Dyeing results

My dyeing experience wasn’t such a disaster as I had originally thought. After letting the dye set two days longer I took my chances and rinsed the dye out, intending to overdye if I had to. A large amount of dye still came out of the skeins and fiber, but more seemed to be staying in. I hope this means that there will be no bleeding of the dye later on. It just seems such a depressing thought to see all that beautiful color go down the drain. What a waste! I wish there was a better way to recapture it.

Perhaps this is one of the down sides of handpainting skeins…..one has to use more dye than you need to get a decent color. With tub or immersion dyeing, at least you can wait until the color is exhausted(clear) and if not you drop in another skein to get a lighter shade until the color is gone.

Well here is what you’ve been waiting for……the final product and results!

Skeins #1 & #2
100% Cotton (Sugar and Cream)
Colors: Deep turquoise, fushia, lemon yellow and lavender. This will make a nice baby item. I just love the colors, they just pop out so brilliantly.










Skein #3 & #4
100% Cotton (Lily’s Sugar and Cream)
Colors: Pastel green and pink.
This washed out more than I wanted but still ended up nice. I loved the original painted on colors of salmon and green. Again, perfect for baby clothes.









Skein #4 & #5
Knit Picks Bare Superwash Worsted Wool Gauge 4.5=1”
Colors, Deep turquoise and Deep Violet.
This was my favorite success story. It came out beautifully. Very rich color and so soft. I love this yarn. I don’t know yet what I will make with it but it will need to be very special. Perhaps I’ll order some more and try to dye more skeins the same for a larger project.

Skeins #6 & 7
Handspun blend of Cotswold wool and Mohair
Color: Lilac
Color: Pastel green
Both of these I painted with deep solid colors but most of the dye rinsed out. I was trying for a rich Kelly green that would make some leaves on a baby fruit hat.The yarn is a little too scratchy for a neck scarf but might do well as a hat.

Skein #8
Handspun Romney Wool
Colors: Pink and light yellow
This was the skein that was very disappointing to me. After 6 hrs I rinsed it, and most of the dye came out. This was the yarn I tried to immerse in three jars of dye and then painted get a continuous color.

The Wool Roving didn’t take up too much of this dye either but here are the results after dyeing.

Merino roving:

Mohair roving and Churro roving:

What I learned from dyeing on Procion MX dyes.
1) Use this dye on Cotton and Superwash wool. Do not use on other wools or mohair (Kool-aide does a better job).
2) If using the cold batch dyeing method, allow several days for dye to set, but keep it moist.
3) If you use a soda ash soak on fiber first, all you have to do is apply the mixed dye, and leftovers can be used when stored in refrig for over 1 month. Be sure to label jars. Next time I’ll do this so I don’t have to throw out leftover dye.