yarn didn't come out the way I imagined it I felt let down and disappointed in myself. So for my third skein I decided to go totally random. I put the very wet skein in a large plastic bowl and poured on dye (a few tablespoons of 1% stock solution mixed with a cup of water and a glug of vinegar). I poured and also used a baby syringe to push the dye deep into the skein. I lined my colors up so that they were basically in color wheel order so any mixing would produce a color other than brown. I also used a dark brown I had mixed up (brown, black and a pinch of magenta). I colored the skein and made sure there were no white spots. I stuck it in the microwave and zapped it several times. When I pulled it out and peered in the bowl it was so beautiful. Then I lifted it up and saw that most of the bottom of the skein was still white! I laid out paper and plastic and put the skein down and poured on more color on all the white spots. The hot, wet wool just drank in the dye. I added more water and vinegar, wrapped it up and put in back in the microwave. When I took it out I noticed that the liquid was pink. I rinse the skein. The water was very pink. I rinsed it again. After five or six rinsings the water was still coming off pink. Eventually I spun it out and left it to dry. I like the look of it but I worry that the magenta will just keep washing out. So I still haven't had a dyeing experience that worked out the way I hoped it would.
