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Results ad Lessons from Snow Dyeing with Acid Dyes
First Experiment (see link https://env-6061297.mightybox.site/discussion/snow-dyeing-wool-with-acid-dyes/: Blended colors randomly; spun a thin singles yarn and plyed with a thin wine-colored thread resulting in a variegated yarn, blue/purple dominated and dark in value.
Second Experiment: Used only llama fiber with Dharma dye colors not my ususal choice but high time to make friends with the other side of the color wheel. Pot #1 Yellow, Red, Magenta plus a trace of Blue. Pot#2 Yellow, Magenta plus a trace of True Black. Snow had scant moisture content so carefully added cold water to increase the dye bath for later heating. Results: two colors only (dark plum and henna) Yikes! How did this happen? Probably a mistake to add the water which may have caused the colors to mix/run together. Nice hair color though not what I had hoped for and not great for the color-sequence spun yarn I had planned. What to do? Other fiber to the rescue: no rule says it has to be snow dyed or even the same fiber. So mohair and sheep wool dyed with avocado skins and red hopi amaranth and, yes, some mandarin orange Kool Aid. I spun colors separately in sequence from light to dark and plyed with a gold polyester thread. I now have 120 yards of yarn from the first experiment and 172 yards from the second. I have a lot more to spin. The fun part about this experiment, the snow-dyeing over which I had very little control, was the opportunity to see, not what I wished were there, but what was actually there and what it could become. P.S. I love your blog on “strategies to help with frustrating projects.”
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7 Replies
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It was undoubtedly the water that caused the colors to run together. LOVE your photos though – the colors are beautiful!
What are you planning to do with it?
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Thanks, Tien. I think if I did it again, I would probably steam or microwave the dyed fiber to provide for the least disturbance. I still plan to do small samples with each of the yarns to get an idea of what is possible. I’m mulling over what wefts might work for each so that I can show case the warps. Suggestions are welcome. I’m not a a fast spinner so I’m going to do the samples before I get back to the wheel which means I’ll do them on my rigid heddle loom when that’s free or on a small frame loom.
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If the yarn is precious, why not use it in the weft rather than the warp? Then you don’t have to spin extra for loom waste, and you don’t have to worry about durability/shredding in the reed either.
I’d use a dark warp (or weft) to go with it, perhaps a navy blue? That will let the colors of the yarn shine, and if you go with navy blue or eggplant then it won’t dull down those beautiful blues and purples. (Two Primary rule again!)
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Thanks, Tien, for the tips. I had considered using the yarn as weft, but I did want to experiment using a variegated yarn as warp so I’ve warped a small frame (8″x7″ weaving space) to test the waters so to speak. I like the idea of using navy or eggplant. I don’t have any navy but I do have very dark purple so we’ll see. Thanks again for your help.
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Lovely yarn. Very nice colors too. We have enough snow here to do that I just don’t want to play in the snow. lol. Do you want to know how long I have had a bobbin on one of my wheels, at least 4 to 5 yrs. I have done other stuff this was a yarn I was making for a shawl. Alpaca/ angora rabbit blend and I am going to ply it with cotton that is almost the same very light gray. I may have to dye it before I ply or figure out a how to get both to dye. @tien have you ever tried dying a wool/cotton blend before? I think the reactive dye will dye wool with acid it in, but will that stop the cotton from taking up the dye?
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Dyeing wool/cotton blend is a challenge, because fiber reactive dyes with soda ash will harm the wool, but fiber reactive dyes with acid and/or acid dyes will only stain the cotton. (But they will stain the cotton JUST ENOUGH to be really annoying if you want to play with dyeing the fibers two different colors…ask me how I know!) This will result in lighter color and a heathered look.
Your best bet for a solid color with mixed protein/cellulose fibers is a union dye such as RIT, which contains dyes that dye both. The colors might not be as fast as with fiber-reactive or acid dyes, though.
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Thanks, I was afraid of that. But I could get a rite dye that will do it. Its not really a blend of the fiber but an alpaca/ angora blend wool single and a 10/2 cotton strand. If I had wanted a heathered or tweed look, I would have done just that. Until now I have never dyed cotton. My plan was an Orenburg Shawl but I am not the knitter for that, so I decided to weave it instead. I have a Merino wool warp to dye to go with it. Should be the softest scarf/shawl/blanket in the world.
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